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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 05-06-2010-13 (3)Zn-Fo~ me-t-t-~ on ~--E-e rn ORANGE COUNTY PLANNING & INSPECTIONS DEPARTMENT Craig N. Benedict, AICP, Director Comprehensive Planning (919) 245-2589 (919) 644-3002 (FAX) www.co.orange.nc.us 306E Revere Road P O Box 8181 Hillsborough, North Carolina, 27278 '~:,~f. MEMORANDUM Date: April 13, 2010 To: Orange County Board of County Commissioners Via Frank Clifton, County Manager CC: Willie Best, Assistant County Manager Craig Benedict, Planning Director Donna Baker, Clerk to the BOCC From: Karen Lincoln, Transportation Planner Subject: Follow up Regarding Smith Level Road Task Force Recommendations An Orange County citizen's inquiry regarding implementation of recommendations of the Smith Level Road Task Force Report (completed in June 2007) has prompted a status report of the task force recommendations. The citizen expressed specific interest in two of the recommendations: 1. Specific endorsement of the recommendation for bicycle facilities on Smith Level Road in Orange County's Bicycle Transportation Plan; and 2. Requesting weight limits for trucks on Smith Level Road from the NC 54 bypass to Damascus Church Road to require the gravel trucks from Merritt's Mining Operations to come south on Smith Level Road to US 15-501 to get to the UNC campus. County Planning Director and staff has contacted the citizen, and discussed the issues via a telephone conversation on April 13. The citizen is satisfied that, as explained in the UPDATE section of this memorandum, item one above has been included on necessary plans to be eligible for state and federal funding programs, particularly for adding up to 2-ft. paved shoulders when Smith Level Road is resurfaced. The citizen also expressed concern that the speed limit is not being enforced on Smith Level Road. Staff will add requesting weight limits on Smith Level Road (item 2 above) and speed limit enforcement as agenda items for discussion at the upcoming May 13 meeting of Orange County and North Carolina Department of Transportation, and will keep the citizen informed of that discussion and subsequent actions. The citizen expressed appreciation of the efforts to be made. Smith Level Road Task Force Update Page 2 BACKGROUND The following chronology of local governments' actions with respect to the Smith Level Road Task Force recommendations is followed by an update addressing the above two items of concern. June 19, 2007 Carrboro Board of Aldermen received the Smith Level Road Task Force Final Report and dissolved the task force. The Board of Aldermen then extended the charge of the task force for the purpose of completing presentations of the report and for additional tasks that might be identified by the Board of Aldermen based on the expected staff report. September 19, 2007 Orange County Board of Commissioners received the Smith Level Road Task Force Final Report, and referred to staff to address in a timely manner. October 22, 2007 Chapel Hill Town Council received the Smith Level Road Task Force Final Report, and referred the report to staff. A councilman pointed out Chapel Hill has planning jurisdiction for (the southern part of) the Smith Level Road corridor but. the road is not within the Town's corporate limits, and advised task force members to go to the Orange County Board of Commissioners because counties now have legislative ability to spend money on state roads, which they did not have in the past. (Chapel Hill Bicycle and Ped Advisory Board, Active Living by Design Advisory Committee and the Chapel Hill Transportation Board, respectively made their recommendations regarding the report on March 25, 2008, April 14, 2008, and April 24, 2008. Those recommendations have not yet been taken back to the Chapel Hill Town Council.) November 20, 2007 Carrboro Board of Aldermen received the Transportation Advisory Board recommendations, and endorsed "A Resolution Responding to the Recommendation in the Final Report From the Smith Level Road Task Force" that included, with several other actions, the following: 1. An action to request NCDOT consider as part of a comprehensive evaluation of the southern section of Smith Level Road: a) Reducing the speed limit to 35 MPH along the southern section of Smith Level Road; b) Evaluating imposing truck restrictions for through traffic on the section of Smith Level Road between current Town limits and South Greensboro Street; c) Evaluating the feasibility of installing a roundabout at the intersection of Damascus Church Road and Smith Level Road; and d) Narrow each travel lane by six inches to facilitate a wider shoulder for a bike lane along the west side of Smith Level Road from Rock Haven Road to US 15-501; or add a multi-use path along the west side of the road from the Carrboro High School sidewalk to US 15-501. 