AGENDA #7
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Sidewalk Construction Plan for 2005-2006
DATE: February 13, 2006
PURPOSE
Adoption of the attached resolution would authorize a sidewalk construction plan for fiscal year 2005-2006.
SUMMARY
This memorandum proposes an annual sidewalk construction plan for 2005-2006. Approximately $132,000 of the sidewalks and streets bond sale funds issued in 2004 remain to be allocated to sidewalk construction projects this fiscal year.
We recommend for the 2005-2006 Construction Plan that the Town Council allocate these funds to continue to work on the list of sidewalk projects remaining from the 2004-2005 Construction Plan supplemented by the following five projects on the Town’s sidewalk priority list, as funding is available (see maps 1 and 2):
· McCauley Street (south side), Brookside Drive to Pittsboro Street
· Bolinwood Drive (west side), missing piece
· Cameron Avenue (south side), southeast corner at Merritt Mill Road
· Barbee Chapel Road (west side) Finley Forest Drive to NC 54
· Longleaf Drive (north side) Willow Drive to Churchill Drive
We also recommend that the Town Manager be authorized to seek State Transportation Direct Allocation funds when available for street improvements on any State-maintained street including but not limited to the following projects:
· Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Homestead Road to Estes Drive
· Fordham Boulevard (west side), Elliott Road to Ephesus Church Road
· Ephesus Church Road (south side), Eden Lane to 15-501 Bypass
· Seawell School Road (either side), from High School Road to Homestead Road
· Bennett Road (south side), from Fire Station 5 to Mt. Carmel Church Road
KEY ISSUES
On January 9, 2006, the Town Council held a public forum to receive citizen input for the preparation of a 2005-2006 Sidewalks Construction Plan. Please see Attachment 1. The following key issues were raised:
Briarcliff and Colony Woods Neighborhoods: At the public forum, a citizen spoke in support of constructing sidewalks in the Briarcliff and Colony Woods Neighborhoods as part of a Safe Routes to School initiative. Please see Attachment 2 and map 3.
Comment: The proposal calls for 11 new sidewalks. The corrected table below shows where the requested sidewalks appear in a revised Town sidewalks priority list and provides a unit cost estimate for each project. It also identifies with an asterisk which requested sidewalks relate to the Town’s Pedestrian Facilities Plan.
|
Location |
Project Limits |
Ephesus Initiative Priority |
Town Rank |
Length |
Unit Cost Estimate in Dollars |
|
Ephesus Church Road * |
US 15-501 to Eden Lane, |
1 |
5 |
3,000 |
105,000 |
|
Eden Lane/Cypress Road/Spruce Street |
Entire Length |
2 |
7 |
3,300 |
116,000 |
|
Longleaf Drive* |
Entire Length |
2 |
11 |
3,500 |
123,000 |
|
Churchill Drive |
Longleaf Dr. to Brigham Rd. |
2 |
11 |
5,000 |
175,000 |
|
Tinkerbell Road * |
Fountain Ridge Road to southern end |
2 |
7 |
4,800 |
168,000 |
|
Emory Drive * |
Longleaf Drive to Grove Street |
3 |
11 |
7,000 |
245,000 |
|
Willow Drive * |
Longleaf Drive to Emory Drive. |
3 |
11 |
1,000 |
35,000 |
|
Ferrell Road |
Entire Length |
3 |
7 |
2,300 |
81,000 |
|
Landerwood Lane |
Entire Length |
3 |
11 |
2,800 |
98,000 |
|
Thornwood Road |
Entire Length |
3 |
11 |
2,000 |
70,000 |
|
Francis Street |
Entire Length |
3 |
7 |
1,500 |
53,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
$1,269,000 |
Except for the sidewalk on Ephesus Church Road, the sidewalks being requested are all within a residential neighborhood. The streets are wide and the “G” bus route loops through the neighborhood on Willow Drive, Churchill Drive and Leclair Street. The Town Council has approved traffic calming measures on Cypress Road which will be installed later this year. Please see Attachment 3, Annual Traffic Calming Report, January 9, 2006.
