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~- aea- pad ~~. <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br />3~iS~:zos~ <br />76 <br />A RESOLUTION PROVIDING COMMENTS TO THE DURHAM-CHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO <br />TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE REGARDING THE <br />DRAFT 2012 -2018 METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM <br />WHEREAS, Orange County, as a member of the DCHC MPO, has participated in the <br />development of the Durham-Chapel Hill- Carrboro (DCHC) Metropolitan Priority List for the <br />State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP); and <br />WHEREAS, the North Carolina Department of Transportation has revised its process <br />for developing the State TIP to be more transparent, and has released the 2011-2020 Work <br />Program containing a Draft 2012 - 2018 STIP for public comment; and <br />WHEREAS, the DCHC MPO Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) is charged <br />with the development of the Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program (MTIP) to be <br />included in the STIP, and has released the draft MTIP for public comment; and <br />WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners has reviewed the Draft 2012-2018 <br />DCHC Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program; <br />NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Orange County Board of <br />Commissioners that Orange County submits the following comments to the DCHC <br />Transportation Advisory Committee to be considered in the development of the final 2012- <br />2018 DCHC Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program: <br />1. TIP Project E-4980, pedestrian bridge on Orange Grove Road over I-40' Orange County <br />urges DOT to fund the construction of the pedestrian bridge in the 2011-2020 <br />Transportation Improvement Plan. This pedestrian bridge is the central element in the <br />Safe Routes to School plan for Grady A. Brown Elementary School and for Cedar Ridge <br />High School. Without the bridge, the SRTS plan cannot move forward. <br />We also recommend that the project be modified to include a short stretch of sidewalk on <br />the north side of the bridge extending from the bridge to Timbers Avenue. This stretch is <br />only 0.14 mile long, but when it is in place, it will provide connectivity from the bridge to <br />three high-density neighborhoods: Patriot's Point, Colonial Estates, and the Timbers. To <br />improve the pedestrian access to the south of the bridge, the Orange County School <br />System has committed to constructing a safe and comfortable path from the pedestrian <br />bridge to the Cedar Ridge entrance. In phase II of the SRTS project implementation, we <br />plan to apply for funding to construct a crosswalk from the Cedar Ridge campus to Grady <br />Brown, thereby completing the connectivity. <br />This project will benefit many students and families. The Orange County school system <br />estimates that over 126 high school students live within one mile of Cedar Ridge (2010 <br />estimation). Most of these students live in the high-density Timbers, Patriot's Pointe, and <br />Colonial Estates neighborhoods. The school system estimates that 136 Grady Brown <br />Elementary students live in the same area. Safe walking routes will allow students (and <br />families) to walk to school and to school-based activities such as sporting events and the <br />