TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Draft 2006-2012 State Transportation Improvement Program
DATE: May 9, 2005
This memorandum reviews the Draft State 2006-2012 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program (Attachment 1) and offers recommendations for comments to the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee. The Transportation Advisory Committee is preparing a Draft Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program in preparation for negotiations with the State over the final 2006-2012 Program.
The attached resolution would provide the Transportation Advisory Committee with comments and recommendations on the 2006-2012 Transportation Improvement Program.
In 2003, the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee initiated the process for developing the 2006-2012 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program. The attached diagram (Attachment 2) illustrates the process for the development of the Transportation Improvement Program. We are now at the end of the process for preparing the 2006-2012 Transportation Improvement Program. Federal regulations require that both the State of North Carolina and the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Urban Area develop transportation improvement programs. The Transportation Improvement Program allocates federal and state transportation funding among projects in the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Urban Area.
In 2003, the Transportation Advisory Committee requested that local jurisdictions prepare transportation priority lists for use in the development of a Regional Transportation Priority List. The Council approved a Chapel Hill Priority List on October 27, 2003 for use in preparing the 2006-2012 Transportation Improvement Program. (Attachment 3)
In early April 2005, the State Board of Transportation released the draft State 2006-2012 Transportation Improvement Program. The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee is expected to release a draft 2006-2012 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program on May 18, 2005. To expedite the review process the draft State Program is expected to be used as the draft Metropolitan Program.
At this time the Transportation Advisory Committee is identifying key issues from the Draft 2006-2012 Transportation Improvement Program that representatives of the Committee will raise with representatives of the North Carolina Department of Transportation. These negotiations are intended to resolve differences between the State and Urban Area over elements of the 2006-2012 Transportation Improvement Program. Negotiations with the State are expected to be scheduled in May, 2005.
KEY ISSUES
The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee is expected to release the State draft as the draft 2006-2012 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program.
We summarize below several key issues related to the Draft 2006-2012 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program. These include the status of Chapel Hill projects in the draft Program, the Surface Transportation Program Direct Allocation program, and an assessment of funding proposed for Division 7 and projects in Orange County. We recommend that the Council request that these issues be raised by representatives of the Transportation Advisory Committee during their negotiations with the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
We understand that many of the changes proposed in the 2006-2012 State Transportation Improvement Program are the result of a cash flow problem within the construction program and the need to shift transportation funding from different highway divisions as required by the State Equity Formula. Increases in estimated project costs have resulted from the shifting of projects to later years and by the inclusion of environmental mitigation costs for the first time in the transportation improvement program.
The chart below provides a summary of the status of selected Chapel Hill projects in the proposed Draft State 2006-2012 Transportation Improvement Program compared to the adopted 2004-2010 Transportation Improvement Program. Attachment 1 includes a similar comparison for all projects in Orange County.
|
Project |
Adopted 2004-2010 TIP |
Proposed Schedule Draft 2006-2012 TIP |
Proposed Project Budget |
|
1) South Columbia |
ROW-FY2005 Construction-FY2007 |
ROW-2007 Construction-2009 |
$4.150 million |
|
2) Weaver Dairy Road |
ROW-FY2005 Construction-FY2007 |
ROW-2007 Construction-2009 |
$13.395 million |
|
3) US 15-501 Erwin Road intersection-Superstreet |
Construction- FY2004. |
Construction –2005 |
$4.255 million |
|
4) Seawell School Road Bicycle Facilities
|
Feasibility study (Completed) |
Construction-2007 |
$650,000
|
|
5) Homestead Road-High School Road to NC86. |
Funding provided post 2010. |
Right of way and construction post 2012. |
$10.6 million |
|
6) Estes Drive-NC86 to N. Greensboro Street. |
Funding provided post 2010. |
Right of way and construction post 2012. |
$7.6 million |
|
7) Signal System Upgrade |
No Funding |
No Funding |
|
The 2006-2012 draft Program includes a delay for all previously programmed projects in Chapel Hill.
