AGENDA #2c

memorandum

to:	Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager
from:	J.B. Culpepper, Planning Director David Bonk, Long Range Planning and Transportation Coordinator
subject:	Public Forum: 2009-2015 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Projects
date:	May 7, 2007

PURPOSE

Tonight’s public forum is intended to receive public input on projects to be included in the Town of Chapel Hill 2009-2015 Priority List to be used in the development of the 2009-2015 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program (MTIP). Chapel Hill’s 2007-2013 Priority List, approved on April 5, 2005, is provided for reference (Attachment 1), with identification of projects that have been fully or partially funded.

BACKGROUND

The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee has begun the process of developing the 2009-2015 Transportation Improvement Program. The Committee has requested that local jurisdictions prepare project priority lists for use in the development of the Regional Priority List.  The Chapel Hill 2007-2013 Priority List, approved on April 5, 2005, is provided (Attachment 1), with identification of projects that have been fully or partially funded.  It has been the Council’s practice to remove projects from the Priority List once fully funded.  The following projects have been fully funded and will be removed:

• Upgrade Chapel Hill Signal System – funded FY 11
• Old Durham-Chapel Hill Road (US 15-501 to I-40) construct bikelanes and sidewalks – funded FY 09 and FY 10
• Estes Drive Extension (Seawell School Road to Greensboro Street) add paved shoulders to accommodate bicycles – funded FY 07

The following projects have partial funding in the adopted 2007-2013 Transportation Improvement Program, and will remain on the Priority List:

• Transit Capital Projects – partial funding for FY 07
• Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard/NC 86 Corridor (I-40 to North Street) bicycle and pedestrian improvements – partial funding ($200,000) in FY 07 for section between Homestead Road and Estes Drive

The Council’s 2009-2015 Priority List and comments will be submitted to the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee for use in developing the Regional 2009-2015 Priority List and the 2009-2015 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program. The Regional List will also be submitted to the North Carolina Department of Transportation for use in developing the draft State 2009-2015 Transportation Improvement Program.

On April 11, 2007, the Council requested comments from advisory boards, and set tonight’s public forum to receive comment.  Comments from the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board are included in Attachment 2.  The Planning Board and Transportation Board will review the Priority List after the Forum, and we will provide their recommendations at the May 21, 2007, meeting.

next steps

Town Staff will review citizen comments from the May 7^th forum, as well as comments from Town advisory committees, and will prepare final recommendations for the Council’s consideration and possible approval on May 21, 2007.   

The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization has requested that local jurisdictions submit their project priority list for preliminary review by the regional staff and the Transportation Advisory Committee by the end of May 2007.

The Technical Coordinating Committee is in the process of developing the priority ranking methodology, which should be completed and adopted by the Transportation Advisory Committee in early May or June.  This will allow us to apply the methodology to Chapel Hill projects prioritized by the Council.  The Transportation Advisory Committee is expected to approve the final regional priority list on August 8, 2007.

ATTACHMENTS

1. Adopted 2007-2013 Transportation Priority List (p. 3).
2. Summary of Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board Recommendations from April 24, 2007, meeting (p. 4).