AGENDA #2
to: Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager
from: J.B. Culpepper, Director of Planning
David Bonk, Long Range and Transportation Manager
subject: Public Forum on 2011-2017 Chapel Hill Transportation Priority List
date: September 22, 2008
The Council is holding this Public Forum to receive advisory board and citizen comments on developing a 2011-2017 Chapel Hill Transportation Priority List. The public and advisory boards have been asked to comment on the inclusion of additional projects and the priority ranking within the list.
The Regional Priority List is updated every two years. This memorandum reviews the status of projects in the adopted 2009-2015 Chapel Hill Transportation Priority List and summarizes recommendations from Town advisory boards for the development of the 2011-2017 Priority List. After the Council receives citizen comments tonight, we will prepare a draft Priority List for Council consideration on October 15, 2008.
The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee (DCHC TAC) has initiated the process for developing the 2011-2017 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program (MTIP). The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has also begun the process to develop the 2011-2017 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).
The TAC has asked that local jurisdictions prepare transportation project priority lists. These local lists will be used by the Urban Area to develop a Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Regional Transportation Priority List. The Regional List will then be used to develop a draft MTIP. The Regional List will also be submitted to the NCDOT for their use in developing the State Program.
The development of local transportation project priority lists is the first step in the process of the development of the MTIP and STIP. Projects are grouped by their type: highway, bicycle, pedestrian, and transit. Below are the categories which will be used when selecting and scoring projects. The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO) notes that the Ranking Methodology uses project data to compare various projects. While the methodology is intended to be comprehensive and balanced, it is difficult to include all relevant information. In addition, some project information is difficult to quantify. As a result, the TAC will be encouraged to use the results of the Ranking Methodology as the starting point for the final Regional Priority List. The TAC will have the opportunity to reorder projects to account for factors that are not included in the methodology.
Highway- Seven point categories are weighed equally that include:
Bicycle and Pedestrian
Transit
Attachment 1 is the ranking methodology in detail that will be applied to projects by the DCHC MPO. Attachment 2 is a diagram that illustrates the process for developing the transportation improvement program. The TAC is scheduled to adopt a regional priority list on January 14, 2009 (Attachment 3).
In May 2007, the Town Council adopted a Chapel Hill Transportation Priority List as part of the development of the 2009-2015 MTIP and STIP. We have used the adopted list to initiate discussion with Town advisory boards on the development of a 2011-2017 Town Priority List. During this first review, the Town advisory boards have been asked to comment on projects currently identified on the priority list and suggest any new projects for consideration. We anticipate a second review and comment period for the Town advisory boards will follow before the Town Council submits their comments to the TAC. The TAC is currently scheduled to approve the regional priority list in January, 2009.
Sources of Transportation Funding
The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Urban Area includes county’s in three different funding divisions. These divisions are the administrative structure through which the North Carolina Department of Transportation allocates transportation funding through the transportation improvement program. Orange County is in Division 7, which includes Alamance and Guildford County. Requests for funding for roadway, bicycle and pedestrian projects from Chapel Hill compete with similar projects from those counties rather than from Durham or Chatham County.
The Federal Highway Administration administers the Surface Transportation Planning Direct Allocation (STPDA) program which provides funding directly to urban areas over 200,000 in population. Local jurisdictions are able to use these funds by providing a 20 percent match toward project costs. The DCHC MPO has agreed to use its STPDA funds for transit, greenways, bicycle and pedestrian, and congestion mitigation/Intelligent Transportation Systems projects. The DCHC MPO has subdivided its STPDA program into various categories with each category receiving a specified amount of funding. These funds are allocated to local governments in the DCHC MPO though a separate process from the TIP process.
We have provided below the adopted 2009-2015 Chapel Hill Transportation Priority List for review. We have noted where projects have been partially, fully, or not funded. Attachment 4 is a map which shows the adopted 2009-2015 Chapel Hill Transportation Priority List.
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1. |
Transit Capital Projects: (FY 2007-2011). (Partial funding for transit capital in FY07and FY08) |
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2. |
Martin Luther King Jr.
