RES-2011-027 Resolution Providing Comments to DCHC Transportation Advisory Committee Regarding Draft 2012-2018 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program

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- To bring to the attention of the NCDOT Staff Biologist, the proposed construction of a wildlife corridor under I-85 in the vicinity of US70 Interchange, as recommended in the "The New Hope Corridor Open Space Master Plan: Proposals for Linking Duke Forest and Eno River State Park"; and - To provide a pedestrian trail under I-85 linking New Hope Creek and the Eno River (New Hope Rustic Woodland Trail proposed as an element of the Lands Legacy Program). 5. Projects to alleviate conaestion in downtown Hillsborouah Orange County requests that studies be programmed for projects to alleviate congestion in downtown Hillsborough, now that the Elizabeth Brady Road Extension project has been canceled. These projects include: • R-2825, South Churton Street improvements from I-40 to the Eno River; • U-3436, Realignment of the Eno Mountain and Mayo Street intersections with Orange Grove Road; • Anew project to extend Orange Grove Street to US 70 A; and • Anew project to widen NC 86 from US 70 Bypass to NC 57 with intersection improvements at US 70. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS 6. Orange County recognizes the importance of the I-85 widening project to economic development in the central portion of the County, and urges NCDOT to accelerate, if possible, Project I-0305A, widening I-85 from I-40 to west of SR 1709 (Lawrence Road) with reconstruction of the interchanges at Old NC 86 and at NC 86. 7. Additionally, the County supports acceleration and phasing of Project I-3306A, widening I- 40 from I-85 to the Durham County Line, with Phase A being both eastbound and westbound segments from the Durham County Line to NC 86 and Phase C being the remainder of the project from NC 86 to I-85. 8. The County also recognizes the importance to economic development of improvements to Buckhorn Road, scheduled for reprioritization in 2012. Orange County urges the NCDOT and the MPO to give due consideration to the need for those improvements in the 2014- 2020 STIP and MTIP. This project ranked 13th in the SPOT process for the Triangle Area Rural Planning Organization. 9. The County requests that its highly ranked projects submitted through the Triangle Area Rural Planning Organization that are in areas added in 2010 to the Durham-Chapel Hill- Carrboro Metropolitan Area Boundary are not overlooked. The County requests that such projects that are not programmed in the Draft STIP or MTIP be added to the list of projects submitted for prioritization in the 2014-2020 MTIP.