Letter: Durham-Orange light rail furthers Duke's climate goals

<p>The proposed Durham-Orange Light Rail would have stops near Duke University Medical Center and on Ninth Street.</p>

The proposed Durham-Orange Light Rail would have stops near Duke University Medical Center and on Ninth Street.

To the Editor:

As a Durham native and Duke graduate student, I believe Duke University should support the Durham-Orange light rail. The project will provide a critical connection to UNC Hospital, NCCU, downtown Durham, and thousands of homes and businesses along the way. Duke's 2018 update to its climate action plan is currently out for comment, and calls for Duke to "advocate for local transit options (e.g. regional light rail, efficient bus routes, etc.) that connect employees to Duke University."

Yet, Duke appears to desire that last minute design changes, potentially costing millions of dollars, be implemented as a condition of Duke's support. Duke officials should work with light rail planners to come up with solutions that stay within reasonable cost parameters. If Duke will only advocate for the project if planners spend millions extra to benefit Duke, then it isn't advocating for the project at all.

Daniel Copple

Daniel Copple is a second-year master of engineering and environmental management student.

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