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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 09-17-1996 - 10b e 1 a ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: September 17, 1996 Action Agenda Item#-10-b SUBJECT: ANNUAL TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS (STIP & MTIP) DEPARTMENT: PLANNING PUBLIC HEARING: Yes_X_No BUDGET AMENDMENT REQUIRED: Yes X No ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: Gene Bell, Planner III,Ext. 2589 • DCHC Urban Area Map • 1995 TIP Request TELEPHONE NUMBERS: • Status of 1995 TIP Request Hillsborough- 732-8181 • DRAFT 8-7-96 Planning Board Minutes Durham- 688-7331 Mebane - 227-2031 Chapel Hill - 967-9251 PURPOSE: To receive a report on the NC Department of Transportation's (NCDOT) annual State Transportation Improvement Program(STIP) and the Durham-Chapel Hill- Carrboro Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program (MTIP)and to assist staff in the identification of transportation needs for possible inclusion in upcoming STIP and MTIP requests. BACKGROUND: Every year the State Board of Transportation(BOT)adopts a multi-year STIP specifying needed transportation improvements across the state. If a project is outside the DCHC Urban Area,then the County can request directly of the BOT that the project be included in the STIP. In the development of the STIP, a series of statewide public hearings is held in each of the state's 14 highway divisions (Orange County is located in Division Seven). The purpose of the hearings is for the BOT to receive input from the public and elected officials on the existing STIP(1997-2003)projects and proposed projects for the next STIP(1998-2004). The public hearings are held in October and November,but the specific dates and locations have not been determined yet. z If a project is inside the DCHC Urban Area, it has to be coordinated with the other DCHC local jurisdiction requests, also known as the MTIP. In the development of the MTIP,a series of meetings is held by the DCHC Transportation Advisory Committee(TAC)and Transportation Coordinating Committee(TCC)to develop regional transportation priorities. This year's process begins with the local jurisdictions submitting their transportation priorities to the DCHC TCC in the early fall. RECOMMENDATION: The Administration recommends that the Board receive as information and identify,as appropriate,transportation needs for possible inclusion in the County's 1998-2004 STIP and MTIP requests by October 1, 1996. ORO (DCHC) DLfRHW-CHAPEL HIIAREA B O DA.RY r METROPOLITAN ARE • �tinf 4srra Tw► Twe r V v H Slo�Ot1�H 0. OiEflCS TVJt -o ` i • J W 1ilt3S��� ENp ° �E a I ' tLL SWE tNGH S7 a sV Mt S.n°i ow n a O s ebtub° Han� '•ti'l •i:- siRQ now Ly BOUNDAP g p'pP^' old ors APplO by TAC on 1 ( isnot FebrtuwY 10,1993. r) ORANGE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS 4 P.O. Box 8181 y 200 S Cameron Street Hillsborougb, N.C. 27278 Moses Cary,Jr. 919.732.8181 William L Cr wtber 919.968.4501 Alice M. Gordon Stepben K Halkiotis 919.688.7331 Don Willhoit 910.227.2031 (Fa4 919.644.3C04 November 15, 1995 Dr. Gorman Gilbert DIVISION 7, At-Large Member NC Board of Transportation P.O. Box 25201 1 South Wilmington Street Raleigh, NC 27611 Dear Dr. Gilbert: Enclosed with this letter you will find this year' s "Orange County Transportation Priority List for Consideration of Funding in The North Carolina Transportation Improvement Program. " This letter is also intended to inform you of a school access safety issue on Homestead Road similar to the Old Hillsborough Road/Old Fayetteville Road issue that was identified by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education last year. At that time the Board indicated that the planned improvements for Hillsborough Road and Old Fayetteville Road were inadequate in both scope and timing to offset the potential for accidents at their new school facility along Old Fayetteville Road. This year, as a result of the Board of Education's action, the Old Fayetteville\Old Greensboro Roads project was increased in scope (lengthened by 1.9 miles) and construction was moved up a year. In 1999 the widening of Airport Road will approximately double the capacity of Airport Road and provide increased access to the land served by Homestead Road. As a result of the improvements to Airport Road and the development pressures in Chapel Hill, this segment of road will experience a dramatic increase in traffic almost immediately upon the completion of the improvements to Airport-Road. In addition, Orange County is scheduled to build a new human