AGENDA #7
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Response to Petition Regarding Traffic Congestion on the Fordham Boulevard (US 15/501) Corridor
DATE: May 13, 2002
This report responds to a petition (Attachment #1) from a Council member regarding traffic congestion on the Fordham Boulevard (US 15/501) corridor in the northeastern part of Chapel Hill. Attachment #2 is a vicinity map of this area of town.
Information is provided regarding completed studies and proposed improvement projects on Fordham Boulevard (US 15/501) intended to address and potentially mitigate traffic congestion. In conjunction with this report, State staff will make a presentation to the Council regarding the proposed Superstreet improvement project at the Fordham Boulevard/Erwin Road/Europa Drive intersection.
At the February 11, 2002 Town Council meeting, a Council member petitioned the Council regarding traffic congestion on the Fordham Boulevard (US 15/501) corridor in the northeastern part of Chapel Hill with focus on the segment between Ephesus Church Road and I-40. The petitioner expressed concerns that no projects intended to reduce the congestion on this corridor segment, other than the Superstreet project, were proposed or funded in the State Transportation Improvement Program. The petition also noted that the Planning Board had adopted a resolution recommending an examination of traffic problems on Fordham Boulevard from the Ephesus Church Road intersection east to I-40, but that the Council had taken no action in response to that resolution.
The petition proposed that the Council hold a work session on the above issues, including discussion of the Superstreet project planned as part of the corridor traffic congestion solution. The Council decided not to hold a separate work session, but directed the Manager to prepare a report responding to the petition for presentation at a regular Council meeting.
DISCUSSION
The Fordham Boulevard (US 15/501) corridor has been the subject of studies by the Town and the State during the past decade. For example, joint study of the Erwin Road/Europa Drive/Fordham Boulevard intersection area by the Town and State resulted in the Superstreet proposal to mitigate traffic congestion. We have provided below a summary of studies and improvement projects associated with the Fordham Boulevard corridor.
Studies Conducted
1993-94 US 15/501 Corridor Transportation Master Plan: In 1993-1994, the City of Durham, the Town of Chapel Hill, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and private property owners in the US 15/501 corridor jointly participated in a corridor study for the section of US 15/501 from Franklin Street in Chapel Hill to the US 15/501 Bypass in Durham. The study focused on developing a Corridor Master Plan that identified anticipated congestion problems and provided recommendations for improving mobility along the corridor. The recommendations were multi-modal in scope and were intended to initiate a planning process culminating in implementation of a fully multi-modal network of improvements. Those recommendations included proposals to:
Ø Upgrade US 15/501 to a controlled access facility (urban freeway);
Ø Preserve right-of-way for alternative mode (transit) improvements along the corridor;
Ø Implement various Transportation Demand Management (TDM) strategies and Transportation Overlay Zone; and
Ø Circulator roadway system
The findings of this corridor study were supplemented by analyses conducted as part of the Triangle Fixed Guideway Study sponsored by the Triangle Transit Authority. The results of these studies prompted the need for additional analysis through a phased Major Investment Study and Environmental Analysis.
Phase I Major Investment Study (MIS): The US 15/501 Phase I MIS, completed in November of 1998, recommended that the following alternatives to be considered for future study:
Ø No-Build Alternative;
Ø TDM Strategies such as bus preferential treatment (i.e., signal pre-emption), pricing programs to reduce fares such as employee subsidies, overall increased bus service, and employed based strategies including staggered work hours and telecommuting;
Ø Enhanced bus service;
Ø Widening US 15/501 at-grade from Franklin Street in Chapel Hill to I-40 to 8 lanes, and upgrading US 15/501 to a 6-lane freeway from I-40 to US 15/501 Business in Durham;
Ø Construction of “circulation roads” at the US 15/501 and I-40 interchange to provide some congestion relief on 15/501 itself by providing alternative routes for local trips;
Ø HOV Lanes within the US 15/501 Corridor; and
Ø Pedestrian and Bicycle facility improvements including a sidewalk and dedicated bicycle lanes along Old-Durham Chapel Hill Road from US 15/501 in Chapel Hill to University Drive in Durham.
Phase II Major Investment Study (MIS): Phase II MIS was completed in December 2001 and the study focused on public transportation alternatives for this corridor.
Existing TransportATion Improvement Program (TIP) Projects
1. US 15/501 and Erwin Road Improvements (Superstreet Project) TIP Project U-4008.
Cost: $2,050,000, Construction: April 2004): Details of this project are summarized in Attachment #3. State staff will present information at tonight’s Council meeting regarding the proposed Superstreet Project, including traffic volume and level of service projections for the corridor. This project is currently funded in the State TIP.
2. US 15/501, Franklin Street in Chapel Hill to US 15/501 Bypass in Durham, Major Corridor Upgrade (TIP Project U-2807): A Major Transportation Investment Study has been completed for this project which would include major corridor upgrades with bike lanes. This project is not currently funded in the State TIP.
3. US 15/501 Widening in Durham (TIP Project U-4012): This project would install additional north and southbound lanes from Mt. Mariah Road in Durham to Garrett Road in Durham, and an additional right turn lane in the northeast quadrant of the I-40 interchange. This project is currently funded in the State TIP.
4. Improvements at US 15/501 and Eastowne Drive/Lakeview Drive in Chapel Hill: This project would include a left turn lane in the median of the eastbound approach of US 15/501 at Lakeview Drive in Chapel Hill. The project is currently funded through the State Spot Safety Improvement Program.
Conclusion
This report and the presentation by State staff at tonight’s meeting provide all of the information we currently have available regarding studies and improvement projects intended to improve traffic conditions and reduce congestion on Fordham Boulevard (US15/501) in the northeastern part of Chapel Hill.
If the Council desires further study of this corridor, we believe that such a study would need to be initiated through the Durham/Chapel Hill/Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization for funding through the State Transportation Improvement Program.
1. Petition (p. 4).
2. Area Map (p. 5).
3. Memo from NCDOT Regarding Superstreet Project (p. 6).