1) South Columbia Project:
The South Columbia project is proposed to be delayed in the draft 2006-2012 State Transportation Improvement Program. The 2004-2010 Program scheduled right of way purchase in 2005 and initiation of construction in 2007. The 2006-2012 Program proposes to delay right of way until 2007 and construction until 2009.
Comment: Our discussions with staff from the Department of Transportation suggest that the delay in this project is not related to any problems with design or right of way purchase. While we recognize that the State has proposed to delay projects throughout Division 7 due to cash flow problems, we believe that there are funds available in fiscal years 2006 and 2007 to allow the South Columbia project to proceed.
Completion of the South Columbia project by 2010 is an assumption included in the 2030 Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Long Range Transportation Plan and Triangle Air Quality Conformity Report. Not completing this project on time would violate the Conformity Report. The scheduling of construction in 2009 creates the possibility that unforeseen construction delays might result in the South Columbia project not being open in 2010. We suggest that the South Columbia project be included in the 2006-2012 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program for right of way purchase in 2006 and construction in 2008.
2) Weaver Dairy Road Project:
The Weaver Dairy Road project has also been proposed for delay in the 2006-2012 Program. The 2004-2010 Transportation Improvement Program scheduled right-of-ay purchase for 2005 and construction for 2007. Right-of-way is now proposed for 2007 and construction for 2009.
Comment: We are unaware of any problems with the planning or design of the Weaver Dairy project.
3) US 15-501 Superstreet:
The design of the Erwin/US 15-501 Intersection project has been completed and right of way purchase has been completed. The North Carolina Department of Transportation has twice let the bid for the construction of this project. In both cases the proposals for construction were substantially over the budget estimate and have resulted in a delay in the project. The North Carolina Department of Transportation has initiated a review of the project to refine the cost estimates. It is anticipated that this project will be let again in January 2006.
Comment: Discussions with staff from the North Carolina Department of Transportation indicated that part of the reason for higher than expected bids was due to the scheduling of construction for this project during the busy summer construction period. The current schedule for re-bidding the project in January 2006 assumes again construction during the summer of 2006. We suggest that the Department of Transportation consider placing this project out to bid in the summer or fall of 2005 to avoid the impact of summer 2006 construction. We believe this would also allow the project to move forward sooner.
4) Seawell School Road Bicycle Project:
The North Carolina Department of Transportation has completed a feasibility study for Seawell School Road bicycle and pedestrian improvements. Although we have not had an opportunity to review the findings of the Study funding for bicycle improvements the project has been included in the draft 2006-2012 Program. $650,000 has been programmed in 2007 for bicycle facilities.
Comment: We recommend the provision of bicycle and pedestrian facilities along Seawell School Road. We will review the feasibility study and report back to the Council on the recommendations for bicycle facilities along Seawell School Road. Although the project included in the 2006-2012 Program specifically mentions bicycle facilities it does not appear to include pedestrian facilities. We believe both bicycle and pedestrian facilities should be included in the project.
5). Homestead Road:
The draft 2006-2012 Transportation Improvement Program proposes funding for this project beyond 2012.
Comment: We will continue to work with the State to include this project for funding in the 2007-2013 Transportation Improvement Program, which is currently under development. We will also continue to secure funding from other sources, such as the Moving Ahead program for pedestrian and bicycle improvements.
6.) Estes Drive-NC 86 to North Greensboro Street.
The draft 2006-2012 Transportation Improvement Program proposes funding for this project beyond 2012.
Comment: The State will be constructing widened shoulders along Estes Drive, between NC 86 and Seawell School Road this summer. We will continue to work with the State to include this project for funding in the 2007-2013 Transportation Improvement
7). Signal System Improvements:
Chapel Hill has identified the upgrading of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro traffic signal system as a high priority. No funding has been proposed in the draft 2006-2012 Program.
Comment: At the request of State staff the Town has set aside funding in the Capital Improvements Program and secured funding in the Urban Area Surface Transportation Program Direct Allocation fund to support the request for State funding. We believe this is an important project that should be funded as soon as possible. We propose to include construction funding, totaling $5 million in FY 2008, in 2006-2012 Transportation Improvement Program.
