$12M Federal Grant to Help Transform Holloway Street Corridor with Pedestrian Safety Changes

U.S. Department of Transportation awards Durham $12 million to address pedestrian safety issues along the city's busiest transit route

A federal grant will help make pedestrian safety changes possible along Durham's busy Holloway Street corridor in East Durham.

What You Need to Know

• USDOT awards $12 million grant to City of Durham Transportation Department for Holloway Street corridor safety improvements.
• Improvements include 33 intersections with new ADA curb ramps, two mid-block crossing improvements with new flashing beacons, and upgrades to all 32 bus stops with shelters, lighting, benches, bike racks, and more.
• Project currently in design phase; construction to begin in 2026.

Earlier this week, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) awarded the City of Durham Transportation Department a $12,044,800 grant through their Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program to support a list of pedestrian and transit-rider safety improvements identified in the department's Holloway Street: Safe Access to Durham's Busiest Transit Route project.

The federal award will help pay for safety measures to address Holloway Street's high traffic fatality rate, sidewalk gaps, and lack of necessary bus stop amenities. Between 2017-2021, there were 46 recorded pedestrian crashes in the project area, three of which were fatal and four with serious injuries.

"This federal grant award is going to help us make it safer and easier for our community members living in this area to get to GoDurham bus stops, help GoDurham riders feel more comfortable and secure waiting for the bus, and make a series of pedestrian safety improvements, including new sidewalks and people-focused intersections," said Mayor Leonardo Williams. "This corridor provides our East Durham residents with vital access to commercial, economic, and public services, such as grocery, retail, food, health services, and the U.S. Post Office. Better sidewalks, crosswalks, and bus stop benches are just a few ways we hope to help this community thrive in the Bull City."

According to USDOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a press conference earlier this week, Durham was selected as one of the winning grant recipients due to the lack of infrastructure on this busy corridor.

"In Durham, North Carolina, Holloway Street is the city's busiest bus route, even though it currently lacks the infrastructure to make it safe and easy for people to walk, bike, or roll to the bus," Buttigieg said. "So, we're awarding $12 million to help the city build curb ramps, improve their intersections, upgrade bus stops, build sidewalks, and add pedestrian trails so that people can reach the bus safely."

According to Transportation Director Sean Egan, the project will significantly improve safety and expand access to transit for GoDurham's Route 3/3B/3C, which is both the City's highest ridership (3,291 weekday riders) and most productive (52 passengers per hour) route in the GoDurham system. This route has an average weekday ridership of 403 riders per mile within the project area and represents 18.8% of total system ridership.

"While transit ridership is robust in this area, safe connections to the route and bus stop amenities are lacking," Egan said. "Most stops are without shelters and there are barriers to access like sidewalk gaps. Our project aims to provide safe, dignified access to transit for our residents in the communities along this corridor."

After robust and ongoing community engagement, detailed planning, and analysis, the Transportation Department is now in the final design phase of the project. Using local funding, the department contracted in January 2024 for professional services for final design, environmental permitting, and construction documents. Construction is currently set to begin in 2026, and the project will take about a year to complete.

About the City of Durham Transportation Department

The Transportation Department is responsible for a broad range of transportation services, which include traffic signs and signals, transportation planning, transportation demand management, parking operations, street lighting, taxicab administration and bicycle and pedestrian planning. The department works to increase transportation choices as well as local and regional connectivity by planning for and securing funds for highways, public transportation, and bicycle and pedestrian improvements. As guided by the City's Strategic Plan, the City's Transportation Department helps to strengthen the foundation, enhance the value, and improve the quality and sustainability of neighborhoods that are necessary for a strong and diverse community. The provision of a sound transportation system is critical to maintaining a strong economy.

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