Durham is finally pulling the trigger on a long-talked-about overhaul of Roxboro and Mangum streets. Earlier this week, City Council signed off on a key contract change that lets staff finish engineering work and get ready for construction, clearing the way to flip the one-way pair to two-way traffic between Markham Avenue and Lakewood Avenue. The added design work clocks in at roughly $1.6 million, and city officials say the conversion is meant to slow traffic, cut down on crashes and make crossings less nerve-racking for people walking and biking. Staff and advocates are eyeing major construction in 2027, with the bulk of work expected to wrap in early 2028.
Council approves amended design contract
At its May 18 work session, the council approved Amendment No. 2 with Stantec Consulting Services, adding $1,177,547.21 and bringing the design contract total to about $1,676,047.21, according to the City of Durham. The amendment paves the way for final plans and bidding documents that engineers need before the city can advertise the project for construction.
What the redesign will change
Preliminary city designs keep much of the existing roadway footprint but rework how it functions. The plans call for reconfigured intersections, updated signals, checks on bridge clearances and tweaks to curbs and on-street parking to calm speeds and improve crossings, according to the City of Durham. Drawings show 11-foot travel lanes in many spots and signal upgrades at more than 20 intersections to help slow drivers and make the corridor easier to navigate on foot or by bike.
Crash history that pushed the change
A city traffic study found a long record of wrecks along the two streets. Between 2018 and 2023, there were 748 total crashes on Roxboro and 434 on Mangum, according to INDY Week. Neighbors and safety advocates have been calling out Roxboro as a speed problem for years, a concern documented in local coverage and in the “Reckless Roxboro” effort, where residents have tracked driver behavior and near-miss crashes along the corridor, as reported by WRAL.
Timeline, cost and state sign-off
City staff have said 25 percent design plans were due in spring 2026, with later design phases carrying through 2027 to produce final drawings for review, according to The News & Observer. Because Roxboro and Mangum are state-maintained roads, the N.C. Department of Transportation must sign off on the final plans before any ground is broken. Local reporting and council members say the city is aiming to have major construction wrapped by January 2028.
What drivers and neighbors should expect
Public renderings and open house materials preview narrower travel lanes, new or retimed signals and some on-street parking shifts that are expected to slow drivers but may change curbside routines for nearby residents and businesses, INDY Week reported advocates as saying. Critics argue the draft designs still do not guarantee continuous, protected bike lanes on every block and want the city to strengthen bicycle and pedestrian features during final design.
Next steps include more public outreach later this year and coordination with NCDOT and utility owners before the city pursues construction funding in its FY28 budget cycle, according to the City of Durham. Staff say they plan to return to neighborhoods with updated plans as design work wraps up and permitting and approvals move ahead.
