OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

City Council Work Session: Triangle Bikeway Update - January 13, 2026

City CouncilTuesday, January 13, 2026
BodyRaleigh, North Carolina
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, January 13, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 52:59

Transcript — Verbatim
9:17

I think I'm gonna do it.

11:34

I'm gonna go ahead and bring the meeting to order.

11:37

Thank you for coming to this work session.

11:40

I will turn it over to talk about the Triangle Bikeway update.

11:46

We have Bradley Kimbrell from Transportation and Cara Russell from Campo.

11:53

Yes, good afternoon, Bradley Campbell Transportation.

11:58

The Triangle Bikeway.

11:59

So this item comes up frequently whenever we're talking about West Raleigh.

12:04

We are very fortunate today to have our partners from the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization for Campo here with us today to present.

12:17

Two key points that I'd like to emphasize without still in too much of our thunder.

12:34

It is going to be considered a transportation uh piece of infrastructure.

12:38

So I think you'll hear that in the presentation, and I think that'll come across very well.

12:42

Also uh the connection into the Raleigh system.

12:46

Again, I think Raleigh should be very proud of this.

12:49

That investment that we've done for decades now.

12:51

That means that we'll have a connection from RTB and beyond all the way across the city and into even sections of Nightdale and Clayton.

13:00

So again, it's a lot to be proud of and excited about.

13:03

So without further ado, I'm gonna introduce uh Kara Russell to join us.

13:12

All right, thank you, Bradley.

13:14

Are you all able to hear me okay?

13:15

I know my voice doesn't project so well.

13:17

All right.

13:18

Well, um good afternoon, uh, council.

13:20

Thank you so much for having me here today.

13:22

Um also in the audience we have uh Chris Lucasena, our executive director at Campo as well.

13:29

Um so I'm gonna just give you a quick update on um a little bit of the history of the project, just in case you hadn't heard heard of it or kind of want to refresher on the context um of where the project came from and and where it's been as well as go over the approach today, how we've landed where we are, and give you a little bit of a progress update um about the activities that are going to be occurring um this next month and and beyond.

13:59

Highlight what's coming.

14:01

Um so what is the triangle bikeway in a nutshell?

14:05

It is that multi-use path um that is projected to connect Chapel Hill um all the way to Raleigh.

14:13

Um so this project um in concept has been around for about two decades and been in various stages of planning.

14:21

Uh the most recent of those was the Triangle Bikeway feasibility and implementation study.

14:28

And this was an effort um that was taken on um jointly by um Triangle West uh TPO, our sister MPO, and Campo, the Capital Area MPO that looked at finding a good preferred alternative to get us this connection from Chapel Hill to Raleigh.

14:48

So up on the screen you'll see some of the uh alignments that were considered at that time.

14:53

Um but where the preferred alignment landed at final adoption was primarily along the I-40 and NC54 corridor.

15:04

And so this plan was adopted by both TWTPO and CAMPO in 2022 by their executive boards.

15:13

And it is an incredible body of work.

15:22

All about some of the engagement that occurred, as well as what's up on the screen, the segmentation of the project, thinking about how to start to implement this together as a region.

15:36

So all of that information is now located on TriangleBikeway.com.

15:42

You can consider that the hub if you're curious about both sides of the corridor and how that's progressed, but also a good focal point to look back on the history of where the project has been.

15:58

So with that in mind, it also has a lot of the guidance for the design across the region, right?

16:06

So this facility hopes would be that it would be consistent from Chapel Hill to here.

16:12

And so there are some typicals that are detailed in the plan that are our backbone now as we step forward into the design phase.

16:31

So as I've mentioned, the last step of the planning phone occurred in 2022.

16:39

And so we are now jumping into what's happening now of how we take this first bite out of the project to try to figure out how to start moving it forward.

16:50

So the design phase for the project that's moving forward is from Research Triangle Park all the way to the bridge near the Art Museum in West Raleigh.

17:03

And so you'll notice up on the screen that is the final preferred alignment from the Triangle Study as the base of where we've started.

17:11

And the reason that we are splitting it here is that it is a good midpoint when we think about connections, right?

17:19

The connection from Chapel Hill to RTP is really exciting, just as much as RTP to West Raleigh is really exciting.

17:27

These two sections could be standalone in terms of independent utility.

17:31

And so we knew it was a first safe step to try to start breaking it down into implementable pieces.

