SCOPE OF PROJECT: The Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit Project (D-O LRT) is a 17.7-mile project that will provide light rail services to residents and commuters in Durham and Chapel Hill (Durham and Orange Counties), out of which 10.4 miles in on ballast, 5.2 miles aerial and 1.2 miles of embedded track.

The rail project will connect three major universities, three major medical facilities, and three of the top ten employers in the state; Duke University, UNC-Chapel Hill, and UNC Health Care. The proposed project is broken into four (4) separate contracts.

Civil East is the first of four LRT packages and approximately starts at Station 660+00 and ends at Station 1175+80 for an approximate length of 9.7 miles. Civil East begins north of the Civil West Gateway Station near I-40. The alignment includes seven (7) bridges, Aerial guideway over NC 147, ST-10 Aerial guideway over Swift Avenue, ST-13 Aerial guideway over NC 147 & Alston Avenue, ST-6 NHC2 Aerial Guideway, ST-7 South Square station Aerial Guideway, ST-8 Aerial guideway over Cornwallis Road and ST-8A Aerial Guideway over Sandy Creek. In addition, there are several MSE, CIP, Pre-cast gravity retaining and Segment Block Walls throughout the length of Civil East.

The typical track guideway consists of eastbound and westbound ballasted tracks with a center overhead catenary system. The alignment profile requires sizeable earthwork and numerous retaining walls in many areas to support the track guideway.  On structures, the rails are mounted on concrete plinths directly fixed to the structure.

Civil West is the second of four LRT packages and approximately starts at Station 10+00 and ends at Station 434+90, for an approximate length of 8 miles. The alignment has seven (7) at grade stations; UNC Hospital, Mason Farms Road, Hamilton Road, Friday Center Drive, Woodmont, Leigh Village and Gateway.

The alignment includes four (4) bridges and three (3) box culverts, ST-1 (UNC Aerial Guideway), ST-2 (Fordham Blvd., Aerial Guideway), ST3 (Aerial Guideway over NC54), ST-5 (Aerial Guideway over NC 40) and ST-4 (Farrington Road Overpass). In addition, all the ROMF site preparation is completed in this Contract that includes all the clearing, demolition, earthwork, retaining walls, wet utilities, storm drainage, BMP, communications ductbank and power infrastructure.

Corridor-Wide is the third of the four LRT packages and includes all the track work, Traction Power Sub-Stations, ROMF Building, station finishes, power and communication installation and testing.

Finley Golf Course is the last of the four LRT packages and consists of Sitework and special conditions, TEE constructions, Grassing, irrigation and sub-surface drainage and Landscaping.

RESPONSIBILITIES: CES assisted in the bottom-up cost estimate of the civil east and civil west construction activities as well for the corridor-wide activities.

In addition, CES developed the entire conceptual construction schedule that comprises of approximately 4000 activities that includes bridges, retaining walls, wet utilities, roadway improvements, ROMF civil and building construction, stations foundation and finishes and all power and communication needed to run the project.