'Nothing to show for it': GoTriangle leaders expected to explain how $157 million was spent on failed Durham-Orange Light Rail project

The Durham City Council is due to hear from GoTriangle leaders on Thursday afternoon about the failed Durham-Orange Light Rail project.

Posted 8:06 p.m. Jun 8, 2022 — Updated 2:50 a.m. Jun 9, 2022

Sarah Krueger

, WRAL Durham reporter

DURHAM, N.C. — GoTriangle leaders on Thursday are expected to explain how they spent more than $157 million taxpayer dollars on the failed Durham-Orange Light Rail project.

Durham Mayor Elaine O’Neal requested the presentation before the city council because even though the light rail failed years ago, she believes the public still needs answers.

GoTriangle CEO Charles Lattuca said Durham County paid for about $126 million and Orange County paid the remainder of the total cost of $157 million.

“I am upset that we spent that much money and we have nothing to show for it,” Durham city councilmember Leo Williams said.

Discussions about the light rail started in 2008. It was supposed to be 17 miles long, connecting downtown Durham, North Carolina Central University and UNC Hospitals.

The project collapsed in 2019, which was before Williams took office.

“Those are taxpayer dollars, so we are just trying to get to the bottom of where the money went, what it was spent on,” Williams said.

On Thursday, the city council is due to review a 27-slide presentation from GoTriangle. The presentation shows $130,922,132 was spent on management and design. Other expenses include:

$16,139,172 was spent on administration and staff
$6,158,465 was spent on real estate
$3,823,844 was spent on professional services and operations

Williams said the presentation will help the city council make better decisions in the future.

“I know that projects do fail sometimes, but it’s our jobs as elected officials to ask the tough questions,” Williams said.

Lattuca is among the people expected to speak Thursday.

“There were some things that were salvaged,” Lattuca said. “For example, we have a lot of plans, some geotechnical work; we bought a project management software that we still use today.”

Williams said he wants to make sure a failure like the failed Durham-Orange Rail Line doesn’t happen again, especially with several high-tech companies developing in the Triangle, including Apple, Amazon and Meta.

“All these giants are moving into the area,” Williams said.

Earlier this year, Lattuca estimated the Triangle would add about 750,000 people by 2040. It creates a need for other means of transportation.

Lattuca said he looks forward to providing the public some answers about the failed project.

“I don’t think the explanations were as full as folks wanted,” Lattuca said. “And, what this report does is provide a more full discussion, a lot more detail about how the money was spent, so the public can feel that GoTriangle is very transparent and there is full faith and confidence moving forward in other projects down the road.”

The Durham City Council meeting starts at 1 p.m. ET Thursday.

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