TO: Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager
FROM: J.B. Culpepper, Planning Director
David Bonk, Long Range and Transportation Planning Coordinator
SUBJECT: Draft 2007-2013 State/Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program
DATE: October 9, 2006
This memorandum reviews the draft State/Metropolitan 2007-2013 Transportation Improvement Program (Attachment 1) and offers recommendations for comments to the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee. The Transportation Advisory Committee is considering the development of a draft Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program in preparation for negotiations with the State over the final 2007-2013 Program.
The attached resolution would provide the Transportation Advisory Committee with comments and recommendations on the 2007-2013 Transportation Improvement Program.
In 2005, the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee initiated the process for developing the 2007-2013 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program. The attached diagram (Attachment 2) illustrates the process for the development of the Transportation Improvement Program. We are now at the end of the process for preparing the 2007-2013 Transportation Improvement Program. Federal regulations require that both the State of North Carolina and the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Urban Area develop transportation improvement programs. The Transportation Improvement Program allocates federal and State transportation funding among projects in the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Urban Area.
In 2005, the Transportation Advisory Committee requested that local jurisdictions prepare transportation priority lists for use in the development of a Regional Transportation Priority List. The Council approved a Chapel Hill Priority List on April 5, 2005 for use in preparing the 2007-2013 Transportation Improvement Program. (Attachment 3)
In September 2005, the State Board of Transportation released the draft State 2007-2013 Transportation Improvement Program. The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee released the draft State Program as the draft Metropolitan Program for public comment on September 13, 2006.
At this time the Transportation Advisory Committee is identifying key issues from the Draft 2007-2013 Transportation Improvement Program that representatives of the Committee will raise with representatives of the North Carolina Department of Transportation. These negotiations are intended to resolve differences between the State and Urban Area over elements of the 2007-2013 Transportation Improvement Program. Negotiations with the State are expected to be scheduled in October or November 2006.
KEY ISSUES
We summarize below several key issues related to the Draft 2007-2013 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program. These include the status of Chapel Hill projects in the draft Program and the Surface Transportation Program Direct Allocation program.
The chart below provides a summary of the status of selected Chapel Hill projects in the proposed Draft State 2007-2013 Transportation Improvement Program compared to the adopted 2006-2012 Transportation Improvement Program.
Table 1. Comparison of Adopted 2006 Transportation Improvement Program and Proposed 2007 Transportation Improvement Program.
|
Project |
Adopted 2006-2012 TIP |
Proposed Schedule Draft 2007-2013 TIP |
Proposed Project Budget |
|
1) South Columbia |
ROW-2007 Construction-2009 |
ROW-2007 Construction-2009 |
FY 06 TIP- $4.150 million FY 07 TIP- $5.20 million |
|
2) Weaver Dairy Road |
ROW-2007 Construction-2009 |
ROW-2007 Construction-2009 |
FY 06 TIP-$13.39 million FY 07 TIP- $13.94 |
|
3) US 15-501 Erwin Road intersection-Superstreet |
Construction –2005 |
Under Construction |
FY 06 TIP- $4.255 million FY 07 TIP- $5.35 million |
|
4) Seawell School Road Bicycle Facilities
|
Construction-2007 |
Construction-2007 |
FY 06 TIP- $650,000 FY 07 TIP- $650,000 |
|
5) Homestead Road-High School Road to NC86. |
Right of way and construction post 2012. |
Right of way and construction post 2013. |
FY 06 TIP- $10.6 million FY 07 TIP- $10.6 million |
|
6) Estes Drive-NC86 to N. Greensboro Street. |
Right of way and construction post 2012. |
Right of way and construction post 2013. |
FY 06 TIP- $7.6 million FY 07 TIP- $7.6 million |
|
7) Signal System Upgrade |
No Funding |
Funding in FY2011 Funding |
FY 06 TIP- $0 million FY 07 TIP- $4.60 million |
The draft 2007-2013 Metropolitan/State Transportation Improvement Program proposes to continue to provide funding for the South Columbia Street and Weaver Dairy Road projects as previously programmed. The draft Program also includes funding, totaling $4.60 million in FY 2011, for the upgrading of the Chapel Hill and Carrboro traffic signal system. We believe funding for this project should be accelerated given the condition of the existing signal system and the benefits of to traffic flow and transit service efficiency. We estimate a minimum of four years to design and construct the signal system.
We also believe that additional funding should be provided for the purchase of transit capital equipment. Replacement of existing Chapel Hill transit vehicles and expansion of the transit fleet will require additional funding. We estimate that Chapel Hill Transit will require approximately $10.5 million over the next five years to maintain the current fleet and meet anticipated ridership.
NEXT STEPS
The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee has opened a public comment period on the 2007-2013 Draft State/Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Plan. The Committee will hold a public hearing on October 11, 2006 and is expected to approve a final 2007-2013 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program in November or December 2006.
The final North Carolina 2006-2012 Transportation Improvement Program, which will incorporate the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Program, is expected to be approved by the State Board of Transportation in December 2006 or January 2007.
RECOMMENDATION
We recommend the Council consider providing the Transportation Advisory Committee with the following comments and recommendations.
ATTACHMENTS