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to |
Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager |
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from: |
J.B. Culpepper, Planning Director |
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subject: |
Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro MPO 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan |
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DATE: |
November 10, 2008 |
This memorandum provides information for the Town Council’s consideration on the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan Preferred Alternatives.
We recommend that the Council adopt the attached resolution supporting transit alternative R3 and providing the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee with additional recommendations.
On September 8, 2008, the Chapel Hill Town Council held a public forum on the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan Alternatives Analysis. At the September 22, 2008 meeting the staff provided a memorandum to the Town Council in response to comments received at that time http://townhall.townofchapelhill.org/agendas/2008/09/22/10/10-staff_memo.htm. At that meeting, the Town Council adopted a resolution on the 2035 LRTP Alternatives Analysis (Attachment 1) providing the DCHC MPO with recommendations.
At their October 8, 2008 meeting, the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) approved an alternative to be analyzed. The results of the Preferred Alternatives analysis will be provided to the Transportation Advisory Committee on December 10, 2008. At that time the Committee will be asked to approve a final 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan.
The draft Plan as proposed is included as Attachment 2. The Preferred Option approved for analysis by the TAC included a single highway network but four separate alternative transit networks. Each of the alternative transit networks was analyzed with the same highway network.
Highway Preferred Alternative
Below is a list of the highway element in the preferred alternatives specific to Chapel Hill (Attachment 3).
Transit Preferred Alternatives
Below is a list of the four primary transit alternatives. Alternatives R1-R3 use the same underlying bus networks.
In addition to the four primary transit networks the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organizations analyzed several alternative variations of R3, the light rail corridor between Chapel Hill and Raleigh. These variations included:
Analysis of Preferred Alternatives and Light Rail Implementation Options
We have provided below a table summarizing the results of the analysis of each of the Preferred Alternatives and variation of R3, the construction of a light rail corridor between Chapel Hill and Raleigh:
|
Projected Daily Ridership |
Regional Rail |
Chapel Hill Transit |
Durham Area Transit |
Capital Area Transit |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
R0 |
|
53,792 |
55,210 |
32,865 |
|
R1 |
4,849 |
55,088 |
49,417 |
32,284 |
|
R2 |
20,010 |
58,965 |
55,154 |
32,940 |
|
R3 |
23,586 |
62,911 |
55,381 |
33,104 |
|
R3A |
18,003 |
62,771 |
54,051 |
32,055 |
|
R3B |
12,086 |
62,680 |
54,775 |
33,117 |
|
R3C |
12,701 |
60,066 |
55,231 |
33,098 |
|
R3D |
7,871 |
60,025 |
53,747 |
31,992 |
|
R3E |
10,349 |
60,030 |
55,364 |
34,161 |
|
R3F |
5,865 |
60,049 |
53,732 |
32,920 |
This data was taken from the larger summary of the evaluation measures. (Attachment 14)
We believe that the results of the Preferred Alternative Analysis support adoption of the R3 alternative as part of the 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan and the inclusion of the Chapel Hill to Durham segment of the light rail transit corridor as part of the initial implementation of the regional network. The currently available data for the alternatives does not provide information about ridership between segments within the same alternative. For example, in Alternative R3A we cannot separate the projected transit ridership along the Chapel Hill to the Research Triangle Park corridor from the ridership between Northwest Cary and Durant Road. Similarly, in R3B, light rail ridership between Chapel Hill and North Carolina Central University has not been separated from the Downtown Raleigh to Durant Road ridership.
Relationship to the Chapel Hill Long Range Transit Plan
We have included the recommendations of the draft Chapel Hill Long Range Transit Plan as part of the base transit network used to evaluate each of the Preferred Alternative transit options. We believe that implementation of elements of the Chapel Hill Long Range Transit Plan will support the development of a robust regional transit network and complement the implementation of a regional light rail system.
Roadway Network
On September 22, 2008, the Council provided the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Board with recommendations on the 2035 alternatives. (Attachment 3). These recommendations included the removal of several roadway widening projects, including US 15-501 from I-40 to Franklin Street and Fordham Boulevard, between US 15-501 South and NC54. In the development of the Preferred Alternative Metropolitan Planning Organization staff suggested that these projects be included to maintain a high level of projected highway revenues needs. The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Regional Transportation Plan includes the proposed transfer of federal funds traditionally used for highway construction to public transit investments. Chapel Hill agreed to allow the inclusion of several highway projects in the Preferred Alternative to support the highway revenue projections. We recommend that these projects now be removed from the final plan and those revenues be transferred to transit uses.
Staff has begun the development of a fiscally constrained final recommended 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan. The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee will hold a public hearing on the Preferred Alternatives on November 12, 2008. It is anticipated that the Transportation Advisory Committee will consider a final recommended 2035 Transportation Plan at their December 10, 2008. The Committee could approve the recommended Plan on December 10, 2008 or at their following meeting, January 14, 2009.
A public workshop will be held for Chapel Hill at the Town Library on December 2, 2008. The Transportation Advisory Committee is expected to receive the analysis of the preferred alternatives on December 10, 2008 and approve a final 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan at that time.
We recommend that the Council support Alternative R3, which would provide a light rail connection from Chapel Hill to Raleigh. If financial limitations require the phasing of the implementation of light rail, we recommend that the Council endorse alternatives R3A or R3B, either of which provide the core connection between Chapel Hill and downtown Durham.
We also recommend that the Council request the following elements of the roadway network be removed: