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Home My WebLink AboutAgenda - 03-21-2017-12-2 - Information Item - Memo Regarding Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Plan Next Steps INFORMATION ITEM 1 PLANNING & INSPECTIONS DEPARTMENT Craig N. Benedict, AICP, Director Comprehensive Planning 131 W. Margaret Lane (919) 245-2575 Suite 201 (919) 644-3002 (FAX) OR " � w„ VU a P. O. Box 8181 www.orangecountync.gov ml nC .” :ARO1 I N M Hillsborough, NC 27278 lair fr'ir/. r7l � kk;1(�r 1%0 y1117 I l�nr!.0.„a y. v lt o,r 111IV ,h r+ r A (i6 A ” 411 4 d� MPI ; I Pigl "11 N )P„„ 111' IL uuN�r �IIV��IuA +ulll� 10 I�" ,rr MEMORANDUM TO: Board of County Commissioners FROM: Abigaile Pittman, Transportation/Land Use Planner CC: Craig Benedict, Planning & Inspections Director DATE: March 21, 2017 SUBJECT: INFORMATION ITEM — Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Plan Next Steps ATTACHED: OUTBoard SRTS Plan Next Steps Resolution 03-01-2017 A SRTS Plan Update from Planning Staff was a BOCC information item on its September 6, 2016 meeting agenda to convey plan implementation challenges. Since that time, the OUTBoard has, over the course of four meetings from September 2016 to January 2017, received presentations from representatives of the Walkable Hillsborough Coalition regarding the group's support for moving forward with the following SRTS Plan projects associated with Grady Brown Elementary School and Cedar Ridge High School: • Sidewalks along Orange Grove Road from Churton Street to Grady Brown Road; • Improving safety on the 1-40 bridge side railings, which are approximately 30 inches high in non-conformity with current federal code guidelines of 42 inches for bridge structures; • Crosswalks on Grady Brown Road and on Orange Grove Road; • Flashing light(s) along Orange Grove Road at critical intersections; • Pursuing a local match for Federal funding; and • Clearly identifying next steps. The OUTBoard has unanimously supported the projects and requested Planning Staff to provide possible next steps at its March 01, 2017 meeting. Since late summer of 2016 Walkable Hillsborough has also been in the discussions with NCDOT, the Town of Hillsborough, Orange County Schools, and the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) regarding collaborative options for identifying specific Plan projects and taking next steps towards implementation. At its March 1 meeting the OUTBoard identified and discussed a number of actions that can feasibly be undertaken at this time relative to the SRTS Plan. The Board approved a resolution (attached) with recommended next steps. 2 Staff will coordinate with the Manager's Office to determine the best way to proceed towards implementation of the next step actions identified in the OUTBoard's resolution. LINKS TO ADDITIONAL MATERIALS: • Adopted SRTS Plans (2014) http://www.orangecountync.gov/document center/Transport/Adopted Safe Routes to School SRTS Plan AdoptedSRTSPlanallchapters.pdf • SRTS BOCC Update (2016) http://server3.co.orange.nc.us:8088/WebLink8/0/doc/42495/Pagel.aspx • OUTBoard agenda packet March 1, 2017 http://www.orangecountync.gov/AgendaPacket03012017.pdf 3 RESOLUTION REQUESTING APPROVAL BY THE ORANGE UNIFIED TRANSPORTATION BOARD OF SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION NEXT STEPS WHEREAS, The Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Strategic Action Plan was collaboratively developed under the NC SRTS Program to identify improvements that can help make bicycling and walking to and from school a safe and healthy transportation alternative; WHEREAS, The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC), the Town of Hillsborough Board, and the Orange County School Board adopted the SRTS Plan in April 2014; WHEREAS, Project implementation action has been delayed due to revisions to federal and state funding sources that limited future funding resources for the SRTS program; a lack of local matching funds, funds for engineering and sidewalk construction, and project management funding and capability; difficulties in entering into maintenance agreements with local jurisdictions; and the metrics used to generate project scores now prioritizing highway projects to a greater degree than other modes (such as bicycle and pedestrian); WHEREAS, the OUTBoard believes that one of the most important things a transportation plan must do is to protect community children on their way to and from school, we feel this is an urgent issue that needs immediate attention. The OUTBoard requests that the BOCC prioritize the safety improvements along the bridge and the routes on either side of it as indicated in this resolution. WHEREAS, the following identified actions can be accomplished primarily with Staff support and/or without minimal County funding, and would serve to help make bicycling and walking to and from school a safe and healthy transportation alternative; WHEREAS, North Carolina State law creates a quantitative process to evaluate funding priorities and other funding sources are also available through the Durham-Chapel Hill- Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Orange Unified Transportation Board (OUTBoard) recommends the following SRTS next step actions included in this Resolution, to be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners for its consideration: • Pursue projects from the SRTS Plan related to safety improvements for Grady Brown Elementary School and Cedar Ridge High School: o Crosswalks with flashing lights; and 4 o Sidewalks providing connectivity from Grady Brown Elementary School and Cedar Ridge High School to bridge over 1-40 and along Orange Grove Road to Patriots Pointe, and ultimately to Churton Street (in phases as possible). • Continue to collaborate with the Town of Hillsborough, the NCDOT, Orange County Schools (OCS), the DCHC MPO, and the Walkable Hillsborough Coalition on SRTS Plan implementation: o To coordinate proposed sidewalk projects with the Town of Hillsborough Connectivity Plan; o To work with the Town of Hillsborough to prepare future maintenance agreements for sidewalks; o To pursue future sidewalk easements from the NCDOT; o To involve the School Board and critical OCS staff in project planning; and o Should the Commissioners so direct, Planning Staff can provide support to Orange County Schools with implementation of non-infrastructure projects. • Request Orange County Transportation planning staff, staff of Orange County Schools, and the Orange County School Board to include sidewalks in the Cedar Ridge High School project construction plans. The installation of sidewalks along the frontage of the school campus up to 1-40 could be on school property and/or in a NCDOT easement. • Request NCDOT evaluate areas along Orange Grove Road and adjacent roads in the vicinity of the schools to identify possible immediate (within the next year) temporary and long term safety improvements, including flashing lights, signage, striping, and the reduction of speed limits; • Request NCDOT immediately address current safety issues on the bridge resulting from noncompliant rail heights. • Request Orange County Transportation Planning staff to assess the best method to perform feasibility work for sidewalk projects including pre-engineering and environmental assessments, which could include in-house work or the use of consultants; • Request Planning Staff to continue to investigate potential funding sources; • Request Planning Staff to report back to the BOCC. 5 Unanimously approved by the OUTBoard: This the 1St 6y of March, 2017 Heidi Perry, Chair Orange Unified -transportation Board (OUTBeard)