Agenda - 03-15-2011- 7b - Laserfiche WebLink

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Attachment 3 ORANGE COUNTY UNIFIED TRANSPORTATION BOARD COMMENTS REGARDING THE DRAFT 2011-2020TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM The OUTBoard supports greater funding for alternative modes for transportation, particularly for improvements that make bicycling safer on County roads. Funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects is insufficient for implementing viable bicycle networks. Many of Orange County's top priorities are bicycle/pedestrian projects. The OUTBoard submits the following comments regarding four particular projects: TIP Project E-4980, pedestrian bridge on Orange Grove Road over I-40: The The Orange Unified Transportation Board urges DOT to fund the construction of the pedestrian bridge in the 2011-2020 Transportation Improvement Plan. This pedestrian bridge is the central element in the Safe Routes to School plan for Grady A. Brown Elementary School and for Cedar Ridge High School. Without the bridge, the SRTS plan cannot move forward. We also recommend that the project be modified to include a short stretch of sidewalk on the north side of the bridge extending from the bridge to Timbers Avenue. This stretch is only 0.14 mile long, but when it is in place, it will provide connectivity from the bridge to three high-density neighborhoods: Patriot's Point, Colonial Estates, and the Timbers. To improve the pedestrian access to the south of the bridge, the Orange County School System has committed to constructing a safe and comfortable path from the pedestrian bridge to the Cedar Ridge entrance. In phase II of the SRTS project implementation, we plan to apply for funding to construct a crosswalk from the Cedar Ridge campus to Grady Brown, thereby completing the connectivity. This project will benefit many students and families. The Orange County school system estimates that over 126 high school students live within one mile of Cedar Ridge (2010 estimation). Most of these students live in the high-density Timbers, Patriot's Pointe, and Colonial Estates neighborhoods. The school system estimates that 136 Grady Brown Elementary students live in the same area. Safe walking routes will allow students (and families) to walk to school and to school-based activities such as sporting events and the completed routes will help the school system save transportation dollars through the reduction in hazard busing. 13 The pedestrian overpass is the central and essential component for safe routes to these schools. We urge you to move forward with this project.