services center during this same time period, and is concerned about the safety of its clients as they travel on Homestead Road between the center and Airport Road. There are severe safety problems associated with turning movements and sight distance along this section of road. YOU COUNT TN ORANGE COUNTY.1 R 5 Gorman Gilbert Page 2 November 15, 1995 The improvements to Homestead Road are not scheduled to begin until 2002; this means that there will be approximately three years during which the students and teachers of Chapel Hill High School and the clients of the new human services center will be exposed to a much higher probability of an accident than if Homestead Road had been improved at the same time as Airport Road. Therefore, because of the high potential for accidents at the entrances to Chapel Hill High School and along other sections of Homestead Road, the Orange County Commissioners request, again, that NCDOT make the construction of improvements to Homestead Road, Project U-2805, concurrent (during 1997) with the improvements to Airport Road. Thank you for your time and consideration of Orange County' s i transportation needs. If you would like to discuss this matter in detail, please contact Beverly Blythe, Clerk to the Board of County Commissioners at (919) 732-8181, extension 2130. ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Sincerely: Moses Carey, Jr. air 6 ORANGE COUNTY TRANSPORTATION PRIORITY LIST FOR CONSIDERATION OF FUNDING IN THE NORTH CAROLINA TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM PRESENTED AT THE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM PUBLIC HEARING ON NOVEMBER 15, 1995 Orange County appreciates the opportunity to participate in the North Carolina Transportation Improvement Program process. Like so many jurisdictions across the state, we have transportation needs we feel are necessary to provide our citizens with a safe and efficient multi- modal system throughout the County. We would also like to commend the North Carolina Department of Transportation' s Division 7 staff, with special appreciation to the Division Engineer, Mr. John Watkins and Division Traffic Engineer, Mr. Vance Barham. Orange County would also like to recognize Mr. T. J. Dyer, District Engineer, whose office has been responsive and has interacted exceedingly well with Orange County staff. We are very appreciative of their efforts and are looking forward to working with them in the future. Our transportation needs list is divided into two sections. The first section deals with selected projects within the Durham-Chapel Hill- Carrboro metropolitan planning area. The second section deals with projects in the remaining portions of Orange County which lie outside of the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro metropolitan planning area. ORANGE COUNTY PROJECTS WITHIN THE DURHAM-CHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO METROPOLITAN PLANNING AREA As a member of the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization, Orange County will continue to work with the Transportation Advisory Committee (DCHC TAC) to develop a complete list of project priorities for the portion of Orange County that lies inside the urbanized area boundary. However, there are selected projects in Orange County which we would like to address now because they have been the subject of discussions between the TAC and the Department of --Transportation-or because there are other special concerns. I) U-2805: Homestead Road Widening - This project remains Orange County's top priority for new road projects requested from TIP funds. Orange County requests that the construction of this project be concurrent with the improvements to Airport Road. This requested project continues to include. bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Homestead Road (SR 1777) continues to be a priority project because it: - is a connector facility between Carrboro and Chapel Hill, - provides primary access to Chapel Hill High School, - has safety problems associated with turning movements along its total length, 1 7 - has sight distance problems at major intersections, and - has forecasts of substantial increases in traffic. In the year 1999 the completed widening of Airport Road will approximately double the capacity of Airport Road and provide increased access to the land served by Homestead Road. As a result of the improvements to Airport Road and the development pressures in Chapel Hill, this segment of road will experience a dramatic increase in traffic almost immediately upon the completion of the