Durham Downtown Traffic Shifts This Week as Waterline Work Closes Dillard Street
Drivers moving through Durham’s American Tobacco District should avoid the Dillard Street closure during the week of Aug. 3-7 as waterline and sewer construction brings lane shifts and closures to several downtown streets.
The City of Durham’s July 31, 2026, project update lists work on Mangum Street, Roxboro Street, Pettigrew Street, Blackwell Street and Bill Bell Way. This is a temporary construction advisory tied to the American Tobacco District Waterline Replacement project, not a permanent street redesign.
What is closed or shifting
Dillard Street is closed on the east side of the Roxboro Street and Dillard Street intersection. The City’s schedule identifies the closure between Roxboro Street and Pettigrew Street.
For the week of Aug. 3-7, the City lists lane shifts or closures on:
- Mangum Street between Pettigrew Street and Jackie Robinson Drive
- Roxboro Street between Dillard Street and Jackie Robinson Drive
- Pettigrew Street between Chapel Hill Street and Blackwell Street
- Blackwell Street between Pettigrew Street and Jackie Robinson Drive
- Bill Bell Way between Blackwell Street and Mangum Street
Traffic-control signs and pavement markings will direct motorists through the changing work areas. Flaggers are planned on Pettigrew Street to help maintain traffic in both directions.
Published detours and work hours
Eastbound Dillard Street traffic will be detoured using Roxboro Street and Pettigrew Street. Westbound Dillard Street traffic will use Pettigrew Street and Mangum Street.
Planned construction hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the scheduled work periods. The City anticipates noise above the current city noise ordinance during those hours.
For drivers, commuters, pedestrians, workers, customers and visitors, the immediate takeaway is to follow posted signs and on-site traffic control rather than assume normal lane patterns, crossings or curb access in the American Tobacco work area.
Access and utility service
The City says access to nearby businesses, residences and parking facilities will be maintained. That means the construction plan is intended to keep those destinations reachable, although approaches and traffic patterns may change as work proceeds.
The City also says no water or sewer service disruptions are anticipated from the scheduled work. That is the City’s expectation for the construction period, not a guarantee that conditions cannot change.
Work on Bill Bell Way is being coordinated with Durham Performing Arts Center events, according to the City update, and access to nearby businesses is expected to be maintained.
More work is previewed for Aug. 10-14
The City’s preview for Aug. 10-14 again lists a Dillard Street closure between Roxboro Street and Pettigrew Street, along with lane shifts or closures on Mangum, Roxboro, Pettigrew, Blackwell and Bill Bell Way.
The later schedule includes lane closures or shifts on Mangum Street between Pettigrew Street and Jackie Robinson Drive; Roxboro Street between Pettigrew Street and Jackie Robinson Drive; Pettigrew Street between Chapel Hill Street and Blackwell Street; Blackwell Street between Pettigrew Street and Jackie Robinson Drive; and Bill Bell Way between Blackwell Street and Mangum Street.
The City’s project page says Phase 2 is the final phase of a multiyear project in the American Tobacco Campus area. The work includes replacing 11,500 feet of existing waterlines, upgrading and reconnecting water services, installing 5,000 feet of 36-inch transmission main, rehabilitating or replacing sanitary sewer lines and repairing pavement. City Council approved the $27.6 million project in June 2025, and the City says construction is expected to continue until spring 2027.
For this week, drivers should avoid the closed Dillard segment, use the published Roxboro-Pettigrew-Mangum detour network, expect daytime construction activity and check signs before entering the American Tobacco work area.
Sources
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