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AGENDA #4j MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor and Town Council FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager SUBJECT: Proposed Process for Creating Sidewalk and Bicycle Facilities Construction Plan for 2000-2001 DATE: June 12, 2000 The attached resolution would authorize a proposed process to create a sidewalk and bicycle facilities construction plan for fiscal year 2000-2001. INTRODUCTION This memorandum proposes a process to create a sidewalk and bicycle facilities construction plan for 2000-2001, and provides an update on the status of the Town’s sidewalk construction program. We estimate approximately $250,000 will be available for new projects as of July 1 in Fiscal Year 2000-2001. (Please see Attachment 1.) BACKGROUND A chronology of recent actions regarding sidewalks is attached (Attachment 2). On July 7, 1999, the Council approved funding for the Town's sidewalk construction crew to construct the following projects: · High School Road, between Seawell School Road and Homestead Road. · Weaver Dairy Road, meandering asphalt path from Kingston Drive to Cedar Fork Trail. NEW PROCESS The new Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board began work in July 1999 to provide focus on bicycle and pedestrian issues, in general, and to serve as a central clearing house for pedestrian and bicycle issues in order to coordinate sidewalk and bikeway facilities planning. This new Board is charged with recommending walk and bikeway priorities for Local, State, and Federal projects. We recommend that the Council direct staff to work with the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board to:
The Board could incorporate the types of pedestrian and bicycle levels of service performance measures outlined in the recently adopted Comprehensive Plan. We recommend that the Council ask the Board to report to the Council by August 28, 2000. A Public Forum could be scheduled in September 2000 to receive public input on their recommendations. The Council could then refer the Board's recommendations and public input to the Manager for preparation of a final recommended plan. SIDEWALKS UPDATE Using the Town's sidewalk construction crew, the Town will have completed construction of the following sidewalk projects during the 1999-2000 fiscal year: · Piney Mountain Road, at intersection of Eastwood Drive; · Old Oxford Road, between Elliott Road and the Oxford Hills Subdivision; · Roberson Street, sections along a 100-foot stretch between Cameron Avenue and West Franklin Street; · Willow Drive, between Fordham Boulevard and Booker Creek Bridge; and · Longview Drive, between Clark Road and Airport Road. The following project was completed by contract during the 1999-2000 fiscal year: · Kingston Drive, between Cedar Lane and Kingston Court; The following projects are in progress: Raleigh Road/Cameron Avenue Final construction plans have been approved by North Carolina Department of Transportation. These projects are being designed and managed in-house. Bids on the project have been received, and the Council will consider awarding the contract at its meeting on June 26, 2000. Weaver Dairy Road The Weaver Dairy Road project to construct a meandering 5-foot wide asphalt path between Kingston Drive and Cedar Fork Trail is in design. Preliminary designs have been sent to the North Carolina Department of Transportation. We expect that the project will open for bids in Fall 2000. High School Road The Town is developing construction plans for approval by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Construction of the sidewalk by the Town's sidewalk crew is anticipated to begin this Fall. BIKEWAYS UPDATE The Lower Booker Creek project is moving forward. This 10-foot wide asphalt trail is proposed to extend from Booker Creek road to Franklin Street. Phase I of the project is being built now in conjunction with OWASA's sewer replacement. Bids were received for Phase II in June 2000 and will include the main trail, a pedestrian crossing at Franklin Street, and sidewalks. The Council will consider awarding the contract for this project at its meeting on June 12, 2000. FUNDING Potentially, there is $250,000 available in funds for sidewalk and bikeway projects for the 2000-2001 fiscal year beginning July 1. (Please see Attachment 1 for chart summarizing available funding.) The next scheduled opportunity to add funding to the sidewalk/bikeway program will be as part of the 2001-02 Capital Improvements Program. Capital Improvements Program: The Town Council has allocated funds each year in the Capital Improvements Program for installing new, or improving existing sidewalks, and for bicycle improvements. The Proposed 2000-2001 Capital Improvements Program allocates $100,000 for sidewalk and bicycle projects, and we estimate $50,000 will be available in reappropriations. 