We believe that a sidewalk on Ephesus Church Road would provide facilities for residents of that street and the nearby area; it would also improve access to the Ephesus Elementary School, shops and transit. Because Ephesus Church Road is a State-maintained street, we recommend that the Council authorize the Manager to seek State funds, most likely State Surface Transportation Direct Allocation funds, for this project and use sidewalks and street bond funds to provide any local match requirement.
We also believe that constructing a sidewalk which connects the existing sidewalks on Willow Drive and Churchill Drive would enhance pedestrian safety and access to the neighborhood transit route on Longleaf Drive in the Briarcliff neighborhood. We recommend that with the funds available in 2005-2006 that this sidewalk project be included in the potential construction list for 2005-2006. We also recommend that Town staff monitor the impact of the traffic calming to be installed on Cypress Road before the Council considers construction of more sidewalks or additional traffic calming elsewhere in the neighborhood.
Mary Scroggs Elementary School: At the public forum, a citizen requested provision of a raised crosswalk on Aberdeen Street and parking restrictions at the crosswalk to enhance visibility. The request also included raised crosswalks at Kildaire and Copperline Roads, and provision of additional bicycle racks at the school. Please see Attachment 4.
Comment: The Sidewalks and Streets bond funds issued in 2004 were separated into the following funds:
These requests for traffic calming measures and bicycle racks are outside the scope of the annual sidewalks construction plan. The Town Manager will consider the requests for traffic calming based upon the adopted Town Policy and Procedures for Traffic Calming Measures and will report back separately on the requests. We believe that the Town Council could consider providing Town funds for bicycle racks from the bond funds allocated for neighborhood pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements. We would recommend installing “U” racks; these cost approximately $150 per unit and support two bicycles. We believe that funds may be available from other sources such as trusts and foundations.
Bennett Road: Following the public forum, we received a request to install a pedestrian crosswalk/signals at the intersection of US 15-501 and Bennett Road/Arlen Park Drive; to install pedestrian signal light at the intersection of Mount Carmel Church Road and Bennett Road; and to construct a sidewalk on the south side of Bennett Road from Fire Station No. 5 to Mount Carmel Church Road. Please see Attachment 5.
Comment: US 15-501, Mount Carmel Church Road and Bennett Road are State-maintained streets. We have forwarded the request for crosswalks signals and lights to the North Carolina Department of Transportation for its consideration and reply. We recommend that the Town Council authorize the Town Manager to seek State funds to construct a sidewalk on Bennett Road and use sidewalks and street bond funds to provide any local match requirement.
2005-2006 CONSTRUCTION PLAN
Following the Public Forum we have initiated work to construct the proposed sidewalk on Umstead Drive, at an estimated cost of $84,000. This was project number 23 on the 2004-2005 Construction Plan.
Approximately $132,000 of the sidewalks and streets bond sale funds issued in 2004 remains available for an annual sidewalk construction plan for 2005-2006. There are 13 outstanding sidewalk projects that are unfunded from the approved 2004-2005 Construction Plan, eight of these are currently constrained from implementation. We believe that two of the projects remaining from the approved 2004-2005 Construction Plan are needed and would be well used by pedestrians. These are the sidewalk for North Street from Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard to Henderson Street and Cameron Avenue, north east corner at Merritt Mill Road.
During 2005, the Town has constructed or initiated the construction of the technically easiest sidewalks on the Town’s sidewalk priority list. We believe that next year when $900,000 will be available for a 2006-2007 Construction Plan, the Council will need to decide whether it wants to spend Town funds on sidewalks located on more technically difficult and therefore expensive locations, on State-maintained streets that are more highly used by pedestrians or on local neighborhood streets where use is more limited.