17:39

So the design is actually funded by a partnership between Wake County and Research Triangle Foundation.

17:47

And how Campo is involved, we've been asked to manage the design preliminary design phase for the project, as well as a strong partnership with NCDOT.

18:00

And as well as the strong jurisdictional coordination amongst the region, this is even in this section, has a number of municipalities.

18:10

We still actually go over the county border and dip into Durham.

18:14

So there is a lot of coordination to still be had regionally together.

18:18

So the idea is that there would still be a lot of regional collaboration as we start to move the project forward into design.

18:42

So up on the screen you'll see our 2055 draft MTP.

18:47

This is a composite of bike and pedestrian infrastructure across the region, which it might be a little hard to screen see on the screen, but those solid green and purple lines, that's what's out there and existing, and then there's dotted lines, is all that's planned for.

19:03

And so I'm going to highlight a few because I know it's a little hard to see.

19:07

When we're starting to think about the bike and pedestrian regional network and connectivity, it really is quite incredible.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Transportation████████████████████████████████████████████44%
Procedural██████████████14%
Public Safety████████8%
Public Engagement████████8%
Transportation Safety███████7%
Public Transportation██████6%
Budget Equity Analysis████4%
Parks and Recreation████4%
Public Health███3%
Summary of Proceedings

City Council Work Session: Triangle Bikeway Update - January 13, 2026

On January 13, 2026, the City Council convened for a work session focused on a progress update for the Triangle Bikeway, a major multi-modal infrastructure project connecting Chapel Hill to West Raleigh. Presenters from Triangle West Transportation Planning Organization (TWTPO) and the Capital Area MPO (CAMPO) detailed the shift from the planning phase to the preliminary design phase for the eastern segment (RTP to the Art Museum in West Raleigh), highlighting regional coordination, funding sources, and the upcoming public engagement period.

Consent Calendar

  • (No routine consent calendar items were discussed or recorded in the provided transcript; the session focused entirely on presentation and discussion.)

Public Comments & Testimony

  • (No public comments were delivered during this specific work session segment; the Councilors posed questions directly to the presenters on behalf of constituents.)

Discussion Items

  • Project Scope and Alignment: Cara Russell (CAMPO) described the Triangle Bikeway as a multi-use path connecting Chapel Hill to Raleigh, with the current design phase focusing on the eastern portion from Research Triangle Park (RTP) to the bridge near the Art Museum in West Raleigh. The alignment primarily follows the I-40 and NC-54 corridor, with a typical separation of 50 feet or greater from the interstate, though this width is variable. Russell noted the project is intended to be consistent from Chapel Hill to Raleigh.
  • Usage Capacity and Design Standards: Councilor Lambert Melton inquired if the path accommodates all users. Russell confirmed the design includes a 10-foot bike portion and a 6-foot pedestrian portion.
  • Policy Consistency: Councilor Melton expressed concern regarding inconsistent municipal policies on personal mobility devices (e.g., motorized scooters, e-bikes) across jurisdictions. He advocated for aligning policies to ensure a consistent user experience. Transportation Director (identified in transcript as "Paul Calm transitation") stated that aligning mobility policies is a priority that would be addressed early in ongoing conversations with sister partners.
  • Speed and Safety: Mayor Pro Tem (identified as Mayor Proton in transcript) and Councilor Jones discussed the need for a defined speed limit to manage conflicts between commuters and slower users (runners/pedestrians). While no specific speed limit was set, the path is intended as a commuter corridor. Russell noted that safety considerations, including lighting, are being reviewed. Police and EMS have been consulted to identify problem areas, with further safety and amenity discussions (e.g., restrooms, blue lights) planned for the final design phase due to isolated sections of the route.
  • Naming and Branding: The presenters acknowledged the name "Bikeway" sometimes causes confusion regarding exclusivity and noted that naming conventions and maintenance responsibilities will be a regional discussion in the future.
  • Future Phases: Councilor Jones and Councilor Patton asked about Phase 2 (RTP to Durham/Chapel Hill). Russell clarified that the western half is not currently in the same design phase but could start at any time. The 2022 feasibility study assumed a 2030 construction year for the entire corridor, but actual sequencing depends on local decisions and funding availability.

