AGENDA #4n
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: 2006-2012 Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program
DATE: October 10, 2005
This memorandum reviews the status of the 2006-2012 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program. The attached resolution would provide the Transportation Advisory Committee with recommendations on changes to the 2006-2012 Metropolitan Program.
BACKGROUND
On September 29, 2005, the North Carolina Department of Transportation informed the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization that they were unable to approve the 2006-2012 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program. The Department of Transportation identified several projects in the first three years of the Program that differed from the adopted State Transportation Improvement Program.
Without State approval of the Transportation Improvement Program no federal transportation grants, including funding for public transit capital and operating assistance can be approved after October 1, 2005.
On October 4, 2005, staff from the Metropolitan Planning Organization and the North Carolina Department of Transportation met to review the differences between the State and Metropolitan Program. The State indicated that they were most concerned with differences in projects scheduled to be undertaken in the first three years of the Program, fiscal years 2006-2008.
DISCUSSION
The Department of Transportation staff identified the following Chapel Hill projects in their list of differences between the State and Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program.
South Columbia Street: The 2006-2012 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program includes funding for right-of-way in 2006 and construction in 2008. The State Program includes right-of-way purchase in 2007 and construction in 2009. The State maintains that right-of-way purchase cannot be undertaken in 2006 and will take 12-18 months to complete. They believe construction cannot be initiated until 2009.
Comment: We understand that planning for right-of-way purchase has not been finalized and construction cannot proceed until that process is completed. It is unclear why the State has not completed work on the public hearing map and other related activities. We believe the State schedule is now the best estimate for proceeding with this project based on the facts as we understand them. However, we also believe that the Council should seek State commitment to a firm schedule for right-of-way purchase and construction.
Traffic Signal System: The 2006-2012 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program includes funding for construction in 2008. The State Program includes no funding for this project.
Comment: We believe that funding for this project may be included in the 2007-2013 Transportation Improvement Program. The State has indicated that they would not object to the inclusion of funding for this project in the Metropolitan Transportation Plan in FY 2009. We recommend the Program be revised to include the project in FY 2009 and that we continue to seek earlier funding through negotiations with the State.
Seawell School Road: The 2006-2012 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program includes funding for construction of bicycle and pedestrian improvement in 2007. The State Program does not include pedestrian improvements in the project description.
Comment: Both Chapel Hill and Carrboro have consistently requested the inclusion of pedestrian facilities as part of the Seawell School Road project. We understand that the State has completed a feasibility study for this project. We have not received a copy of the feasibility study. Department of Transportation staff has indicated that they would be willing to discuss the addition of pedestrian facilities to this project. We recommend modifying the project description to remove pedestrian facilities and initiating further discussions with the Department of Transportation.
RECOMMENDATION
Manager’s Recommendation: That the Town Council adopt the attached resolution providing recommendations and comments to the Transportation Advisory Committee.