Agenda - 02-19-2009 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Town of V. to MEMORANDUM To: Mayor Tom Stevens and Hillsborough Town Commissioners Chair Valerie Foushee and Orange County Board of Commissioners From: Margaret A. Hauth, AICP, Planning Director Date: February 11, 2009 RE: Transportation Priorities and Potential Request to NCDOT to Substitute a List of Road Projects in Place of Elizabeth Brady Road The extension of Elizabeth Brady Road has been a long standing priority for the Town of Hillsborough. We have been waiting in excess of two years for the release of the draft Environmental Impact Statement on the three potential alignments that the Department of Transportation is studying(map attached). In late 2008, the Town received word from NCDOT staff that the Federal Highway Administration had concerns that the options being studied for Elizabeth Brady Road did not adequately address the Statement of Purpose and Need for the project (see below). One option for the town was to cease consideration of the Brady project and look at other projects that might address the traffic issues. The town's interest was maintaining the funding already allocated to Brady and trying to maintain the timeframe for on the ground improvements. Federal Highway Administration is reconsidering their position and considering other performance measures to demonstrate the improvements anticipated with the Brady project rather that a strict "improvement in level of service." Improving the level of service would imply moving from an F to a D or a C to a B which is not anticipated with the improvements planned. The Statement of Purpose and Need for the Elizabeth Brady Road extension is: 1. Reduce traffic congestion and improve level of service in the central business district of the town of Hillsborough, including Churton St and St Mary's Rd, and 2. Improve traffic safety along Churton Street and NC 86 The Town is pursuing a"swap"of projects with NCDOT. That is to say, investigating whether the Brady Road funding could be shifted to a package of projects(some identified and some not) that address congestion issues in Hillsborough without losing significant time in the funding allocation. The MPO has indicated interest in supporting the Town on this effort as it reinforces the local control and priority setting that the MPO supports.