AGENDA #5k

MEMORANDUM

TO: Mayor and Town Council

FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

SUBJECT: Draft 2002-2008 State Transportation Improvement Program

DATE: August 28, 2000

This information report summarizes the impact of the draft 2002-2008 State Transportation Improvement Program on Chapel Hill transportation projects. This memorandum is intended to provide the Council with an update on the status of the development of the 2002-2008 Transportation Improvement Program.

Once the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee completes the draft Metropolitan 2002-2008 Transportation Improvement Program we will prepare a follow-up report and ask the Council to schedule a public hearing in the fall.

BACKGROUND

On August 2, 2000 the North Carolina Board of Transportation released the draft 2002-2008 State Transportation Improvement Program. Attachment 1 is the portion of the draft State Program, that includes the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Urban Area. The draft State Program proposes a schedule for funding transportation projects throughout North Carolina. The draft State Program does not include public transit projects at this time.

In preparation for the development of the draft State 2002-2008 Transportation Improvement Program the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee prepared a regional Transportation Project Priority List for submission to the North Carolina Department of Transportation (Attachment 2). In November 1999 the Chapel Hill Town Council adopted a priority list for the Town (Attachment 3). That priority list was used by the Transportation Advisory Committee as it developed the regional Priority List. Please see attachment 4 for a summary chart of where we are in the Transportation Improvement Program development process.

DISCUSSION

Table 1 below provides a comparison of Chapel Hill projects between the adopted 2000-2006 State/Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program and the draft 2002-2008 State Transportation Improvement Program.

Table 1

Project	2000-2006 TIP	Draft 2002-2008 TIP

I-3306: I-40 widening, I-85 to NC147	NC147-US 15-501 included for construction 2002, 2003, 2004, $33.76 million US 15-501 – I-85 unfunded future year.	NC147-US 15-501 included for construction 2002, $58.60 million. US 15-501 – I-85 unfunded future year.
R-942: US 15-501 South Improvements	Construction 2000,2001,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005, $50.82 million	Construction 2001,2003, $60.69 million
U-2803 Smith Level Road	Construction 2004, $2.66 million	Construction 2004, $3.20 million
U-2805 Homestead Road	Construction 2004, $4.29 million	Construction 2005, $5.05 million
U-3306 Weaver Dairy Road	Construction 2004,2005, $13.34 million	Construction 2004,2005,2006 $11.05 million
U-624 South Columbia	Construction 2004, $3.43 million	Construction 2005, $3.05 million
U-2909 Estes Drive, NC86 to N. Greensboro Street	ROW 2006, construction post year, $6.50 million	ROW 2006, construction post 2008, $8.50 million
U-4008 Improvements at US 15-501/Erwin Rd. Intersection	Not identified as separate project, included with U-2807 US 15-501 corridor improvements	Separate project, construction 2002, $600,000.

The draft 2002-2008 State Transportation Improvement Program:

Delays construction for the South Columbia Street project from 2004 to 2005 and reduces the project budget. It is our understanding that right of way purchase, which is scheduled to begin in 2003, will require approximately 18 months to complete and the construction schedule has been revised accordingly. The reduction in project budget may reflect the revised scope of the project which includes bicycle and pedestrian improvements rather than roadway expansion.
Delays construction of the Homestead Road project from 2004 to 2005. It is our understanding that right of way purchase, which is scheduled to begin in 2003, will require approximately 18 months to complete and the construction schedule has been revised accordingly.
Extends the construction period by one year for the Weaver Dairy Road project and reduces the project budget. The reduction in the project budget is the result of the North Carolina Department of Transportation revising their policy to use actual construction estimates rather than construction estimates that reflected inflation.
Provides no construction funding for the Estes Drive improvement project, North Greensboro to Airport Road.
Accelerates the schedule and increases the budget for widening I-40, between US 15-501 and NC 147 (Durham Freeway).
Accelerates the schedule and increases the budget for the US 15-501 South widening project. This project is now proposed to be completed in 2003 rather than 2005
Proposes no new funding for bicycle or pedestrian projects in Chapel Hill.

PROCESS

The process for approving the 2002-2008 Transportation Improvement Program involves both the North Carolina Board of Transportation and the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization. Attachment 4 is a flow chart showing the process for developing the Transportation Improvement Program. Federal transportation regulations require that both the North Carolina Board of Transportation and the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee prepare draft transportation improvement programs and negotiate with each other to resolve any differences between the two programs.

A final transportation improvement program cannot be adopted until both the Metropolitan Program and State Program are identical. Both programs must include the same list of projects, with similar budgets and implementation schedules.

With the release of the draft State 2002-2008 Transportation Improvement Program, the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee has begun its review of the draft State Program. In the next several months, the Transportation Advisory Committee will prepare a draft Metropolitan 2002-2008 Transportation Improvement Program reflecting the priorities of the Urban Area. Once the draft Metropolitan Program is completed, the Transportation Advisory Committee and representatives from the Board of Transportation will begin negotiations to resolve any differences between the two Programs. A final State/Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program could then be considered for approval by the Board of Transportation and Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee.

NEXT STEPS

The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee will begin the process for the development of a 2002-2008 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program in September. At its August meeting, the Committee completed a preliminary review of the draft State Program and identified several projects for further discussion. These projects included South Columbia Street, Estes Drive, Homestead Road and Weaver Dairy Road in Chapel Hill.

We anticipate that the draft 2002-2008 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program will be completed by October or November, 2000. Once a draft 2002-2008 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program is completed, the Transportation Advisory Committee will open a public comment period on the draft Metropolitan Plan and begin negotiations with the State. We anticipate that the Council could schedule a public hearing in November, 2000 to receive public comment and approve recommendations to the Transportation Advisory Committee.

It is anticipated that the final State and Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program will be completed in February or March, 2001 at which time the Transportation Advisory Committee will approve the Metropolitan Program. The State Board of Transportation is expected to approve the State Program in May or June, 2001.

ATTACHMENTS

1. Draft 2002-2008 State Transportation Improvement Program Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization Local Supplement (p. 5)

2. 2002-2008 Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Regional Priority List (p. 14)

3. 2002-2008 Chapel Hill Priority List (p. 19)

4. Transportation Improvement Program Development Process (p. 21)