AGENDA #10
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TO: |
Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager |
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FROM: |
J.B. Culpepper, Planning Director David C. Bonk, Long Range and Transportation Planning Coordinator |
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SUBJECT: |
Draft Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro 2009-2015 Regional Transportation Priority List |
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DATE: |
October 22, 2007 |
Adoption of the attached resolution would provide the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee with comments on the Draft 2009-2015 Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Regional Transportation Project Priority List.
The Council adopted a 2009-2015 transportation project priority list on May 21, 2007 (Attachment 1) and forwarded the List to the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee for their use in developing the Draft 2009-2015 Regional Priority List. The Metropolitan Planning Organization has prepared project ranking methodology and draft set of priority lists by mode.(Attachments 2-5)
The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Urban Area includes portions of three different Highway Divisions. These divisions are the administrative structure through which the North Carolina Department of Transportation allocates transportation funding through the transportation improvement program.
The final Regional Priority List will be used to develop the 2009-2015 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program. The Priority List will also be submitted to the North Carolina Department of Transportation for their use in preparing a draft 2009-2015 State Transportation Improvement Program.
The Transportation Improvement Program is required by federal transportation regulations to include projects that are anticipated to use federal and State transportation funds. Federal rules require that development of the Transportation Improvement Program be a cooperative process between the State Department of Transportation and the Metropolitan Planning Organization. Federal rules require that each Metropolitan Planning Organization adopt a Transportation Improvement Program that includes projects to be undertaken within the Organization’s Urban Area boundaries. The State Transportation Improvement Program should include all transportation projects within the State, including those in individual Metropolitan Urban Areas.
The Federal rules mandate that the Metropolitan and State Transportation Programs include exactly the same projects, budgets and project schedules. Attachment 6 illustrates the process the Metropolitan Area and the State follow in developing the final Transportation Improvement Program. At this point the Transportation Advisory Committee is preparing to adopt a Regional Priority List. The List will be used in negotiations with the North Carolina Department of Transportation to prepare draft Metropolitan and State Transportation Improvement Programs.
The Transportation Improvement Program includes projected funding from several sources. The federal transportation program provides North Carolina with funds through two principal programs, the Interstate Program and the Surface Transportation Program. The Interstate Program can only fund projects along the federally designated Interstate system. Surface Transportation Program is made up of different funding programs.
The bulk of the funds can be spent on various types of transportation projects, including roadways, public transit, bicycle and pedestrian projects. A portion (10%) of the Surface Transportation Program is allocated for the Enhancements Program, which can be used for non-roadway projects. The same portion (10%) of the Surface Transportation Program is allocated to safety projects. We note that the State has previously allocated approximately $3 million statewide from the Surface Transportation Program for bicycle and pedestrian projects and has imposed an individual project cap of $300,000.
Also included in the Transportation Improvement Program are projects using federal transit funds and Congestion Management Air Quality funds.
The draft 2009-2015 Regional Priority List includes separate lists for roadway, public transit, bicycle and pedestrian projects and includes only projects that have been partially funded or are being proposed for new funding. Chapel Hill has several projects fully or partially funded in the adopted 2007-2013 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program.
Table 1: Currently Programmed Projects, 2007-2013
Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program
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Project |
Project Schedule |
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South Columbia-bicycle and pedestrian improvements, Fordham Boulevard to Manning Drive |
Right of Way, FY2007 Construction, FY2010 |
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Weaver Dairy Road-roadway improvements, NC 86 to Erwin Road. |
Right of Way, FY2007 Construction, FY2011 |
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Chapel Hill-Carrboro Traffic Signal System Rehabilitation and Expansion |
Design FY 2008 Construction FY2010 |
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Old Durham-Chapel Hill Road Bike lanes, |
Right of Way, FY2008 Construction, FY2009 and FY2010 |
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Estes Drive- bicycle and pedestrian improvements, Seawell School Road to Carrboro. |
Construction, FY 2008 |
Need for a Composite Project Priority List: The federal Surface Transportation Program (STP), which provides the bulk of federal funding to North Carolina, can be allocated to transportation projects regardless of mode. It can be used for roadway, transit and bicycle and pedestrian projects. North Carolina has traditionally used the Surface Transportation Program exclusively for roadway projects. With the support of the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization Chapel Hill was able to reprogram Surface Transportation Program funds from the Homestead Road widening project to the Transit Operations Center.
We believe that the Town’s future transportation needs will be focused on alternatives modes such as public transit, bicycles and pedestrian facilities. The Town’s adopted 2009-2015 Priority List reflects this focus on alternative modes of transportation. Because the State of North Carolina does not typically fund transit, bicycle and pedestrian projects from the STP the Town’s ability to secure funds will be limited.
The inclusion of separate priority lists by mode may work against the ability of the Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Town to secure Surface Transportation Program funds for non roadway projects. While the roadway priority list may accurately reflect local and regional preferences among roadway projects it does not provide a sense of the regions emphasis on non roadway projects. The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization has traditionally prioritized transit, bicycle and pedestrian projects ahead of roadway projects and the regional priority list should reflect that preference. Although it might be useful to rank projects by mode for preliminary consideration we believe that a composite regional priority list should be developed that provides clear guidance to the North Carolina Department of Transportation on the regions desire to utilize Surface Transportation Program funds for non roadway projects. These composite lists could be prepared by highway division rather than as a single list for the entire metropolitan area.
Ranking Criteria: The transit priority list does not include any data for points related to criteria #4, Enhancement of Existing Service. We believe that transit ridership data is available to allow for points to be included in this section. Projections of new riders anticipated for expansion service should be based on current transit ridership averages by service hour or vehicle.
The Transportation Advisory Committee held a public hearing on the proposed 2009-2015 Priority Lists on October 10, 2007 and is anticipated to approve a final list in November, 2007. A copy of the Priority List will be forwarded to the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The State is scheduled to release a draft State Transportation Improvement Program in early 2008. At that time the Urban Area will prepare a draft Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program which will be used in negotiations with the State.
Recommendation: That the Council approve the attached resolution, which would provide the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee with comments and recommendations on the Draft 2009-2015 Regional Priority List. We offer the following comments and recommendations for the Council’s consideration: