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Home My WebLink AboutAgenda- 10-16-2018 12-5 - Information Item - Update on the Mebane 2040 Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) (March 2018) and its Relevance for Orange County PLANNING & INSPECTIONS DEPARTMENT Craig N. Benedict, AICP, Director Administration 131 W. Margaret Lane (919) 245-2575 Suite 201 (919) 644-3002 (FAX) ORANGE COUNTY P. O. Box 8181 www.orangecountync.gov NORTH CAROLINA Hillsborough, NC 27278 MEMORANDUM TO: Board of County Commissioners FROM: Abigaile Pittman, Transportation/Land Use Planner Tom Altieri, Comprehensive Planning Supervisor Craig Benedict, Orange County Planning Director DATE: October 2, 2018 SUBJECT: Information Item - Update on the Mebane 2040 Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) (March 2018) and its Relevance for Orange County ATTACHMENTS: 1-Study Area Map 2-2015 Daily Level of Services (LOS) Map 3-State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) Projects Map 4-2040 Projected Daily LOS Map 5-Proposed Roadway Facilities Map 6-Proposed Bicycle Facilities Map 7-Proposed Pedestrian Facilities Map 8-Transit Facilities Map 9-Mebane 2040 CTP Link to attachments: http://orangecountVnc.gov/1722/Current-Interest-Projects Background The Mebane 2040 CTP was completed in March 2018 and is for the City of Mebane's planning jurisdiction in Alamance and Orange Counties. The plan is multi-modal, covering roadway, transit, and bicycle and pedestrian travel. The CTP serves as an official guide to providing a coordinated transportation system for the future of Mebane. All CTP project recommendations are aspirational, not fiscally constrained. This information item will provide an overview of those transportation projects in Mebane's CTP that are related to Orange County. During the staff's work on the Efland-Buckhorn- Mebane (E-B-M) Access Management Plan Update, we have ensured consistency with this plan. Study Area — The Mebane CTP Study Area within Orange County extends east from the county line generally along High Rock Road, Ira Road, Lebanon Road, Frazier Road, US Hwy 70, Mt. Willing Road, W. Ten Road, and Hebron Church Road. (Attachment 1) The 1-40 intersections of Buckhorn Road and Mt. Willing Road are within the Study Area of the CTP, as is the Orange County Efland-Buckhorn-Mebane Economic Development District (E-B-M EDD) and Commercial-Industrial Transition Activity Node (CITAN) area. Level of Service (LOS) — Level of Service is a term used to represent different driving conditions, and is a term used as a qualitative measure describing operational conditions within a traffic stream. LOS varies from Level "A" representing free flow, to Level "F" where breakdown conditions are evident. Within the Orange County portion of Mebane's Study Area, 2015 Daily Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) and LOS data by NCDOT has noted congestion on the following roadways (Attachment 2): Roadway No. of Lanes AADT LOS Bowman Road 2 1,100 C Buckhorn Road 2 9,900 D north of 1-85/1-40 Buckhorn Road 2 2,700 C south of 1-85/1-40 Lebanon Road 2 3,500 C Mattress Factory Rd 2 2,500 C Mill Creek Road 2 1,700 C Oakwood Street 2 2,600 C Stagecoach Road 2 4,800 C Supper Club Road 2 1,600 C US Hwy 70 2 10,000 D W. Ten Road 2 1,800 C Currently Funded STIP Projects — The CTP recognizes projects that are already funded and planned in the NCDOT 2018-2027 STIP. The STIP is a 10-year State program that identifies transportation project funding throughout the state. There are currently six (6) STIP funded projects in the Mebane CTP Study Area, two (2) of which are in Orange County's jurisdiction (Attachment 3): • 1-5954 and 1-5958: Interstate maintenance on 1-40/1-85 — The two projects are pavement rehabilitation beginning east of NC 54 in Graham in Alamance County to west of Buckhorn Road in Orange County, and extending west of Buckhorn Road to west of Orange Grove Road. These projects are currently under construction. A third project is in Mebane's jurisdiction but will directly benefit the transportation infrastructure in areas targeted by Orange County for economic development purposes in and around the E-B-M EDD: • 1-5711: Interchange improvements at Mebane Oaks Road — Although this project is in Alamance County it will improve access to Orange County's E-B-M EDD via Bowman Road and Wilson Road. This project will be under construction in 2019. 