AGENDA #10

MEMORANDUM

TO:                  Mayor and Town Council

FROM:            W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

SUBJECT:       Process to Develop Chapel Hill Transportation Project Priority List for the 2007-2013 Transportation Improvement Program.

DATE:             February 28, 2005

This memorandum proposes a schedule for developing a Priority List for use in the development of the 2007-2013 Transportation Improvement Program.

BACKGROUND

The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee has begun the process to develop the 2007-2013 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program. The schedule for developing the Transportation Improvement Program includes the development of transportation project priority lists from local jurisdictions to be used to develop a composite regional priority list. (Attachment 1)

The 2006-2012 Transportation Improvement Program has not been approved by the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee or the State Board of Transportation. We anticipate receiving the draft State Program for review in April 2005, for review and expect the Transportation Advisory Committee to consider approving a 2006-2012 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program in May, or June 2005. The 2006-2012 Program must be approved by October 2005, in order to meet federal air quality conformity requirements.

The development of the 2007-2013 Transportation Improvement Program is necessitated by a decision by the North Carolina Board of Transportation to put the Program on a two-year cycle using odd numbered years, rather than even years, which is the current policy.

DISCUSSION

Proposed Schedule for Developing Local Priority Lists

The attached schedule proposes that local jurisdictions submit their local priority lists to the Metropolitan Planning Organization by March 23, 2005. The schedule also proposes that the Technical Coordinating Committee develop a draft Regional Priority List by April 27, 2005. The Transportation Advisory Committee is expected to release the draft Priority List for Public Comment on May 11, 2005.  In order to meet this deadline we propose the following schedule:

• February/March 2005:  Review and recommendations by Transportation, Planning and Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board
• March 21, 2005: Town Council Public Forum
• April 5, 2005: Council Consideration of Chapel Hill Priority List

The proposed schedule would require delay in providing the Metropolitan Planning Organization staff with the Chapel Hill Priority List, but we believe delay is necessary to ensure adequate public comment and Council deliberation. We do not believe the proposed delay would substantively affect the development of the draft Regional Priority List. The Regional Priority List uses the Project Ranking Criteria (Attachment 2) to develop a composite ranking list of projects from all jurisdictions. The Regional Priority List will be submitted to the North Carolina Department of Transportation for their use in developing a draft State Transportation Improvement Program.

We propose the following schedule to review the draft Regional Priority List:

• May 11, 2005: Transportation Advisory Committee releases draft Regional Priority List for public comment
• May-June 2005: Town Advisory Board review
• June 13, 2005: Town Council Public Forum
• June 27, 2005: Council approval of comments on Regional Priority List for submission to Transportation Advisory Committee

Project Ranking Criteria

On February 9, 2005, the Transportation Advisory Committee approved revised criteria for assigning priority ranking to projects included in the Regional Priority List. (Attachment 2) As part of its review and comment on the 2006-2012 Regional Priority List, the Town Council prepared recommendations for modifying the ranking criteria. (Attachment 3)

The Council recommended that:

• The ranking criteria should be revised to reflect the Urban Area’s and Chapel Hill’s emphasis on alternative modes of transportation and give higher priority to public transit, bicycle and pedestrian projects and sprawl reduction.
• The ranking criteria should require a quantitative evaluation of the ability of roadway projects to reduce congestion and improve air quality, using the Regional Transportation Model.
• Bicycle and Pedestrian enhancements should receive more favorable weighting with additional points for factors such as:
• Connectivity to other existing facilities/routes and
• Locations which have higher concentrations/density of population
• Locations on road corridors experiencing the highest rates of traffic increase.

Comment: The revised ranking criteria addresses one of the Council’s recommendations by providing a more quantitative approach to assessing the impact of air quality benefits. The revised criteria does not substantially address the Council’s recommendations to emphasize alternative modes of transportation or sprawl reduction. In addition, factors such as connectivity, population density and rates of increased traffic have not been incorporated into the revised ranking criteria.

We understand that the Transportation Advisory Committee intends to continue to evaluate how these factors can be integrated into subsequent ranking criteria.

RECOMMENDATION

Manager’s Recommendation: That the Council adopt the attached resolution requesting that the Planning Board, Transportation Board, Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board and Greenways Commission provide the Council with recommendations on the 2007-2013 Chapel Hill Transportation Priority List and scheduling a public forum for March 21, 2005.

ATTACHMENTS

1. Schedule for development of 2007-2013 Transportation Improvement Program (p. 5).
2. 2007-2013 Project Ranking Criteria (p. 8).
3. Chapel Hill Council Comments on 2006-20012 Project Ranking Criteria (p. 13).

A RESOLUTION REQUESTING RECOMMENDATIONS FROM TOWN ADVISORY BOARDS ON THE CHAPEL HILL TRANSPORTATION PROJECT PRIORITY LIST (2005-032-28/R-12)

WHEREAS, the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee has begun the process for developing the 2007-2013 Transportation Improvement Program; and

WHEREAS, the Transportation Advisory Committee has requested local jurisdictions prepare transportation project priority lists; and

WHEREAS, the Transportation Advisory Committee has revised the transportation project ranking criteria used to prepare the Regional Transportation Priority List;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council requests the Planning Board, Transportation Board, Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board and Greenways Commission provide recommendations on projects to be included in the Chapel Hill 2007-2013 Transportation Project Priority List.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council sets a public forum on the Chapel Hill Priority List for March 21, 2005, at 7:00 pm in the Council Chambers, 306 N. Columbia Street.

This the 28^th day of February, 2005.