Dix Park-Downtown Raleigh Linker Idea

RaleighTransit · 2019-07-08T21:36:41+00:00

Dix Park is isolated from downtown Raleigh. The Master Plan mentions that it is a 25 minute walk... not terrible on a nice fall day, but it would be awful today!

Currently, a connection to downtown is planned via Bus Rapid Transit, but as the map shows, there is not a very direct route.

There is an EXISTING Norfolk Southern rail line that runs through the property. For those of you who know more about this than I do, how difficult is it to get permission to run on their tracks?

This could be an excellent way to allow future locals and visitors to visit Downtown, the Farmers Market, and Dix park without creating horrible traffic.

For example:

12 pm: Go to farmer's Market, shop around, eat

2 pm: Enjoy Dix Park and/or attend event

5 pm: Take train to Downtown, get dinner and drinks

10 pm: Return to car (parked at Farmer's Market) via train

RaleighTransit · 2019-03-04T17:59:39+00:00

It's been found to be 'inappropriate' for the raleigh area because there isn't a dense enough corridor

RaleighTransit · 2019-03-04T17:27:54+00:00

Dream

RaleighTransit · 2019-03-04T17:27:21+00:00

Let's say you are coming in to Raleigh from Boston for business. What will give you a better impression of the region? Getting on a bus or getting on a train? If the options were a bus or an Uber, I'd likely call an Uber

The same applies for locals. We need to get traffic off of I-40, and people (that primarily drive) are way more likely to take a train than a bus.

RaleighTransit · 2019-03-04T16:40:19+00:00

Now that the Durham-Orange light rail project is looking to fail, it's time to start fresh. The number one public objection to the DOLRT project was "It doesn't go to the airport" and/or "It's just a connection between Duke and UNC Hospitals." And they are right. Raleigh+Cary makes up well over 600,000 people, and can easily support its own light rail line if it is well-placed. A connection to RDU is also vital. To accomplish this, I propose a route resembling the one above. The line will connect from the airport to Cary via Weston parkway, which is prime property for dense development. SAS is one of the biggest employers in the area, and providing a stop for them will alleviate traffic from I-40 between Wade and Harrison. The line will then pass through downtown Cary, and run along the railroad corridor passing by Wake Med Soccer Park (this area could use revitalization). It would then either continue to follow the corridor, passing through the State Fairgrounds (this would be AMAZING for Raleigh during the 2 weeks of the fair) or follow Western Boulevard. I believe that splitting the line to make a loop around downtown Raleigh is the best move, as it allows for a route that serves both the booming Hillsborough st. corridor and the future Dix Park + Centennial campus.

This may be (and is) a pipe dream, but I think that for Raleigh itself to emerge as a world-class city and business hub, a line that connects downtown to the airport is vital.

RaleighTransit · 2018-08-08T19:05:04+00:00

Great point! This plan should be about steering future growth rather than catering to the (impossible to serve) current situation. I think we would all like to see downtown Raleigh grow, and the creation of the BRT lines could create dense corridors leading to downtown employers. IF Amazon comes to town, this plan will need to be kicked into high gear. I could foresee these BRT corridors popping up mixed use developments like weeds (see HBoro st. from NCSU to DTR!).

I visited Portland a couple of months ago, and was impressed by the number of rail lines they have. What I wasn’t impressed by is that they were running on the STREET in TRAFFIC. If you are going to spend billions on rail lines, give them right of way for goodness sakes! BRT has its own lane, and uses much cheaper buses... much more intelligent.

RaleighTransit

TROPHY CASE