For the 2005-2006 Construction Plan, we recommend that the Council continue to work on the list of sidewalk projects remaining from the 2004-2005 Construction Plan supplemented by the following five projects on the Town’s sidewalk priority list, as funding is available (see maps 1 and 2). The total cost of the five additional projects would be between $230,000 and $300,000:
• McCauley Street (south side, Brookside Drive to Pittsboro Street): This project is within an historic district. Replace existing Chapel Hill gravel sidewalk with brick.
· Unit Cost estimate (range): $100,000-$125,000
· Length (linear feet): 1,700
· Ranked score: 26
• Bolinwood Drive (west side): Missing piece in otherwise continuous sidewalk from Hillsborough Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
· Unit Cost estimate (range): $25,000-$40,000
· Length (linear feet): 500
· Ranked score: 25
• Cameron Avenue (south side), southeast corner at Merritt Mill Road: Connects existing sidewalk on Merritt Mill Road to Cameron Avenue, improve pedestrian access to Pine Knolls neighborhood.
· Unit Cost estimate(range): $13,000 to $18,000
· Length (linear feet): 250
· Ranked score: 24
• Barbee Chapel Road (west side) Finley Forest Drive to NC 54: Well used path connecting neighborhood to existing facilities on NC 54 and greenway to Meadowmont. Although this is a State-maintained street, State Surface Transportation Direct Allocation funds are limited and will not be available before October 2007. We believe that this is a relatively short and inexpensive project that the Town could fully fund and implement sooner.
· Unit Cost estimate(range): $50,000 to $75,000
· Length (linear feet): 1,000
· Ranked score: 22
• Longleaf Drive (north side) Willow Drive to Churchill Drive: This is a neighborhood location. The project would connect existing sidewalks on Willow Drive and Churchill Drive. Longleaf Drive is on the “G” bus route, and a sidewalk would enhance pedestrian safety and access to transit.
· Unit Cost estimate (range): $35,000 to $50,000
· Length (linear feet): 1,300
· Ranked score: 19
ADVISORY BOARD RECOMMENDATIONS
The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board, Chapel Hill Active Living by Design Partnership Advisory Committee, the Planning Board and the Transportation Board were consulted to provide input for a 2005-2006 Construction Plan.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board: At its meeting on October 27, 2005, the Board did not have a quorum. The members present made the following comments by consensus: That the Town continue to work on the remaining projects from the approved 2004-2005 Construction Plan. In addition the Board recommended that the next 12 projects from the Town’s Sidewalk Priority List be added to the unfinished 2004-2005 list to replace the projects that have been constructed or are scheduled for construction. Please see Attachment 6.
Comment: There is approximately $132,000 available from the Sidewalks and Streets bond funds issued in 2004. There are 13 projects remaining from the 2004-2005 Construction Plan to which funds have not been allocated. Four of these projects at various locations on Rosemary Street are awaiting the outcome of the current Streetscape Plan review. The proposed project at Prestwick Road to provide a pedestrian connection from the street opposite the Glenwood Elementary School through the rear of the Glen Lennox shopping center is constrained by concerns of the property owner that they would be liable for any accidents to pedestrians using the facility. The project would also require a special use permit be obtained for the center. The proposed project at West University Drive is constrained by trees and retaining walls and would be an expensive project ($105,000) in what is primarily a neighborhood location.
Proposed projects at Hamilton, Flemington and Piney Mountain Roads are technically simple to construct, but we do not believe the locations are particularly unsafe to pedestrians. In addition to these three projects the proposed sidewalk on North Street and at the north east corner of Cameron Avenue are the two projects outstanding from the 2004-2005 Construction Plan that we believe are needed and would be well used. Therefore we recommend that these two projects be included in the 2005-2006 Construction Plan. The total cost estimate for construction of the five projects (Hamilton, Flemington, Piney Mountain, North Street and Cameron Avenue) is over $230,000 and the unit cost estimates for the two recommended projects (North Street and Cameron Avenue) are approximately $50,000 and $18,000 respectively.