improvements to Airport Road. In addition, Orange County is scheduled to build a new human services center during this same time period, and is concerned about the safety of its clients as they travel on Homestead Road between the center and Airport Road. There are severe safety problems associated with turning movements and sight distance along this section of road. Since the improvements to Homestead Road are not scheduled to begin until the year 2002, this means that there will be approximately three years during which the students and teachers of Chapel Hill High School and the clients of the new human services center will be exposed to a much higher probability of an accident than if Homestead Road had been improved at the same time as Airport Road. Therefore, Orange County strongly urges the North Carolina Board of Transportation to continue to include this project in the 1997- 2003 TIP and to accelerate construction to the year 1997, because of the high potential for accidents at the entrances to Chapel Hill High School or along other sections of the road. II) 1-305• widening of I-85 to six lanes and reconstruction of interchanges from Orange Grove Road to Durham County Line - Even though this project has been changed to an "IDENTIFIED FUTURE NEED" Orange County requests that its staff be allowed to participate in the planning of the facility. The County is specifically interested in the following infrastructure improvements as they relate to the I-85/US 70 Economic Development District: a) Erosion Control Measures - Orange County requests that permanent erosion control measures be included in the project. . b) Pedestrian and Bicycle Facilities - Orange County requests that its staff be allowed to participate in the determination of where and what type of facilities are to be included in this project. Among the features requested for inclusion are sidewalks and bike lanes (see the Regional Bicycle Plan for Durham and Orange Counties) and adequate guardrails on overpasses (see project III-b on page 5) . C) Wildlife Corridor Under I-85 - Orange County requests that 2 8 its staff be allowed to participate during this part of the planning stage and that this issue be brought to the attention of the NCDOT Staff Biologist. Constructing this wildlife corridor is one of the recommendations presented in the "The New Hope Corridor Open Space Master Plan: Proposals for Linking Duke Forest and Eno River State Park. " d) Intersection of Pleasant Green Road (SR 1567) & Mt Herman Church Road (SR 1713) - This intersection was studied by the NCDOT Division 7 Traffic Engineers last year. They recommended that this intersection be included as a part of I-305 because of its proximity to the I-85/US 70 interchange. The entire intersection needs to be realigned so that Pleasant Green Road can intersect US 70 at a 90 degree angle. e) US 70 from NC 751 to University Station Road (SR 1712) - Due to the needs of the Pleasant Green Road\US 70 intersection, Orange County requests that US 70, from NC 751 to University Station Road, be upgraded to provide for a suitable transition from/to I-85. An example of the need. for this project is the intersection of US 70 with Old No. 10 (SR 1715) which is currently operating at level of service f) Mt Herman Church Road (SR 1713) - Preliminary plans by the Planning & Environmental Branch, Division of Highways of NCDOT indicate that this road may be relocated as part of 2- 305. Orange County requests that this road be designed with 12 ' wide travel lanes and 4 ' wide bicycle lanes for a total paved width of 321 . g) Old NC 10 (SR 1710) - Preliminary plans by the Planning & Environmental Branch, Division of Highways of NCDOT indicate that this road may also be relocated as part of I-305. Orange County requests that this road also be designed with 12 ' wide travel lanes and 4 ' wide bicycle lanes for a total paved width of 32 ' . h) Park and Ride Facilities - Orange County requests that its staff be allowed to participate in the determination of where and what type of facilities are to be included in this project. III) I-3306 SECTION A: widening of I-40 to six lanes from I-85 in Orange County to US 15-501 in Durham County - Project planning for this facility is scheduled to begin in 1998. Orange County requests that it be included in the development of the Major Investment Study -and . Environmental Impact- Statement - -for - this project to insure that there are no detrimental land use impacts to the Orange County Comprehensive Plan. Orange County is opposed to any widening of I-40 through Orange County, unless