After some confusion on Orange County's position, plans for the light-rail line between Chapel Hill and Durham got unanimous approval this morning from a bi-county transportation committee.

Today's vote for a "Locally Preferred Alternative" route keeps the project on schedule to apply for a federal grant this year. It also moves the project along to another round of public hearings, on environmental effects, in the spring.

Reading documents that have to do with transportation — like, for example, a memo on what our area is getting in the way of federal stimulus money — is an expedition into acronymic wonderland.

To paraphrase, the ARRA provides funding to the DCHC MPO through the STP that is divided among the STPDA and FTA, not to mention Section 5307/5340, but only so long as they are applied to the MTIP and LRTP.

Fortunately ...