AGENDA ITEM EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
ITEM TITLE
title
North-South Bus Rapid Transit (NSBRT) Project Milestone Update
presenter
RESPONSIBLE STAFF, TITLE, DEPARTMENT
Katy Fontaine, Transit Development Manager, Transit Department
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommend advancing NSBRT’s final design.
body
ACTION/DECISION POINTS
Receive and discuss project update and ask clarifying questions. No action required.
LEGISLATIVE CONTEXT
This presentation addresses Council’s request for project updates at major milestones.
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
The North-South Bus Rapid Transit (NSBRT) project has been in development for over 10 years. In 2021, Council adopted the project’s locally preferred alternative (LPA), marking the end of 30% Design. Following adoption of the LPA, Chapel Hill Transit (CHT) completed NSBRT’s mandated National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) reviews and commenced 60% Design. NSBRT is now at the end of the 60% design phase and staff are preparing to request a Small Starts Grant Agreement (SSGA) from the Federal Transit Administration in late Summer 2025. Additionally, staff are beginning to coordinate for right of way acquisition, utility relocation, and other critical agreements that must be executed before FTA will consider fully funding the project.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
NSBRT’s cost of construction is approximately $183M (2023). Eighty percent (80%) of the project cost, approximately $146.6M, is anticipated to be funded by FTA’s Small Starts Capital Improvement Grant program. $32.5M of this federal funding is already committed; a formal grant request for the remaining funding will be submitted later this year. The remaining twenty percent (20%), approximately $36.6M, reflecting the project’s required local match is being provided by Orange County Transit Tax revenues and Chapel Hill Transit. Staff expect to receive an updated cost estimate later this summer. This project cost estimate includes a 30% contingency budget.
COMPLETE COMMUNITY CONNECTION
NSBRT strongly supports Chapel Hill’s economic development, housing affordability, transportation and mobility goals. This investment will change the ways people move around Chapel Hill, reducing dependence on single occupancy automobiles, expanding opportunities for connected, transit-oriented development, and enhancing housing and economic development.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Over the last two-and-a-half-years, Transit staff have engaged community members and Town staff in NSBRT’S design and development. Highlights include:
• Conducting a three-phased NSBRT station design outreach and engagement process in September - December 2023.
• Reviving NSBRT Technical and Policy Committee Meetings.
• Hiring an NSBRT Marketing and Communications Specialist.
• Engaging with property owners, businesses, and developers on the project corridor.
ATTACHMENTS
NSBRT_Milestone_Update_May2025_DRAFT