A source of funding for non highway transportation projects is the Surface Transportation Program Direct Allocation Program, which is part of the Transportation Improvement Program. These funds are allocated directly to all Urban Areas over 200,000 in population. The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Urban Area was the first Urban Area in North Carolina to take the initiative to program these funds. Chapel Hill has received Direct Allocation funding for a variety of projects, including the purchase of transit vehicles, construction of park ride facilities and sidewalk construction. The Town also has utilized Direct Allocation funds for transportation planning studies, such as the 2003 Mobility Report Card.
Attachment 4 is the Surface Transportation Program Direct Allocation Program for FY 2006-2012.
Although Orange County is part of the federally delineated Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Urban area, it has been included in Highway Division 7 for purposes of administering the allocation of federal and State transportation funding as part of the State Transportation Allocation Formula. North Carolina is made up of 7 highway districts, each of which is made up of two divisions. Division 7 is composed of Guilford, Orange, Alamance, Caswell, and Rockingham County.
The information below compares funding in three specific areas, interstates, urban/rural, and bridges. There are limitations on the use of funds for interstate projects and bridge projects. The urban/rural category has the most flexibility in funding and represents the largest category of federal funding. Interstate, urban/rural and bridge funding represents the bulk of the discretionary funding, both State and federal, controlled largely by the Department of Transportation. This category also includes funding from the Surface Transportation Program Direct Allocation program and funding for specific transit capital projects. Table provides information on the size of each county in Division 7.
Table 1. County Populations
|
County |
Population |
Percent of Division 7 |
|
Alamance |
136,773 |
17% |
|
Caswell |
23,652 |
3% |
|
Guilford |
433,789 |
54% |
|
Orange |
118,183 |
15% |
|
Rockingham |
92,590 |
11% |
Table 2 compares total funding for Division 7 included in the 2004-2010 and 2006-2012 Transportation Improvement Programs for the 3 categories of projects.
Table 2. Comparison of Division 7 Funding in 2004 and 2006 Transportation Improvement Programs
|
Project Type |
2004-2010 TIP |
2006-2012 TIP |
Percent Change |
|
Interstate |
$38,434,000 |
$19,893,000 |
-49% |
|
Urban/Rural |
$902,889,000 |
$621,975,000 |
-32% |
|
Bridge |
$99,919,000 |
$94,705,000 |
-06% |
|
Total |
$1,041,242,000 |
$736,593,000 |
-30% |
We are unaware of any reductions in federal or State transportation funding that explains a 30% reduction in transportation funds for Division 7. The counties that make up Division 7 continue to experience population growth and will require additional transportation funds to maintain mobility. It is unclear why Division 7’s proposed funding has been reduced by 30%.
Table 3 summarizes combined funding for each of the counties in Division 7, and Table 4 shows funding as a percentage of population and per capita allocations.
Table 3. Total Funding By County
|
County |
2004-2010 TIP |
2006-2012 TIP |
Percent Change |
|
Alamance |
$58,597,000 |
$77,603,000 |
+32% |
|
Caswell |
$21,282,000 |
$8,500,000 |
-61% |
|
Guilford |
$768,071,000 |
$438,561,000 |
-43% |
|
Orange |
$74,601,000 |
$55,042,000 |
-27% |
|
Rockingham |
$118,691,000 |
$156,887,000 |
+32% |
Table 4. Funding as a Percentage of Population and Per Capita
|
County |
2004-2010 TIP |
Percent of Division |
Per capita Allocation |
2006-2012 TIP |
Percent of Division |
Per capita Allocation |
|
Alamance |
$58,597,000 |
6% |
$0.43 |
$77,603,00 |
11% |
$0.57 |
|
Caswell |
$21,282,000 |
2% |
$0.90 |
$8,500,000 |
1% |
$0.36 |
|
Guilford |
$768,071,000 |
74% |
$1.77 |
$438,561,000 |
60% |
$1.01 |
|
Orange |
$74,601,000 |
7% |
$0.63 |
$55,042,000 |
7% |
$0.47 |
|
Rockingham |
$118,691,000 |
11% |
$1.28 |
$156,887,000 |
21% |
$1.69 |
|
Total |
$1,041,242.000 |
|
$1.29 |
$736,593,000 |
|
$0.92 |
We identified the disparity in funding proposed for Orange County, both as a percentage of the total and on a per capita basis during the approval of the 2004 Transportation Improvement Program. Although there has been a shift in funding in the proposed 2006-2012 Program affecting the other counties in the Division, Orange County is proposed to continue to receive approximately 7% of the funding, below the proportion of the county’s population. The per capita expenditure for Orange County will fall to $0.47 in the proposed 2006-2012 Program, well below the Division average of $0.92. While Guilford County’s share of overall funding is proposed to be reduced from 74% in the 2004 Transportation Improvement Program to 60% in the 2006 Program, it is still higher than the County’s percent of Division 7 population. Rockingham County is also proposed to receive a disproportionate amount of funding in the 2006 Program.
