by Leo Suarez

Map of the Week

Frequent bus network plan for 2025-2027

Click for larger

There’s a survey out for anyone interested in expanded bus service and bus rapid transit in Wake that readers should probably take a look at. Jump to the survey here.

If you aren’t familiar, plans for expanded transit service will be rolling out between now and 2027. Downtown Raleigh is a central hub of the frequent network with the BRT lines coming in and out of downtown Raleigh. The survey focuses on the bus component only and I’m expecting the commuter rail portion, dropping passengers off at Raleigh Union Station, to come later.

by Leo Suarez

Re-imagining Central Prison and The Governor Morehead School’s 81.2 Acres, Events on May 18-20

From my inbox to yours. Here’s a pretty good looking series of events being held by the AIA Triangle. We’ve speculated some about what the land consisting of the state’s Central Prison and Morehead school could be. Here’s an opportunity to get into that with the design community.

For more information, go to connections.design

Connections 81.2 event on May 18-20.

Click for larger

by Leo Suarez

Raleigh Union Station’s Dedication

Email readers: This blog post has a virtual reality image. Read the post on the blog to see it.Dedication ceremony for Raleigh Union Station on April 30, 2018.

Dedication ceremony for Raleigh Union Station on April 30, 2018.

On Monday, April 30, 2018, a dedication ceremony was held for Raleigh Union Station. Current and former politicos, city workers, media, Raleigh city aficionados, and representatives from the railroad fandom gathered in the new station to celebrate the completion of the project.

Now that the station has been dedicated, it’ll be put to use in June when Amtrak starts operating out of the new station with 10 daily trains. (up from 8 currently) Stay tuned for a city-planned event to continue to show it off to the greater community.

Dedication ceremony for Raleigh Union Station on April 30, 2018.

Dedication ceremony for Raleigh Union Station on April 30, 2018.
360 Photo of the interior of Raleigh Union Station

The new station is wide open with an abundance of natural light. The staircases are a joy to go up with each level showing a new view into and out of the station. The second-floor mezzanine facing north shows a unique perspective of the warehouse district and the Boylan Wye, perfect for train watching.

Mezzanine level at Raleigh Union Station.

Mezzanine level at Raleigh Union Station.

View of the platform from Raleigh Union Station.

View of the platform from Raleigh Union Station.

No doubt, Raleigh Union Station should impress and is such a wonderful gateway to our downtown and city. Expect more content in the near future as the station is up and running.

by Leo Suarez

Zooming In Underneath the Capital Boulevard Bridge

On the left, the new Capital Boulevard bridge under construction. Center-right is the old bridge. April 2018.

On the left, the new Capital Boulevard bridge under construction. Center-right is the old bridge. April 2018.

Here are some observations from a walk along Peace Street, specifically underneath the new Capital Boulevard bridge. The photo above shows the old bridge, on the right, and the new bridge, on the left. You can see with the upgraded design that a lot of space is reclaimed when you compare the old “rock mound foundation” versus the “concrete wall foundation” of the new. (like my technical terms?)

It’s almost a vehicle lane, about 12-14 feet, on each side!

This made me pull out the map and below is the one shared from the NCDOT project page. When looking at it, up is West (peace going up/down) with Capital going left-to-right and the dark red being the new bridge.

Map of Peace Street project.

Click for a larger, zoomed out view of Peace Street.

What is great to see is that while Peace is wider, it will still be a two-lane road just like today. The additional space is being given to turns lanes but also wider sidewalks and bike lanes. The bike lanes aren’t very clear on this map but if you look hard, they are there.

I will say that some of the added road space is going toward center turn lanes also. Either way, the road has to slim down because the CSX bridge to the east isn’t getting any wider.

Anyway, it’s cool to see this come together one small piece at a time.

by Leo Suarez

Davie Street Presbyterian Church Expansion High-Level Plans

Davie Street Presbyterian Church. April 2018.

I found myself walking down Person Street one day and saw an excavator hacking at the Davie Street Presbyterian Church. As I do, I was curious what work was going on at this corner of east downtown.

From submitted plans on the city’s website, it looks like the church is adding to their location. With a small back room being demolished, new space will be added here and throughout some of the surface parking lot along Person Street.

Map of the new addition for Davie Street Presbyterian.

Map of the new addition for Davie Street Presbyterian. Click for larger.

The churches in downtown have done a great job, probably the best job, of keeping their additions within character while using modern materials so I expect this new addition to match nicely with the historic sanctuary. Of course, I love to see surface parking eaten up for more people-centric uses.

Rendering the new addition for Davie Street Presbyterian.

Rendering the new addition for Davie Street Presbyterian. Click for larger.

Rendering the new addition for Davie Street Presbyterian.

Rendering the new addition for Davie Street Presbyterian. Click for larger.

P.S. I have a growing affinity for the architecture of some of the churches in East Raleigh. It mainly comes from these crenulated towers. I’d love to work with someone with a better eye and love of Raleigh history to tell a story behind these. Examples include Gethsemane True Vine Holiness Church, Revelation Missionary Baptist Church, and Rush Metropolitan AME Zion.

by Leo Suarez

Quick One Glenwood Update

Char-Grill on Hillsborough Street. April 2018.

Char-Grill on Hillsborough Street. April 2018.

I’ve been enjoying the new feel on Hillsborough Street with all the steel going up at One Glenwood. This block will hopefully see an increase in pedestrian activity and pump more lunch seekers on the southern end of Glenwood South.

The former empty lot to tower conversion is some really great infill for downtown Raleigh and it’s exciting to see it come along. Get out and walk that area if you can soon!