Title
Status Update of the Chapel Hill Transit Short Range Transit Plan
PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND: The purpose of this agenda item is for the Town Council to receive a presentation of the Short Range Transit Plan (SRTP) for 2027 - 2035. The Short Range SRTP, titled “Blueprint 2035,” will help guide Chapel Hill Transit’s service and investment decisions for the next ten years. The last SRTP was endorsed by the Town Council and adopted in 2020. There are eight routes in the CHT system that directly support Carrboro residents (C, CM, CW, F, HS, JFX, J, and N)
Chapel Hill Transit (CHT) has engaged the engineering firm Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates to develop its Short Range Transit Plan. There have been two rounds of public review and revisions. Representatives from the Town of Carrboro, the Town of Chapel Hill, and UNC-Chapel Hill have reviewed changes intermittently with CHT and the consultant team.
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Department
DEPARTMENT: Planning
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Information
INFORMATION: This update of the 2020 plan will develop cost-constrained service improvements as well as recommend unfunded improvements for the future. The plan and the draft route changes proposed follow four main goals:
Make Chapel Hill Transit the primary transportation choice
Implement high-capacity transit corridors
Expand equitable access for transit-reliant riders
Ensure consistent and reliable service
Public input was received in two rounds (spring and summer 2026). Ridership data from 2025 has also been used by Nelson/Nygaard to inform the proposed changes. There will be another round of public engagement before Blueprint 2035 will return for consideration of endorsement by the Carrboro Town Council. Next steps include refinement of the final SRTP, updates to the implementation plan, and review by elected officials later this fiscal year.
Major route changes will be discussed in more detail as part of the presentation by Caroline Dwyer, Interim Assistant Director of Chapel Hill Transit. A copy o...
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