Although we are concerned that Orange County and Chapel Hill did not receive significant funding for new projects, the delay of previously programmed projects such as South Columbia Street and Weaver Dairy Road is more difficult to understand.
While projects in all the counties in Division 7 experienced some delay, ranging from 1-2 years, there is very little funding for urban/rural projects in Orange County in the first several years of the proposed 2006-2012 program. Table 5 summarizes the allocation of funds for urban/rural transportation projects in the proposed 2006-2012 Program for the first four years of the Program.
Table 5. Proposed Urban/Rural Funding By Year
|
County |
FY2006 |
% |
FY2007 |
% |
FY2008 |
% |
FY2009 |
% |
|
Alamance |
$8,875,000 |
27% |
$9,256,000 |
10% |
$8,916,000 |
5% |
$692,000 |
1% |
|
Caswell |
$350,000 |
1% |
$0 |
0% |
$0 |
0% |
0 |
0% |
|
Guilford |
$20,000,000 |
61% |
$78,273,000 |
82% |
$104,878,000 |
57% |
$133,186,000 |
80% |
|
Orange |
$3,250,000 |
10% |
$8,192,000 |
9% |
$0 |
0% |
$12,399,000 |
8% |
|
Rockingham |
$350,000 |
1% |
0 |
0% |
$71,450,000 |
39% |
$18,907,000 |
11% |
|
Total |
$32,825,000 |
|
$95,724,000 |
|
$185,244,000 |
|
$165,184,000 |
|
We note that the funding included for Orange County in FY 2006 represents transit improvements and large planning projects. By comparison the FY 2006 funding for Guilford County is primarily for roadway expansion.
We believe that the programming of transportation funds for individual fiscal years should be more balanced across the Division. We suggest that the Council recommend that the South Columbia project be included for right of way funding in 2006 and construction in 2008.
NEXT STEPS
It is anticipated that the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee will open a 21 day public comment period on the 2006-2012 Draft Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Plan on May 18, 2005. The Committee will hold a public hearing on June, 8, 2005 and is expected to approve a final 2006-2012 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program on August 10, 2005.
The final North Carolina 2004-2010 Transportation Improvement Program, which will incorporate the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Program, is expected to be approved by the State Board of Transportation in July 2005.
RECOMMENDATION
We recommend the Council consider providing the Transportation Advisory Committee with the following comments and recommendations.
Manager’s Recommendation: That the Council adopt the attached Resolution providing the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee with comments and recommendations on the 2006-2012 Transportation Improvement Program.
ATTACHMENTS
A RESOLUTION PROVIDING THE DURHAM-CHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE WITH RECOMMENDATIONS COMMENT ON THE DRAFT 2006-2012 TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (2005-05-09/R-18)
WHEREAS, the North Carolina Department of Transportation has released a draft 2006-2012 Transportation Improvement Program; and
WHEREAS, the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee is expected to release the State draft as the draft 2006-2012 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program; and
WHEREAS, the Transportation Advisory Committee has request public comment on the draft Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program; and
WHEREAS, the Town Council has reviewed the draft Program;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council provides the Transportation Advisory Committee with the following comments and recommendations:
.
This the 9th day of May, 2005.