East Campus Wall gets two access points; creates greater connectivity to Ninth Street

Since the very beginning the relationship between Duke University and Durham has been a complex one, mostly friendly, but sometimes fraught with disagreement and, particularly in the late 80's and early 90's, strained by Durham's rising crime rate. I have often heard long-term residents joke that stone wall ("the Wall") that runs along the perimeter of the East Campus is the physical manifestation of Duke's reluctance to engage with a wider Durham community, and that the University was literally trying to wall itself from the city and regretted not making the wall a bit taller

Photo by Bryan Roth.

This new entrance to East Campus was constructed by the Buchanan Boulevard-Main Street intersection. Duke is adding two entrances for pedestrian traffic. Photo by Bryan Roth.

But this was all in the past. Since early 00's, Duke has emerged as the principal force behind the wholesale reinvention of Durham as a vibrant, diverse, and tolerant place to live and work. And nowhere is this relationship obvious than the widespread popularity of the East Campus Walk,  the 1.5 mile gravel pathway circling the Wall, which has become a magnet for joggers, strollers and walkers. Far from walling itself from the community, Duke's wall and the pathway that runs alongside of it, morphed into a public space.

Until relatively recently, however,  the access to the walkway was constrained by the lack of pedestrian access from Broad and Main streets. The University recently changed that when, taking advantage of the Water Main repair work on Main Street, it added two additional entrances  -- the first changes to the wall in over 30 years -- one at the intersection of Main and Broad Streets, and the other on Main and Buchanan Street. In addition to the existing entrance off Broad and Perry Streets, the West side of the East Campus is far better integrated into the Ninth Street  Shopping District.

While this is indisputably a very positive development, Duke and the City have additional work to do before the East Campus can be said to be truly integrated into its surrounding communities. The most obvious and lacking issue is the lack of sidewalks on the outside of the wall across large portions of Board Street, the entire length of W. Markham Avenue. The need to have such a sidewalk is obvious, as evidenced by a clear walking trail created by students and residents, as they navigate mud, grass, roots, stones and other obstacles.Here is to hoping that it will take Duke less than 30 years to recognize this need and build such a sidewalk.

Read the Duke Today article about the new enterances after the break.

Potential Street Closings in OWD (NC DOT Railroad Study)

A few months ago I wrote about a study by North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT) about two railroad crossings in our neighborhood at Anderson St. and Swift Avenue. The agency is looking at three possible courses of action:  (1)Eliminate the crossing; ie, close the streets on either side of the tracks; (2) separate car traffic from train traffic with grade; i.e, dig under the tracks similar to the Erwin Rd and Gregson St crossings; or (3) either do nothing or implement enhanced signaling and markings.

The study is now open for public comment. Please submit your comments by filling out the attached form (download it via Scribd) and submitting it (via email) to Matt West, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc

A few thoughts on the proposed ideas. First,  it goes without saying that simply closing one or both of these two intersection would be disastrous for our neighborhood. Although highly unlikely, it would effectively cut the neighborhood off from access to the Durham Freeway, Duke's West Campus and the Hospital Complex, significantly impairing commercial viability of the Ninth Street Shopping District. For these reasons, I highly doubt the DOT would make such a drastic change.

I am less than enthusiastic about choice two -- it would lead to considerable construction on a vital stretch of the road connecting our neighborhood and, judging by the similar intersection at Erwin road, would visually separate Main Street intersection from Swift Avenue, forcing pedestrians and bikers into a dark underpass if they wish to cross the street. It would sacrifice pedestrian appeal in favor of car use -- a car-first policy that should have been abandoned decades ago (and is surely being abandoned now by most forward-thinking urban planners).

I think I would prefer alternative three, except that instead of doing nothing, I would advocate extending connectivity between Main and Swift streets by building a sidewalk connecting the two.

As a wrote previously, in its current configuration that stretch of the road constitutes the "corridor of death" making it dangerous for bike  commuters, pedestrians (particularly pedestrians in wheelchairs) to cross that intersection without being run over by incoming traffic.



The DOT powerpoint describing the full extent of the study, the schedule of hearings, funding meetings and, ultimately, the decision making authority is embedded below. It makes for a very interesting read and I encourage you to check it out.

Sidewalks, connectivity, and corporate irresponsibility

Courtesy: capl@washjeff.edu

One of the things that makes urban core of Durham special is a fairly mature system of sidewalks and trails that contribute to a pedestrian-friendly environment in and around the Ninth Street Shopping District. The  fact that residents and visitors can easily walk to most places adds to the neighborhood's attractiveness both in terms of development and home values. When compared to suburban neighborhoods on the periphery of Durham or towns such as Greensboro or Fayetteville, the city has done well maintaining and enhancing its sidewalk infrastructure.

But there is one glaring hole in this otherwise encouraging story; namely the sordid tale of corporate indifference exhibited by the railroad company Norfolk Southern.   It owns the right-of-way to many (if not all) railroad crossings around Durham. The best example is located in our neighborhood -- just take a look at the sidewalk running alongside Swift avenue, as it crosses Main and Durham Freeway.