Durham City Council and Durham county commissioners each took major steps recently towards building a trail connecting Durham and Roxboro by approving money for land acquisition along the trail.
Plans call for the multi-use biking and walking trail to follow an 18-mile inactive Norfolk Southern rail corridor in Durham County and an additional 8 miles in Person County, ultimately extending from downtown Durham to Roxboro. The proposed Durham-to-Roxboro Rail Trail route will connect 21 public parks, six natural preserves, and eight lakes and rivers, offering opportunities for hiker-biker campsites, fishing access, wildlife viewing areas, and a nature museum.
As they cast their votes on Nov. 3 to support land acquisition for the trail, county commissioners expressed excitement for the trail’s potential.
“I have been sitting here for 13 years, and this will be one of the most important decisions I have made in my tenure as a county commissioner,” Commissioner Wendy Jacobs said. “This is about the future of Durham.”
The Durham City Council also unanimously approved the final steps in its part of the corridor acquisition on the same day. In a 7-0 vote, the council authorized the city manager to enter into an agreement with NCDOT and to commit just over $1.15 million toward the right-of-way purchase. The vote also allows the city manager to execute any supplemental agreement, up to a total of $2.5 million, necessary to complete the acquisition.
For decades, the corridor has appeared in planning documents as a regional priority, beginning with Durham’s 1985 Trails and Greenways Master Plan. However, previous efforts failed to advance.
The landscape shifted in 2023 when the Conservation Fund, a national nonprofit, presented Durham with a proposal to purchase the railway corridor.
In 2024, the project was formally set in motion, supported by a $500,000 feasibility study conducted by planning and design firm Destination By Design.
The Conservation Fund will now purchase the land from Norfolk Southern for just over $13.4 million, after which ownership will be transferred to the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT).
Funding for the project is being shared by local and state organizations. NCDOT and regional planning organizations will contribute $10,750,000 (80%), the City of Durham will contribute just over $1.15 million, Durham County will contribute just over $1.15 million, and Person County will contribute $384,610.
While the county’s total commitment is just over $1.15 million, several grants will offset that amount, said Ellen Beckmann, the county’s transportation director. According to Beckman, the project received $500,000 in funding from a N.C. State Parks grant and another $428,445 from the East Coast Greenway Alliance, reducing the county’s net cost to $223,000.
In voting to approve the project, Jacobs, the county commissioner, addressed concerns about trail safety. “It is important to look at the data…,” she said. “Trails actually reduce crime, they build community.”
Another recurring concern has been the use of taxpayer money.
“If we don’t take advantage of using this money to make our county better than someone else is going to take our tax money to make some other community better,” said commissioner Mike Lee.
Commissioner Michelle Burton described the varied concerns commissioners weighed in reaching a decision.
“There can be two things true at the same time,” Burton said. “We have concerns about the issues residents raised: privacy, safety, and encroachment on property. And this is something that the majority of our residents want for the well-being of our community.”
While the project’s timeline has not been finalized, next steps will include securing funding for design and construction, Beckmann said.
“Generally, the plan recommends starting in the south, but we will consider any opportunities along the corridor,” Beckmann said. “Funding and development will occur in phases and will involve pursuing grants.”
Along with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), Durham County and the City of Durham, additional partners in the trail project include the Triangle West Transportation Planning Organization, the Kerr-Tar Rural Planning Organization, the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, and the East Coast Greenway Alliance.
Above: Holly Waterman with Destination by Design answers questions about the proposed Durham-Roxboro Rail Trail at an information session. Photo by Ava Epstein — The 9th Street Journal
