Letter: We support regional light rail

Today, your voice can make a lasting, positive impact on the relationship between Duke and Durham.

First, fast forward 10 years. You return to Duke with friends for a reunion. You’re standing on a platform near Duke campus at sunset, with a lavender sky visible atop the loblolly pines. You hop on a train. Catch a ride downtown. What if you and thousands of classmates and residents of Durham could say, “We helped make this happen. We let our voices be heard at the perfect time!”?

That perfect time is NOW. As board members of the Durham People’s Alliance, a coalition of over 1,400 residents, we urge you to join us and support light rail. This project, coordinated by GoTriangle, will connect Duke with Durham and surrounding areas. Regional economic growth and environmental sustainability need alternatives to cars and buses for connecting us to entertainment, educational opportunities, jobs, and affordable housing. 

By February 28, Duke and GoTriangle need a cooperative agreement for federal funding. GoTriangle has redesigned the rail to create an underground tunnel and keep access to American Tobacco Campus unobstructed. It has worked with Duke Hospital to clear access to emergency entrances on Erwin Road. Progress IS being made!

We’re excited about light rail! We’ve shared our support with Duke administrators, and hope you’ll do the same. Please tell Duke to stay on board and stay on track to meet the deadline for federal transportation funding. If Duke negotiates with GoTriangle, we’re confident they’ll get to “YES!”

And you’ll be able to look back at your years at Duke and say, “my voice made a lasting, positive impact in Durham!”

Email Vincent Price, President at vincent.price@duke.edu; Tallman Trask, Executive Vice President at t3@duke.edu; and Eugene Washington, Chancellor, Health Affairs and President, Duke University Health System at eugene.washington@duke.edu.

Thank you!