We anticipate that because of trees and the need for retaining walls, the project on North Street may cost more than the unit cost estimate. The recommended North Street and Cameron Avenue projects as estimated would use approximately $68,000 of the $132,000 available. Therefore, in response to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board, we have reviewed the Town Sidewalks priority list and identified five more projects that we believe could supplement the projects outstanding from 2004-2005. The projects would allow the staff options should there be constraints to constructing any of the outstanding projects. The projects are located at:
· McCauley Street (south side), Brookside Drive to Pittsboro Street
· Bolinwood Drive (west side), missing piece
· Cameron Avenue (south side), southeast corner at Merritt Mill Road
· Barbee Chapel Road (west side), Finley Forest Drive to NC 54
· Longleaf Drive (north side), Willow Drive to Churchill Drive
Chapel Hill Active Living by Design Partnership Advisory Committee Recommendation: On November 9, 2005, the Committee voted unanimously to recommend that the Council incorporate the recommendations made for the Ephesus community into the Sidewalks and Bicycle Facilities Plan as previously presented to Council. Please see Attachment 7.
Comment: We have included the requested sidewalks on the Town’s sidewalk priority list. We recommend that the Council authorize the Manager to seek State funds to construct a sidewalk on Ephesus Church Road. We also recommend that with the funds available in 2005-2006 a sidewalk project for Longleaf Drive connecting the existing sidewalks on Willow Drive and Churchill Drive be included in the potential construction list for 2005-2006. We recommend that the Town staff monitor the impact of the traffic calming to be installed on Cypress Road before the Council considers construction of more sidewalks or additional traffic calming elsewhere in the neighborhood.
Planning Board Recommendation: On November 1, 2005, the Planning Board endorsed the recommendation of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board. Please see Attachment 8.
Comment: Please see the response above to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board.
Transportation Board Recommendation: On December 6, 2005, the Transportation Board recommended projects that provide improved access to schools and public transit be given higher consideration for construction. Please see Attachment 9.
Comment: The Town’s adopted sidewalk ranking system provides weight to sidewalks located within either one quarter or one half mile of transit, schools and other community services. Twelve of the 31 sidewalk projects on the 2004-2005 Construction Plan are located within one mile of Elementary, Middle and High schools. Please see Attachment 10 which is a budget working paper from 2005 which addresses this matter.
RECOMMENDATION
Manager’s Recommendation: That the Council adopt the attached resolution to continue work on the projects approved by the Council as part of the 2004-2005 Construction Plan and to supplement that list with five additional projects for construction as funding permits.
1. Town Manager’s Memorandum of January 9, 2006, Sidewalks Construction Plan Public Forum (p. 9).
2. Letter from Martha Conway and Budget Working Paper April 27, 2005, regarding the Ephesus Community Request (p. 16).
3. Town Manager’s Memorandum of January 9, 2006, Annual Traffic Calming Report (p. 21).
4. Letter from Heidi Harkins regarding improvements for Mary Scroggs Elementary School (p. 29).
5. E-mail from Jeanne Brown regarding Crossing improvements and Bennett Road (p. 31).
6. Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board Summary of Action (p. 33).
7. Chapel Hill Active Living by Design Partnership Advisory Committee Summary of Action (p. 34).
8. Planning Board Summary of Action (p. 35).
9. Transportation Board Summary of Action (p. 36).
10. Budget Working Paper: Funding to Improve the Sidewalk Networks to Elementary, Middle and High Schools April 27, 2005 (p. 37).
MAPS
1. Approved Sidewalk Construction Plan (January 24, 2005) Status of project February 2006 (p. 42).
2. Recommended projects for 2005-2006 to supplement outstanding projects from 2004-2005 Construction Plan (p. 43).
3. Sidewalks Requested by the Ephesus Safe Routes to School Initiative (p. 44).
