New Durham, NC Department of Transportation Optimizes Transportation, Transit and Parking Operations (Alliance for Innovation)
To put more focus on transportation and transit issues facing Durham and the Triangle region, Durham City Manager Tom Bonfield has announced the creation of a new Department of Transportation for the City of Durham to be headed by long-time transportation manager, Mark Ahrendsen.
“This department strengthens the City’s commitment to place a higher emphasis on transportation and transit planning and development. It’s no secret that this is one of the major issues facing our region,” Bonfield said. Creation of a Transportation Department completes a restructuring plan that Bonfield began last year to realign and connect City-provided services. In addition to traffic operations, transportation engineering and transportation planning, the new department also will house transit and parking services.
“I also am pleased that Mark has accepted this challenge, because he has been at the forefront in Durham to help us reach our goals, with examples including the planning and advocacy for the Durham Station Transportation Center and the Durham Train Station,” Bonfield said.
Ahrendsen currently manages transportation services and planning, including traffic operations and development review, and the Durham Area Transit Authority (DATA), all functions within the City’s Public Works Department.
“I’m excited and appreciative of the opportunity to assume a new leadership role in the City’s Department of Transportation,” Ahrendsen said. “As Durham continues to grow, our transportation challenges will continue to grow as well – such as addressing congestion, maintaining our attractiveness for new development, promoting alternatives to the automobile, protecting our neighborhoods and the natural environment from the adverse effects of traffic, and strengthening our relationship with other transportation partners in the region. Successfully meeting these challenges will be critical for Durham’s future,” he said.
Bonfield added that one of the City’s key goals is to expand public transit. “It is imperative that DATA expand to increase community mobility, access, and connectivity,” Bonfield said. “Public transit is anticipated to continue to be an increasingly important subject as the City stretches to reach sustainability goals,” he said.
The new Transportation Department will continue to provide oversight of taxicabs and other vehicles-for-hire and work toward fully integrating the transit and commuter needs of a growing community. Parking management, now housed in the City’s General Services Department, oversees contract operations of the City’s on street parking enforcement and the operation of City-owned parking lots. These functions will be consolidated into the Department of Transportation and integrated with the residential parking program for better alignment with the City’s vision for transit and downtown parking.
The City’s Public Works Department, led by Director Katie Kalb, is placing increased emphasis on roadway infrastructure maintenance and improvements, and must now devote more attention to environmental issues related to stormwater management, Bonfield said. “Without a doubt, street repaving continues to be a major effort for the City, and Public Works will continue to enhance our efforts in that area,” Bonfield said. “However, with recently expanded regulatory requirements regarding Jordan and Falls Lakes, it is increasingly important that the City stay engaged, remain vigilant and seek balanced alternatives to current and future stormwater regulations that are intended to protect our natural resources but could burden our taxpayers well into the future if poorly designed and implemented,” he said.
Ahrendsen has been an employee of the City for 21 years and has served as manager of the City’s Transportation Division since 1997. He serves as staff for the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO) and has also been an active member of the N.C. Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the N.C. Public Transportation Association.
Prior to his position with the City of Durham, Ahrendsen worked with a transit management company in Florida and Raleigh, N.C., with the City of Wilmington, N.C., and with a regional planning organization in Alabama.
Ahrendsen holds both a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering/Operations Research/Transportation and a bachelor’s degree in Engineering from the University of Iowa. His appointment is effective January 1, 2010.
For more information, contact the City of Durham at (919)560-1200.
1/5/2010