Key Outcomes

  • Design Phase Confirmation: The project has officially moved from planning (2022 study adopted) to preliminary design for the eastern segment. The final alignment is expected to be selected by Summer 2026, followed by the 30% design.
  • Funding Sources (Design): The preliminary design phase is funded through a partnership between Wake County and the Research Triangle Foundation.
  • Projected Cost Estimates: The 2022 implementation study estimated the total project cost at approximately $83.89 million. This figure is considered preliminary and subject to refinement as the alignment is finalized.
  • Projected Completion: Based on the 2022 assumptions, a construction year of 2030 was cited as a benchmark, though specific completion dates remain tentative pending final funding and construction agreements.
  • Upcoming Public Engagement: A public survey will launch on January 21, 2026, and run through February 25, 2026, targeting the RTP, Morrisville, and Raleigh (Laurel Hills Community Center) areas to gather feedback on specific sub-corridors.
  • Future Governance Questions: Councilors emphasized the need for clear answers regarding post-construction maintenance and funding. The presenting agencies anticipated bringing specific options for construction agencies and maintenance models back to the Council between late Summer and Fall 2026, once the final alignment is secured.

Meeting Transcript

I think I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna go ahead and bring the meeting to order. Thank you for coming to this work session. I will turn it over to talk about the Triangle Bikeway update. We have Bradley Kimbrell from Transportation and Cara Russell from Campo. Yes, good afternoon, Bradley Campbell Transportation. The Triangle Bikeway. So this item comes up frequently whenever we're talking about West Raleigh. We are very fortunate today to have our partners from the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization for Campo here with us today to present. Two key points that I'd like to emphasize without still in too much of our thunder. It is going to be considered a transportation uh piece of infrastructure. So I think you'll hear that in the presentation, and I think that'll come across very well. Also uh the connection into the Raleigh system. Again, I think Raleigh should be very proud of this. That investment that we've done for decades now. That means that we'll have a connection from RTB and beyond all the way across the city and into even sections of Nightdale and Clayton. So again, it's a lot to be proud of and excited about. So without further ado, I'm gonna introduce uh Kara Russell to join us. All right, thank you, Bradley. Are you all able to hear me okay? I know my voice doesn't project so well. All right. Well, um good afternoon, uh, council. Thank you so much for having me here today. Um also in the audience we have uh Chris Lucasena, our executive director at Campo as well. Um so I'm gonna just give you a quick update on um a little bit of the history of the project, just in case you hadn't heard heard of it or kind of want to refresher on the context um of where the project came from and and where it's been as well as go over the approach today, how we've landed where we are, and give you a little bit of a progress update um about the activities that are going to be occurring um this next month and and beyond. Highlight what's coming. Um so what is the triangle bikeway in a nutshell? It is that multi-use path um that is projected to connect Chapel Hill um all the way to Raleigh. Um so this project um in concept has been around for about two decades and been in various stages of planning. Uh the most recent of those was the Triangle Bikeway feasibility and implementation study. And this was an effort um that was taken on um jointly by um Triangle West uh TPO, our sister MPO, and Campo, the Capital Area MPO that looked at finding a good preferred alternative to get us this connection from Chapel Hill to Raleigh. So up on the screen you'll see some of the uh alignments that were considered at that time. Um but where the preferred alignment landed at final adoption was primarily along the I-40 and NC54 corridor. And so this plan was adopted by both TWTPO and CAMPO in 2022 by their executive boards. And it is an incredible body of work. All about some of the engagement that occurred, as well as what's up on the screen, the segmentation of the project, thinking about how to start to implement this together as a region. So all of that information is now located on TriangleBikeway.com. You can consider that the hub if you're curious about both sides of the corridor and how that's progressed, but also a good focal point to look back on the history of where the project has been. So with that in mind, it also has a lot of the guidance for the design across the region, right? So this facility hopes would be that it would be consistent from Chapel Hill to here. And so there are some typicals that are detailed in the plan that are our backbone now as we step forward into the design phase. So as I've mentioned, the last step of the planning phone occurred in 2022. And so we are now jumping into what's happening now of how we take this first bite out of the project to try to figure out how to start moving it forward. So the design phase for the project that's moving forward is from Research Triangle Park all the way to the bridge near the Art Museum in West Raleigh. And so you'll notice up on the screen that is the final preferred alignment from the Triangle Study as the base of where we've started. And the reason that we are splitting it here is that it is a good midpoint when we think about connections, right? The connection from Chapel Hill to RTP is really exciting, just as much as RTP to West Raleigh is really exciting. These two sections could be standalone in terms of independent utility. And so we knew it was a first safe step to try to start breaking it down into implementable pieces.

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