there is a commitment by NCDOT to provide HOV and\or dedicated bus lanes. IV) R-2630 DURHAM NORTHWEST LOOP (ENO DRIVE) : new multi-lane route from I-85 in Orange County to I-85 in Durham County - Orange County is strongly opposed to having this facility within Orange 3 9 County and is also very concerned about the environmental impacts to the Eno River State Park. Orange County requests that this facility be relocated outside of Orange County. V) NC 86• construct bicycle lanes - from Chapel Hill (Whitfield Road) to Hillsborough (US 70) . Scheduled improvements to Airport Road (NC 86) in Chapel Hill will extend bicycle facilities from UNC to Whitfield Road (SR 1731) in Orange County. NC 86 from Chapel Hill to Hillsborough is experiencing increasing numbers of bicyclists using this route and there are also two new schools along this route. Orange County requests that bicycle lanes be constructed. ORANGE COUNTY PROJECTS OUTSIDE THE DURHAM-CHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO METROPOLITAN PLANNING AREA Orange County would like to give priority to identified safety needs on existing roads and bridges and to other transportation projects which foster alternatives to automobile travel. The County also endorses environmentally responsible construction of all transportation projects. Finally, the County supports adequate maintenance for existing transportation facilities. I) I-304 • widening of I-85 to eight lanes and reconstruction of interchanges from NC 54 (in Alamance County) to Dimmocks Mill Road - Orange County requests that the following infrastructure improvements be made to the I-85/Buckhorn Road Economic Development District: a) NCDOT has installed temporary erosion control measures according to NCDOT standards. NCDOT currently has no plans for erosion control measures after completion of construction. Orange County requests that permanent erosion control measures be included in the 1997-2003 TIP as a line item to ensure optimal protection of the Sevenmile Creek watershed. The- Upper Eno watershed, of which Sevenmile Creek is a sub-basin, has been designated a WS-II watershed; thus the County is committed to protect the water quality--by---- working with NCDOT to implement the strongest protection measures available. b) Widen Buckhorn Road to 24 feet (two 12 ' travel lanes) . c) Improve. the Southern Railway . / _ Buckhorn - Road _(SR 1114) railroad crossing. - d) Improve the Intersection of Buckhorn Road and US 70 to include turn lanes and improved turning radii. II) Transit Improvements - It is increasingly evident, through the Triangle Fixed Guideway Study and other research, that Orange County needs to begin Transit Planning to include a Twenty Year Transit Development Plan for Orange County that would coordinate 4 10 local transit planning with the Triangle Fixed Guideway Study recommendations. Orange County again requests that the NCDOT Public Transportation and Rail Division develop a Twenty Year Transit Development Plan for Orange County. Orange County also requests the following specific transit related improvements: a) Park and Ride Lot north of the Town of Hillsborough on NC 86. b) Bus Turn Outs on both sides of NC 86 at the Orange County Northern Human Services Center. III) Bicycle Improvements - Orange County is performing Suitability Analyses on the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro MPO's Regional Bicycle Plan and has identified the following needed bicycle improvements: a) Orange County Bicycle Route Map - This map should be comprehensive in nature and have all the rural Orange County bicycle routes, include insets of the bicycle routes for the Towns of Hillsborough, Carrboro, Chapel Hill and also the University of North Carolina. b) Bicycle Safe Bridge Railings - It is imperative that 54" high bicycle railings be installed on each of the overpasses along the adopted bicycle routes over I-85 and I-40. Bicyclists are riding these routes in increasing numbers and the narrow width of the bridges contributes to an already hazardous condition. Thank you for your consideration of these requests. Submitted this 15th day of November, 1995 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS by: Moses Carey, Jr. , a' 5 J • r- 11 STATUS OF ORANGE COUNTY'S PRIORITY LIST PRESENTED TO THE BOARD OF TRANSPORTATION ON NOVEMBER 15, 1995 PROJECTS WITHIN THE DCHC PLANNING AREA: I. U-2805: Homestead Road Widenin-9 - The project construction was changed from the beginning of 2002 to the middle of 2001. SOURCE: 1997-2003 STIP EE. I-305: widening of I-85 to six lanes and reconstruction of