Durham is moving forward with transforming the city’s traffic patterns by converting Roxboro and Mangum streets into two-way thoroughfares.
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Residents have raised concerns for years about speeding and deadly traffic collisions in the north-south corridors, calling them the most dangerous streets in Durham.
“It’s just one of those areas where maybe the cost of maintenance and the cost of implementation can be high but the cost of a person’s life is much higher,” said Gregory Williams, an organizer with Bike Durham, at a Monday meeting. “Everything we can do to make sure that those corridors are safe for our pedestrians and families who are moving through them would be fantastic.”
The two-way street conversion, between Markham Avenue in the north and Lakewood Avenue in the south, will slow traffic, reduce crashes and provide a safer environment for residents to walk, bike and use other modes of transportation besides a car.
The City Council voted unanimously to amend a contract with engineering firm Stantec Consulting Services, bringing the local design costs to roughly $1.6 million. The project could be completed by January 2028.
Roxboro and Mangum streets are maintained by the N.C. Department of Transportation. Because of that, the state will need to approve the city’s proposed changes. The new amendment adds tasks so Stantec can produce final plans for bidding and construction, as required by the state.
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Those tasks include:
The city is engaging residents through public workshops, bilingual accessibility, and neighborhood meetings.
Roxboro and Mangum streets are currently a one-way pair system that connects traffic between N.C. 147 (the Durham Freeway) and the downtown area to Interstate 85 and north Durham. The system was implemented in 1959, according to the city’s website, to carry traffic quickly through the city.
Officials said the shift has been “hard fought,” and is important for the city’s long-term transportation priorities.
“I recall last year, even in the budget process, there was conversation to make sure we had funding in the budget to make this happen,” Councilman Carl Rist said Monday. “This will be the kind of thing people talk about nationwide, about transforming these two-way highways into really traffic-calming city streets. I’m so excited about this.”
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This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 3:11 PM.