HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda 09-03-19 Item 12-5 - Information Item - Memorandum-NCDOT Corridor Updates – NC-54 West, S. Churton Street and Orange Grove Road Extension 1
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: Nishith Trivedi, Orange County Transportation Planner
CC: Craig Benedict, Orange County Planning Director
Tom Altieri, Comprehensive Planning Supervisor
DATE: September 3, 2019
SUBJECT: NCDOT Corridor Updates — NC-54 West, S. Churton Street and
Orange Grove Road Extension
This memo is to provide an update to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) on
some North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) corridors: NC-54 West, S.
Churton Street and Orange Grove Road Extension.
NC-54 West
On February 5, 2019, the BOCC approved a project within the NC 54 West corridor
from the Orange County/Alamance County line to Old Fayetteville Road as one of
County's transportation priorities for Strategic Prioritization of Transportation (SPOT)
6.0. This is a regional corridor involving multiple jurisdictions including:
• North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT);
• Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO);
• Triangle Area Rural Planning Organization (TARPO);
• Burlington-Graham Metropolitan Planning Organization (BG MPO);
• Alamance County; and
• Orange County.
The 20 mile corridor is a primary east-west route connecting Graham and Carrboro.
Orange County contains 10 miles of the corridor, of which 1.8 miles is in Carrboro's
Extra Territorial Jurisdiction. It extends around southern Carrboro and Chapel Hill and
goes onto NC-54 East, allowing commuters to continue to Durham, Cary, and Raleigh.
This regional corridor has gone through an extensive publicly-involved corridor study in
2018 with every local jurisdiction and MPO/RPO participating through its unique public
processes.
Due to the conclusions of the NC-54 West Corridor Study and the project's quantitative-
based success through the last prioritization process SPOT 5.0, NCDOT Division
submitted project H-140374-A, widen NC-54 West from Orange Grove Road to Old
Fayetteville Road, NCDOT was prepared to invest $83,000,000 in southern Orange
County if the MPO and RPO had put local input points on the project. NCDOT Division
did put its points on the project, but without local points from MPO and RPO; it didn't
scores well enough to get funded.
2
NCDOT has started a Feasibility Study to get a more detailed cost estimate for the
potential improvements along the entire corridor (SPOT ID H-141391 and H-140374-A)
from Graham to Carrboro in preparation for SPOT 6.0. With success in the SPOT
process, transportation network in southern Orange County could receive benefits
through a state funded project in the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP)
FY 2023-2032.
Key highlights of NC-54 West corridor in Orange County are:
• March 2013, — TARPO CTP — NC-54 West from Orange Grove Road to Bethel
Hickory Grove Church Road, is identified as "needs improvement".
o West of Orange Grove Road to the Orange County line is identified as
"existing".
• August 2017, — DCHC MPO Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) — NC-54
West from Bethel Hickory Grove Church Road to Old Fayetteville Road, is
identified as "Needs Improvement".
• November 2018, — VHB consulting completed the NC-54 West Corridor Study
with every jurisdiction having participated in the consultant's and DCHC MPO's
public process. All comments were addressed at the MPO's November 14 public
hearing following a 30 day public review period.
• February 2019, — Carrboro, through the DCHC MPO, has requested VHB to
review and confirm Phase 1 study's conclusions through a phase 2 study to
analyze future trends and transit alternatives as mentioned in phase 1, widening
impact on local roads, and other improvements not on NC-54 (e.g. widening
other roads or adding new roads as alternative improvements).
o VHB will present the results of the Phase 2 analysis to local jurisdictions,
including the Orange County BOCC, fall 2019 and the MPO Board at the end
of 2019, for the MPO's consideration. A summary of Phase 2 of the NC-54
West Corridor Study was presented to DCHC MPO Technical Committee in
August and the MPO Board will receive an update in September.
• April 2019, — TARPO requested a possible CTP amendment from NCDOT -
convert the "existing" to "needs improvement" based on the recommendations
from the NC-54 West study.
• May 2019, — DCHC MPO adopted the Regional Freight Plan identifying the entire
NC-54 corridor as a Strategic Freight Corridor.
• July 2019, — NCDOT started a Feasibility Study for a detailed cost estimate and
NCDOT Division submission in SPOT 6.0.
• November 2019, — Anticipated DCHC MPO Board public hearing and adoption of
NC-54 West Corridor Study. Upon completion, Orange County CTP will be
considered for possible amendment.
S. Churton Street and Orange Grove Road
Two of Hillsborough's FY 2018-2027 committed STIP projects are currently being
implemented. The following is an update on the projects:
• U-5845 - Widen South Churton Street in Hillsborough
0 1-40 to the Eno River
o Right-of-way 2022, Construction 2024 - $52.2 Million
• U-5848 - Extend Orange Grove Road
o South Churton Street to US-70 Business with sidewalk and bike lanes
o Right-of-way 2021, construction 2023 - $5.8 Million
2
3
NCDOT has begun final design and engineering as well as environmental analysis
through its consultant— Kimley-Horn — towards implementing these projects.
• January 8, 2019, — NCDOT hosted a public meeting on both projects.
0 4 design alternatives were proposed for Orange Grove Road extension.
o Proposed cross sections for both projects were also presented.
• March 11, 2019, — Hillsborough Board of Commissioners recommended the No
Build Alternative for Orange Grove Road extension.
• July 30, 2019, — NCDOT local officials meeting, four alternatives were
recommended for South Churton Street widening, extending the project to US-
70A intersection.
0 1 St — no bridge replacement, improve intersection.
0 2nd — bridge replacement and intersection improvements, no bike/ped.
0 3rd — bridge replacement and intersection improvements, with bike/ped.
0 4t" — bridge replacement and intersection improvements, with multi-use path.
o All four recommend a multi-use path on the east and a sidewalk on the west.
• The multi-use path and sidewalk are subject to NCDOT's current cost
share policy.
• August 2019, — Hillsborough Board of Commissioners decided the Town does
want improvements at the US-70A intersection but does not want the railroad
bridge replaced.
o Due to traffic volume and adequate bridge condition, DOT does not require
the bridge over railroad tracks to be replaced.
o As a separate matter, the railroad bridge will be under review as multiple
tracks are considered in the corridor.
o Should the Town want the railroad bridge replaced, DOT will require the Town
to pay for it.
Transportation Planning staff will continue to keep the BOCC apprised of these
corridors. Feel free to contact staff with any questions.
3