interchanges from Oran" Grove Road to Durham County Line - This project is still listed as an "Identified Future Need" with no scheduled dates for planning or construction. SOURCE: 1997-2003 STEP III. I-3306 SECTION A: widening of I-40 to six lanes from I-85 in Orange County to US 15-501 in Durham County- This project is still scheduled for construction to begin in 2001. SOURCE: 1997-2003 STIP IV: R-2630 DURHAM NORTHWEST LOOP (ENO DRIVE): new multi-lane route from I- 85 in Orange County to I-85 in Durham County-This project is listed as an "Identified Future Need" with no scheduled dates for planning or construction. SOURCE: 1997- 2003 STIP V: NC 86: construct bicycle lanes -This project is not currently scheduled for planning or construction. SOURCE: Pat Puglisi, NCDOT PROJECTS OUTSIDE THE DCHC AREA: I. I-304: widening of I-85 to eight lanes and reconstruction of interchanges from NC 54 (in Alamance County)to Dimmocks Mill Road - This project is under construction and projected to be completed in the early part of 1997. SOURCE: 1997-2003 STEP H. Transit Improvements- a) Twenty Year Transit Development Plan for Orange County-This project is not - - currently scheduled for funding. SOURCE: Mike Kozac,NCDOT b) Park and Ride Lot north of the Town of Hillsborough on NC 86 - This project has the possibility of discretionary funding, but awaits clarification from Carol Carter, NCDOT. c) Bus-Turn-Outs-on both sides of NC 86 at the-Orange County Northern Human - -- Services Center-This project has the possibility of discretionary funding, but awaits clarification from Carol Carter,NCDOT. III. Bicycle Improvements- a) Orange County Bicycle Route Map - See attached April 15, 1996 letter from Tom Norman,NCDOT. b) Bicycle Safe Bridge Railings- See attached April 15, 1996 letter from Tom Norman, NCDOT. 12 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION JAMES B. HUNT JR. OFFICE OF BICYCLE& GARLAND B. GAR.RETT JR. GOVERNOR PEDESTRIAN TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY P.O.BOX 25201.RALEIGH.N-C. 27611-5201 April 16, 1996 Mr. Slade McCalip, AICP Orange County Planning Department 306F Revere Road Hillsborough,NC 27278 Dear Mr. McCalip: This letter is in response to your recent inquiry regarding the status of Orange County bicycle projects requested for the 1997-2003 STIP,as well as TIP Project E-2913 in Orange County. I am pleased to inform you that an Orange County bicycle route mapping and signing project will be recommended in the Draft 1997-2003 STIP for federal fiscal year 1998. The Board of Transportation will consider the Draft TIP for adoption in late spring or early summer. Our office will be following up with you sometime during 1997 to discuss project scope and process. Regarding the County's proposed bicycle-safe bridge railing project,it is unclear whether bridge railing is justified for all five locations as an Independent Bicycle project. Existing traffic volumes on several of the bridges are relatively low. There may also be some opportunity for including one or more of the locations as an incidental highway project. The NCDOT Bridge Maintenance Unit has also provided us with a revised cost estimate of approximately$75 per linear foot to retrofit a bridge, with the estimated cost of retrofitting each bridge ranging from$42,000 to$58,000. Additionally,a bridge retrofit project in Orange County may be the first such project undertaken by our office as an Independent Bicycle project. Prior to scheduling,we need to determine whether the particular bridges can actually be retrofitted with the railings available. Given the above factors,we are not recommending including Orange County's bridge railing retrofit project in the Independent Bicycle project schedule at this time. We would like to request that Orange County prioritize its proposed locations,as bicycle-safe bridge railing at one or two locations may be appropriate for a future TIP update. Any additional information _. . _ that you could share with us regardingyour assessment of the relative safety needs of bicyclists at each location-would also be appreciated. Regarding the portions of E-2913 in Orange County,Chapel Hill Transit has decided not to outfit its buses with bicycle racks,due to concerns over the possible impact on system efficiency. TTA will be outfitting its fleet with the racks. As you may know, there have been some project delays while the different agencies have made decisions about their participation in the project,but these issues have been resolved. For your information,I have enclosed recent correspondence regarding E-2913. PHONE (919)7")3-2304 FAX (919)715.4422 r 13 1 Mr. Slade McCalip, AICP Page 2 Please feel free to contact me at 715-2342 or Pat Puglisi at 715-2343 if you have any questions or want to discuss bicycle projects in Orange County. We look forward to working with you on the bicycle route mapping and other future projects. Sincerely, Tom Norman Facilities Program Manager TN/PP enclosures cc: Curtis Yates, Director Mary Meletiou,Program Manager i DRAFT 8-7-96 PLANNING BOARD MINUTES 14 1 The Planning Staff recommends approval of the proposed amendment(copy an attachment to these minutes on pages ). Jobsis asked if the concern from the Register of Deeds was addressed. Willis responded that she has a letter from the Register of Deeds expressing understanding and agreement with the proposed amendment. MOTION: Brooks moved approval as recommended by the Planning Staff. Seconded by Hoecke. VOTE: Unanimous. AGENDA ITEM#10: PLANNING BOARD ITEMS a. Report on TIP Process Presentation by Planning Intem,Stephan Rodiger. Every year the NC Board of Transportation(BOT)adopts a multi-year State Transportaion Improvement Program(STIP)specifying needed transportation improvements across the state.If a project is outside the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro (DCHC)Urban Area,then the County can request directly of the BOT that the project be included in the STIP. In the development of the STIP,a series of statewide public hearings is held in each of the state's 14 highway divisions,(Orange County is located in Division Seven).The purpose of these public hearings is for the BOT to get input from the public and elected officials on the existing STIP(1997-2003)projects and proposed projects for the next STIP(1998-2004).The tentative date and location for this year's public hearing has yet to be determined. If a project is inside the DCHC Urban Area,then that project has to be coordinated with the other local jurisdictions requests,also known as the Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program(MTIP). In the development of the MTIP,a series of meetings are held by the DCHC Transportation Advisory Committee(TAC)and Transportation Coordinating Committee (TCC)to develop the region's transportation priorities.This year's process begins when the local jurisdictions submit their transportation priorities to the DCHC TCC in the fall. The Planning Staff recommendation is to identify possible transportation needs for inclusion in an Orange County Local Transportation Priorities List to be used by NCDOT and the DCHC in the development of the 1998-2004 STIP and MTIP. This list is proposed for presentation to the BOCC for comment on September 3rd and endorsement on October 1. Barrows referred to the priority list that was presented at the Transportation Improvement Program Public Hearing on November 15, 1995(copy an attachment to these minutes on pages )noting that there had been much opposition the widening of I-40 to six lanes from I-85 in Orange County to US 15-501 in Durham. She also noted that there was much opposition to the Durham Northwest Loop and expressed concern that these seemed to still be so high on the priority list. Rodiger responded that there would be no change in the position established by Orange County on all of the transportation priorities/projects from last year. Rodiger continued that there would be a push for the widening of Homestead Road and NC 86. Bell noted that Orange County's position on the widening of I-40 from I-85 to 15 NC 15-501 is that the county will not support this project without a commitment by NCDOT to construct HOV and/or Dedicated Bus Lanes. Strayhorn asked about the bypass around Hillsborough that has been discussed for so many years. Bell responded that the Town of Hillsborough is pursing the western bypass.Coming into Hillsborough on north 86,there is to be a diagonal connection between 86 and 70 to tie in with the new 70 connector at 85. Once this is completed, truck traffic will be routed to this bypass. Strayhorn expressed concern with the traffic tie-up in Hillsborough traffic in the afternoons noting that a new road desperately needed to be built. Bell responded that there had been a lot of opposition to an eastern bypass over the years. If it is built,it would simply be an extension of 86 to Elizabeth Brady Road to tie into 70 around Miller Road. Rodiger stated that he would be following the same schedule that had been prepared by Slade McCalip,Transportation Planner,encouraging Planning Board members to forward their suggestions. Meeting adjourned 10:45 p.m. Prepared By Approved By Date