Boulevard/NC 86 Corridor: I-40 to North Street- Bicycle and
pedestrian improvements. |
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3. |
Bolin Creek Greenway: Construct a greenway from Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. to Umstead Park. (STPDA funding, $750,000 in FY10) |
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4. |
Homestead Road: NC 86 to High School Road, provide bicycle lanes, sidewalks and turn lanes (Not Funded). |
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5. |
Seawell School Road: Improvements from Homestead Road to Estes Drive Extension, including turn lanes, bicycle lanes, sidewalks and transit accommodations. (Not Funded) |
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6. |
Pedestrian and Bicycle Overpass/Underpass Across Fordham Boulevard: Construct a pedestrian and bicycle overpass or underpass across Fordham Boulevard in the area between Manning Drive and Old Mason Farm Road (Not Funded). |
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7. |
Townwide Intersection Improvements: Safety improvements for pedestrians and bicyclists in 15 locations, as identified in 2006 Townwide pedestrian safety evaluation. ($150,000 allocated in FY2009 and 2010 from STPDA program.(See #2 above) |
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8. |
Estes Drive: NC 86 to Curtis Road, widen existing roadway to include two 12-foot travel lanes, four-foot bicycle lanes and sidewalks. (Not Funded) |
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9. |
Estes Drive: Burlage Drive to Franklin Street, construct sidewalk along entire length and provide pedestrian signal at intersection with Chapel Hill Library Drive. (Town sidewalk project using bond funds to be completed in FY09) |
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10. |
Pope Road - Ephesus Church Road: Construct sidewalks and five foot bicycle lanes. (Not Funded) |
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11. |
Fordham Boulevard: Construct sidewalk from Ephesus Church Road to Elliott Road (Not Funded) |
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12. |
Culbreth Road: Construct sidewalk from Adam Way to Smith Level Road (Under contract) |
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13. |
Barbee Chapel Road: NC 54 to Downing Creek Parkway, provide sidewalks and bicycle lanes. (Gateway Bank and Woodmont developments would provide partial implementation of sidewalks) |
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14. |
Southern Railroad Greenway: Construct a greenway along the Southern Railroad right of way from Estes Drive to the UNC Horace Williams property. (Not Funded) |
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15. |
Franklin Street/Bolin Creek Greenway Pedestrian/Bicycle Access: Install pedestrian/bicycle access between Franklin Street and Bolin Creek Greenway. (STPDA funding, $150,000 in FY10) |
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16. |
Piney Mountain Road: Improvements from NC 86 to Riggsbee Road, including turn lanes, sidewalks, bicycle lanes and transit accommodations. (Not Funded) |
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17. |
Mount Carmel Church Road: Improvements from US 15-501 South to Chatham County line, to be limited to include bicycle lanes, sidewalks, transit and safety improvements. (Not Funded) |
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18. |
Country Club Road: Construct a sidewalk on the east side from South Road to Raleigh Street. Pedestrian path on East side to remain Chapel Hill gravel. (Not Funded) |
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19. |
Fordham Boulevard: Construct a sidewalk along the north side, Manning Drive to Carmichael Street. Mason Farm safety improvements include sidewalk on Fordham (Partially funded, $120,000 from STP DA) |
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20. |
Bolin Creek/Little Creek Greenway: Construct a greenway from Chapel Hill Community Center to Pinehurst Drive. (Not Funded) |
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21. |
Old Mason Farm/Finley Golf Course Road: Construct bicycle lanes and sidewalks. (Not Funded) |
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22. |
Erwin Road: Construct bicycle lanes, sidewalks and safety improvements, Sage Road to Durham County line. (Not Funded) |
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23. |
Fordham Boulevard Corridor: US 15-501 South to Ephesus Church Road- bicycle and pedestrian Improvements. (See #6 and #19 above) |
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24. |
NC 54 Corridor: Fordham Boulevard to Barbee Chapel Road- bicycle and pedestrian Improvements. (54 East, Woodmont, and Aydan Court (if approved), would extend combined bike/pedestrian path along NC54) |
Attachment 5 is the DCHC MPO regional project list. The regional project list was developed using the previous ranking criteria and shows where Town projects rank amongst other projects in the DCHC MPO area. Projects are categorized by highway, transit, or bicycle and pedestrian.
Town advisory boards are completing their review of the transportation priority list. We will provide the Council with the advisory board recommendations we have received at the Forum on September 22, 2008.
We will return on October 15, 2008 with a draft 2011-2017 Chapel Hill Priority List for the Council’s consideration. The adopted Chapel Hill Priority List will be submitted to the TAC for their use in the development of the Regional Priority List. We anticipate that the Regional Priority List will be adopted on January 14, 2009 by the TAC.
Managers Recommendation: That the Council refer comments from the Forum and Town advisory boards to staff for preparation of a 2011-2017 Chapel Hill Regional Priority list for Council consideration on October 15, 2008.