Construction on a future wetland in Durham’s Trinity Park neighborhood will reroute traffic for the next several months.
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The $41 million South Ellerbe Restoration Project has been a years-long effort to turn 9 acres on West Trinity Ave. into a public green space. The 4.3 acre wetland will filter polluted stormwater and slow runoff in the Ellerbe Creek watershed, which drains to Falls Lake, the source of drinking water for Raleigh.
Drivers, pedestrians and motorists can expect a major traffic change through mid-September.
Crews will close Duke Street between West Trinity Avenue and Monmonth Avenue, with digital message boards and detour signs directing traffic around the work zone. Duke Street is a major north-south corridor in Durham connecting Interstate 85 and N.C 147.
Drivers can use Washington Street or Buchanan Boulevard as alternatives to avoid the area, according to the city. A detour has been established for pedestrians and cyclists using Markham Avenue and Washington Street.
The project is intended to help meet the Falls Lake Nutrient Strategy, which requires reducing pollution from both new development and older urban areas built before modern stormwater rules.
In an email Sandra Wilbur, the city’s senior watershed restoration manager, said the state adopted the Falls Lake Nutrient Management Strategy Rules to “improve water quality in Falls Lake by reducing the amount of pollution coming from stormwater runoff from new and existing development, wastewater treatment plants, and agriculture.”
The rules require a reduction in the nitrogen and phosphorus coming into the lake.
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“These pollutants are targeted because they can affect the water quality. A cleaner Falls Lake will help support its uses for drinking water supply, fish and wildlife habitat, and recreation,” Wilbur said. “This project could help to reduce a significant amount of nitrogen annually from entering Falls Lake, as well as remove additional pollutants from this heavily developed area of Durham.”
The project site is three blocks from Duke University’s East Campus and across from Duke Towers. In February, the city was granted $800,000 from the state to help fund the project.
Other funding for the project comes from the American Rescue Plan Act’s Local Assistance for Stormwater Infrastructure Investment, the N.C. Land and Water Fund and the City of Raleigh Watershed Protection Program.
The end goal is the wetland and two restored tributaries with new public features:
The city is currently in Phase 3A of the construction, which consists of utility and drainage upgrades, sewer and water line relocations and stomwater modifications. Wilbur said this phase has a contract amount of $8.5 million.
Phase 3B, the construction of the wetland and stream, will begin later this year.
For information about the South Ellerbe Restoration Project, contact [email protected].
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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 4:37 PM.