Reimagine Durham Freeway: Boulevard, Cap, or Modernization?

The council reviewed three bold options for the Durham Freeway—transforming it into a boulevard, capping it with land bridges, or modernizing the existing corridor—while weighing community priorities, costs, land ownership, and the need for swift, reparative action. Council members and the mayor debated economic impacts, funding challenges, and the importance of reconnecting neighborhoods long divided. 60mins

Was this helpful?

Original Meeting

Thursday, August 21st, 2025
13541.0
Full Meeting on YouTube
Video Notes

Welcome to the Durham City Council Work Session for August 21, 2025.

To view the meeting agenda, visit http://DurhamNC.gov/AgendaCenter.

PLEASE NOTE: Comments left on this livestream will not be read or entered into the meeting record.

For details on how to participate, visit https://www.durhamnc.gov/1345

To contact City Council members directly, visit https://www.durhamnc.gov/1323

Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/cityofdurhamnc

Like: http://www.facebook.com/cityofdurhamnc

Like: https://www.instagram.com/cityofdurhamnc/

avatar
Bike Durham Advocacy, Old West Durham, Duke
View full bio
In This Video
  • Assistant Transportation Director Patterson introduced the Reimagined Durham Freeway Study, outlining its purpose to address historical harms from the freeway's construction and describing the community engagement and technical collaboration involved in developing future corridor options.
  • Assistant Transportation Director Patterson described the community engagement process for the Reimagined Durham Freeway Study, highlighting efforts to gather resident input and major concerns about safety and connectivity across the freeway.
  • Assistant Transportation Director Patterson explained that a corridor treatment toolbox was developed based on community input, focusing on history, safety, mobility, sustainability, and equitable land use to guide future options for the Durham Freeway corridor.
  • Transportation Planner Convery presented three vision-stage options for the Durham Freeway corridor, each shaped by community priorities and technical analysis, and emphasized their flexibility and adaptability for future planning.
  • Transportation Planner Convery described the option of converting the Durham Freeway into an urban boulevard, highlighting benefits such as reconnecting neighborhoods, reclaiming land for community use, and improving safety and local access, with a case study from Rochester, NY provided for context.
  • Transportation Planner Convery presented the option of adding freeway caps or land bridges over the Durham Freeway to reconnect neighborhoods, create new public spaces, and improve access and safety while maintaining regional travel efficiency.
  • Transportation Planner Convery explained that both the freeway cap and modernization options would maintain the Durham Freeway as a limited access corridor, preserving regional traffic flow while seeking to restore local connections.
  • Transportation Planner Convery described the Central 70 project in Denver as an example of using a park built over a lowered highway to reconnect neighborhoods and address environmental justice concerns.
  • Transportation Planner Convery described the freeway modernization option, which would retain the Durham Freeway while reducing its footprint, updating infrastructure for improved flow and safety, and providing safer crossings in the downtown area.
  • Transportation Planner Convery explained that the freeway modernization option could reclaim land for green infrastructure and a linear park while maintaining the freeway's regional function, but noted it would not fully address the barriers created by the original construction.
  • Transportation Planner Convery described the I-40 business reconstruction project in Winston Salem as a model for freeway modernization, highlighting its compact design, infrastructure updates, and improved pedestrian connections as relevant examples for Durham.
  • Transportation Planner Convery summarized community feedback on the Durham Freeway corridor options, noting strong support for the boulevard and freeway cap concepts, concerns about traffic and equity, and a preference for future development that supports affordable housing, transit access, and minimizes displacement.
  • Transportation Planner Convery presented a preliminary evaluation of the Durham Freeway corridor options, highlighting that the boulevard conversion best aligned with community focus areas, followed by the freeway cap and then modernization.
  • Transportation Planner Convery presented preliminary cost estimates for each Durham Freeway corridor option, noting that modernization could cost around $350 million, boulevard conversion about $450 million, and freeway caps between $450 million and $800 million or more depending on scope.