2040 Protected Daily LOS - A regional planning model, created by Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation (PART) was utilized to determine expected 2040 daily traffic flow volumes on state-maintained roadways within the CTP Study Area. These daily traffic volumes were utilized to determine the future 2040 daily AADT and LOS with funded improvements. 2040 Daily LOS is projected to deteriorate on the following roadways, even with funded improvements (Attachment 4): Roadway No. of Lanes AADT LOS Bowman Road 2 4,800-6,200 D Buckhorn Road 2 21,000 F north of 1-85/1-40 Buckhorn Road 2 8,200 D south of 1-85/1-40 Lebanon Road 2 13,100 D Mattress Factory Rd 2 26,700 F Mill Creek Road 2 7,400 D Oakwood Street 2 12,200 D Stagecoach Road 2 10,600 D Supper Club Road 2 5,800 C US Hwy 70 2 13,600 E W. Ten Road 2 9,700 D Proposed Roadway Transportation Projects - The Mebane CTP recommends four (4) highway projects located within Orange County but in Mebane's CTP Study Area (Attachment 5): • N. Mattress Factory Road Improvements/Realignment with Washington Street — Ranked 3rd. It is located within Mebane's extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction (ETJ). • Mattress Factory Road Widening — Ranked 5th. It is located within Mebane's municipal limits and/or ETJ. • Buckhorn Road Widening 0.5 miles, from US 70 to West Ten Road, to a four lane divided section — Ranked 6th. It is located within Mebane's ETJ and Orange County's economic development area. • Mattress Factory Road Interchange at 1-85 — Ranked 13th. It is located within Mebane's ETJ and Orange County's economic development area. A fifth project is in Mebane's jurisdiction but will directly benefit the transportation infrastructure in areas targeted by Orange County for economic development purposes in and around the economic development area: • S. Mebane Oaks Road Widening (in Mebane) will improve access to the County's economic development area — Ranked 2nd. These projects will be considered for submittal in the future NCDOT Strategic Office of Transportation (SPOT) 6.0 process through Burlington-Graham Metropolitan Planning Organization (BGMPO). Proposed Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities - Within Orange County the recommended bicycle facilities include paved shoulders on existing roads, sidewalks, and shared-use paths for both bicycles and pedestrians (Attachments 6 and 7). Paved shoulders are recommended on Ben Wilson Road, the northern portion of Oakwood Street, Supper Club Road, and the southern portion of Lebanon Road. Share-use paths are recommended on the southern portion of Oakwood Street, Stage Coach Road, and the northern portion of Lebanon Road. Transit — Existing Facilities within Mebane's planning jurisdiction include Go-Triangle's express bus service from Mebane to Durham that runs parallel to 1-40; and the PART express bus service from Greensboro to Chapel Hill that runs parallel to 1-40 and towards Chapel Hill, with a stop at Mebane Cone Health (Attachment 8). No additional routes are recommended within Orange County's portion of Mebane's planning jurisdiction. The Mebane CTP does not mention the Orange-Alamance Connector, which is an existing fixed route bus service offered by Orange County Public Transportation (OCPT) that connects major origins and destinations in Hillsborough, Efland and Mebane (western Orange County) with hourly service provided in both the eastbound (Mebane- Efland-Hillsborough) and westbound (Hillsborough-Efland-Mebane) directions. Orange County Next Steps - The roadway recommendations of the Mebane CTP are meant to indicate where existing facilities may need to be improved or where new facilities are planned. The CTP project recommendations will be used for future SPOT submittals in 2020. Enhanced jurisdictional coordination on planning for transportation improvements will support the County's efforts for development, dedication of future right-of-way, and an overall connected road system in Orange County.