5. An action to "Direct staff and a Board liaison to follow up with the Town of Chapel Hill and Orange County regarding the recommendations for the respective municipalities (as presented by the Smith Level Road Task Force) and to collectively explore amulti- jurisdictional approach to a comprehensive evaluation of the southern portion of Smith Level Road. Smith Level Road Task Force Update Page 3 The Board of Aldermen also endorsed a resolution disbanding the task force, and noted that moving forward with the majority of the recommendations requires multi-jurisdictional cooperation and adequate staff resources are not available at this time. April 8, 2008 Orange County Planning staff submitted a report to the Board documenting staffs recommendation for items that Orange County could readily endorse and items that would require further study. Items recommended for further study would be considered in coordination with staff from Carrboro and Chapel Hill. The staff recommendations noted the following concerning the two items of interest: • The entirety of Smith Level Road corridor in Orange County is in the planning jurisdictions of Carrboro and Chapel Hill, and within the Durham-Chapel Hill Carrboro (DCHC) Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Metropolitan Area Boundary (MAB), and those are the entities that must adopt plans for bicycle/pedestrian facilities along the road; and • The recommendation to impose truck restrictions on the section of Smith Level Road between Damascus Church Road and South Greensboro Street needs more study, and noted that this item should be discussed in coordination with Chapel Hill and Carrboro staff and the North Carolina Department of Transportation. No further action has been taken by Orange County regarding the Smith Level Road Task Force Report. UPDATE Orange County Bicycle Plan Staff recommendation regarding the Orange County Bicycle Transportation Plan is still valid. Although the County is responsible for many services outside the municipal limits of Carrboro and Chapel Hill, transportation planning is the purview of those Towns and the DCHC MPO. Staff has talked with the Town of Carrboro Transportation Planner and he agrees that Oran e County does not need to amend its bicycle plan to specifically endorse the Smith Level Road bicycle facilities. The County's bicycle plan should not include bicycle facilities in Carrboro's Extraterritorial Planning Jurisdiction, as it does not include bicycle facilities in any other municipalities' extraterritorial jurisdictions. Orange County has endorsed, as a member of the DCHC MPO, Smith Level Road bicycle facilities along the entire corridor. The Town of Carrboro adopted a Bicycle Transportation Plan in March 2009 that includes bicycle lanes on Smith Level Road from NC 54 to Rock Haven Road and widened shoulders from Rock Haven Road to Chatham County. Carrboro's Bicycle Plan was included in the 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan adopted by the MPO in May 2009. The DCHC MPO 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan identifies Smith Level Road as a regional on-road bicycle facility. The North Carolina Department of Transportation, in compliance with federal regulations, requires bicycle facilities within a metropolitan planning organization's jurisdiction to be adopted in the MPO transportation plans in order to be considered for federal funding Smith Level Road Task Force Update Page 4 Restricting Truck Traffic from Damascus Church Road to S. Greensboro Street The North Carolina Department of Transportation has not received a formal, i.e. written, request to perform a study of restricting truck traffic on the section of Smith Level Road. Staff has contacted Carrboro Transportation Planning staff and Chapel Hill Transportation Planning staff regarding meetings concerning the recommendations requiring multi- jurisdictional cooperation. No jurisdictions to date has organized an effort to collectively explore amulti-jurisdictional approach to a comprehensive evaluation of the southern portion of Smith Level Road. Staff recommends Orange County contact the Carrboro Board of Aldermen and the Chapel Hill Town Council to express staff willingness to work with Carrboro and Chapel Hill staff to move forward with amulti-jurisdictional approach to a comprehensive evaluation of the southern portion of Smith Level Road.