Gannett Fleming/WSP JV to manage N.C. light rail construction

The Gannett Fleming/WSP Joint Venture was selected by GoTriangle as construction management consultant for Durham and Orange counties’ light-rail project.

The 17.7-mile light -rail system will have 18 stations between UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill and North Carolina Central University in Durham. It will better connect neighborhoods to jobs, education, and employment centers and provide a congestion-free alternative for commuters in the rapidly growing metropolitan area.

The line includes over 10 miles of at-grade ballasted track, approximately four miles on an elevated structure, and approximately 3.5 miles of at-grade embedded track. A trip from end to end is expected to take 45 minutes.

“We are proud to be part of a team that’s implementing much-needed rail transit in the Triangle Region because it will transform mobility in the community,” said Bryan Mulqueen, a Gannett Fleming executive VP and Durham-Orange Light Rail contract project manager. “Future generations will look back and ask ‘How did we ever live without this?’”

The project, which is planned to provide 26,000 trips per day, will connect three major universities, three medical facilities, and three of North Carolina's top 10 employers — UNC Health Care, UNC-Chapel Hill, and Duke University. Between 2018 and 2057, the project potentially could add $3.2 billion in property values and $1.4 billion in tax revenue, according to projections by GoTriangle.

“This critical light rail transit project will create safer and more reliable mobility options to connect the surrounding communities and will bring continued economic growth to the growing Triangle region,” said Pam Townsend, WSP’s southeast regional manager.

The Gannett Fleming/WSP joint venture will provide a wide range of services, including constructability reviews, estimating, contract packaging, design, and specification reviews during phase one, and full construction management services during phase two.