Speeding concerns drive push to redesign two major Durham corridors

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- On-street parking is still available along North Roxboro Street, but city officials say that will change once a long-discussed two-way conversion project for Roxboro and Mangum streets is complete.

The project would remove some parking spaces to make room for traffic flowing in both directions.

Ali Tamer, who moved from Dubai to his stepsister's home in Durham two weeks ago, said it didn't take long to notice how fast drivers move along Mangum Street.

"The cars are just speeding," he said. "It's right in front of the houses here. So it's like a kid steps out. There's a speed limit, but they don't really follow it."

The city plans to convert Roxboro Street from the I-85 interchange to Lakewood Avenue and Mangum Street from Markham Avenue to Lakewood Avenue. Both operate as one-way corridors.

Residents have pushed for the change for years, arguing the current design encourages speeding and puts families at risk.

"The cost of maintenance and the cost of implementation can be high," one resident said, "but the cost of a person's life is much higher. Everything we can do to make sure corridors are safe for families moving through them would be fantastic."

City leaders have allocated $1.5 million for the design phase. They say the conversion could slow drivers and reduce crashes.

Howard Eisenson, who was walking his dog Rosie through Duke Park, said he supports safety improvements but has questions about the project's broader effects.

"If there's some sort of traffic-management science that suggests it would make the roads safer, slow people down, that's worth seriously considering," he said. "But how will that be paid for? How long will it take? How much disruption will it cause? I've observed, especially over the last year, there's a lot of construction around town that impedes traffic and interferes with people's travel."

Both Roxboro and Mangum streets are state-owned.

In a statement to ABC11, the North Carolina Department of Transportation said it "remains open to the concept of two-way conversions of Mangum and Roxboro streets between the Durham Freeway and Interstate 85 and continues to collaborate with the City as it advances design plans for this initiative."

The city expects design work to be completed in winter 2027.