1996 Bonds: $100,000 will be available from the second allocation of this bond fund during this next fiscal year. SIDEWALK CONSTRUCTION CREW In FY 1998-99, the Town's sidewalk construction crew was expanded by three positions. This enhanced our ability to construct sidewalk, curb and gutter and streetscape improvements at lower construction costs. For fiscal year 2000-2001, we estimate the existing Town crew can complete approximately 3800 linear feet of sidewalks with curb and gutter and 500 linear feet of streetscape improvements. The Town's sidewalk construction crew is anticipated to begin work this fall on the High School Road project (2400 linear feet of sidewalk and base preparation for contract curb/gutter). This project will be carried over from the 1999-2000 construction plan year, leaving 1400 linear feet of either sidewalk or curb/gutter improvements, excluding streetscape, unassigned. Under State Law the Town can build projects with its own work force as long as the entire cost of the project does not exceed $125,000, or the cost of labor alone does not exceed $75,000. We have requested a local bill from the General Assembly that would increase these amounts to $175,000 and $75,000. Additional sidewalk construction could be contracted out, as long as project funds are available. From now until the fall, the crew will work on streetscape projects. SIDEWALK AND BICYCLE FACILITY PRIORITIES The Council adopted the attached ranking system for sidewalk projects in July 1999 (Attachment 3) which is based on points assigned to a number of factors including existing conditions, assessment of needs, safety factors, and other issues. Points are assigned to each project on the list. Projects were then ranked according to their score. The ranking process helps to identify sidewalk/bikeway projects. In addition to ranked criteria, in past years the Council also has considered sidewalk projects in light of the following principles (although no specific points were assigned): · Significant safety issues; · Recognition of community wide needs in concert with fiscal constraints; · Reasonableness of costs compared to benefit attained; · Efficient coordination of resources when other construction projects are underway; · Consideration of prior commitments; · Contributions of funds from an outside source to help defray costs; and · Distribution of funding throughout the town. Currently, the Town does not have a ranking system for prioritizing bicycle projects. The existing list of sidewalk projects to be evaluated for construction is attached (Attachment 4). These sidewalk projects include: · projects that have been previously approved by the Council; · projects listed as alternatives in prior year Capital Improvements Program’s; · projects suggested by the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board; · projects requested by citizens; and · projects suggested by staff based on observed needs. Citizen requests received for sidewalk projects since July 1999 are also attached. (Please see Attachment 5). RECOMMENDATION Manager’s Recommendation: We recommend that the Council adopt the process outlined here to create a sidewalk and bicycle facilities construction plan for fiscal year 2000-2001. We also recommend that the Council refer this item to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board to return with recommendations at the Council's August 28, 2000 meeting. ATTACHMENTS 1. Funding Summary. (p. 6) 2. Chronology of Recent Actions regarding Sidewalks.(p. 8) 3. Sidewalk Ranking System (July 1999) (p. 10) 4. List of Sidewalk Projects to be Evaluated for Construction. (p. 12) 5. Letters from citizens requesting sidewalk projects. (p. 14)
A RESOLUTION DIRECTING THAT TOWN BEGIN THE PROCESS TO EVALUATE POSSIBLE SIDEWALK AND BICYCLE PROJECTS (2000-06-12/R-11) WHEREAS, the Council created the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board in order to provide focus on bicycle and pedestrian issues; and WHEREAS, the Council recently adopted a revised Comprehensive Plan which suggests new measures for pedestrian and bicycle levels of service; and WHEREAS, the Council would like input into the process to prioritize and choose sidewalk and bicycle projects. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board:
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Council that the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board is directed to report back to the Council by August 28, 2000, and that a Public Forum is to be scheduled in September 2000, to receive public input on their recommendations. This the 12th day of June, 2000. |