  • Transportation Planner Convery outlined next steps for the Reimagined Durham Freeway study, including finalizing a vision plan based on community input, ongoing coordination with NCDOT and stakeholders, and future discussions with institutional partners.
  • Executive Director Kenshin described Durham Next's willingness to partner with the Transportation Department and other stakeholders to assess the feasibility of Durham Freeway corridor options and report findings to the council.
  • Transportation Planner Convery thanked the council for their feedback and invited further input to help shape the final vision plan for the Durham Freeway study.
  • Council Member Cook asked about the timeline for the final vision plan for the Durham Freeway project and expressed interest in why the project is often referred to as a freeway cap despite strong community support for the boulevard conversion option.
  • Transportation Planner Convery clarified that the Durham Freeway project did not assume a freeway cap as the intended outcome and emphasized that the study was guided by community priorities, resulting in the presentation of multiple options.
  • Council Member Freeman requested details about study participants, and Transportation Planner Convery described the engagement approach and referenced available demographic summaries in the project materials.
  • Council Member Rist asked about a previous NCDOT proposal for freeway modernization, and Transportation Planner Convery explained that the project was paused to allow for a more comprehensive vision plan for the Durham Freeway corridor.
  • Council Member Rist and Transportation Planner Convery discussed the expected lifespan of the Durham Freeway, the inclusion of modernization costs in the freeway cap option, the likelihood of state funding for different corridor options, and the importance of maintaining project momentum to be ready for future funding opportunities.
  • Council Member Baker and Transportation Planner Convery discussed NCDOT's involvement in the Durham Freeway study, the need for continued coordination if less traditional options are pursued, and clarified that current cost estimates do not include potential real estate value or economic impacts from corridor modifications.
  • Council Member Baker expressed support for the boulevard conversion option for the Durham Freeway, while acknowledging the appeal of all proposed improvements and the need to balance costs with other transportation priorities.
  • Council Member Caballero asked about current and future land ownership of the Durham Freeway corridor and the acreage range for potential freeway caps, with Transportation Planner Convery explaining that the land is currently NCDOT right of way and the cap size would depend on how many caps are built.
  • Council Member Caballero reflected on the importance of land access, economic development, and community benefits in the Durham Freeway project, emphasized the need for ongoing advocacy with NCDOT and federal partners, and expressed concern about funding challenges for future improvements.
  • Council Member Rist discussed the importance of future land ownership for the Durham Freeway corridor, referencing examples from Tulsa and Providence and suggesting community or business uses as potential models.
  • Mayor Williams thanked the team for their work, acknowledged the frequent discussion of both boulevard and freeway cap options, and emphasized the importance of making the right decision for the Durham Freeway project.
  • Mayor Williams urged swift action and bold investment in the Durham Freeway project, emphasizing the need to seize current opportunities and avoid delays in decision-making and implementation.
  • Mayor Williams urged timely action to restore and reconnect the Hayti community, encouraged collaboration with Durham Next for greater flexibility, and cautioned against prolonged studies and delays in the Durham Freeway project.
  • Mayor Williams emphasized the need to consider the economic benefits of the Durham Freeway project, highlighted successful examples from other cities, called for involvement from the Office of Economic Workforce Development, and encouraged bold, creative thinking about land ownership and community revitalization.
  • Council Member Freeman reflected on the long history of incomplete transportation projects, emphasized the need for reparative action and careful funding strategies for the Durham Freeway project, and called for more information on economic impacts and funding sources while cautioning against burdening future residents with debt.
Your Governments
Your governments list is empty.
Manage Your List
More from this government
Violent Crime Drops and Durham Freeway Future Discussed
Aug 21, 2025
Transportation Highlights: Northgate Mall Small Area Plan and Rezonings Approved
Aug 18, 2025
Limits of Local Power and Affordable Housing Debated
Aug 18, 2025
Durham City Council
Nearby governments
Durham Public Schools Board of Education
Durham County Board of Commissioners
Wake County Board of Education
Alamance-Burlington Board of Education
Alamance County Board of Commissioners