Agenda - 11-15-2011 - 9a - Laserfiche WebLink

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5 5. How does the model assume the light rail cost to include the most expensive alignment (Meadowmont) and how much lower would the rail investment cost be if the Hillmont alignment were chosen? Wherever possible, to be fiscally conservative, financial modelling for the Orange County plan has always assumed the more expensive of two cost options where options exist. As the alignments are presently designed, the Meadowmont (C1) alignment costs approximately $40 million more to build than the Hillmont (C2) alignment. However, since the completion of these cost estimates, new analysis from the NC 54 study by the DCHC-MPO suggests that in the future, a double or triple-left turn lane from Barbee Chapel Rd onto NC 54 heading west towards UNC will be needed to handle morning rush hour traffic even if the rail is built. With this recommendation on the highway side, there is a high likelihood of needing to change the Hillmont design from an at-grade crossing of Barbee Chapel to an elevated crossing ,which will likely cost enough to make the Hillmont alternative almost identical to the Meadowmont alternative cost. 6. Provide a spreadsheet showing Durham's bus plan and how it lines up with the regional bus plan on the Orange County plan. The bus element of the Durham County Bus and Rail Investment Plan is attached to this document as Exhibit C. It can be compared to Exhibit A to show which services are listed in both plans. The Durham plan has been ratified by the DCHC MPO, Durham County Commission, and Triangle Transit Board of Trustees; the Orange bus plan is still in a draft form. 7. What permits and rights of wav will need to be obtained to implement the light rail and bus rapid transit. This question cannot be answered with any accuracy until a certain level of design is complete, roughly the 30% design level. The question of the C1 versus C2 alignment is still under discussion for the Locally Preferred Alternative( LPA), and it is not uncommon for station sites to move anywhere between zero and a few hundred feet during the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Preliminary Engineering (PE) process. The PE/EIS processes happen concurrently and can take anywhere from 1.5 to 3.5 years to complete. 8. How and when will state and federal monies be requested? Federal and state funds for bus operations will be requested and provided through existing formula programs such as the Federal 5307 funds program and the State SMAP funding process. Federal and State shares of large capital projects, such as light rail, will be applied for via processes mandated by the appropriate level of government. For the Federal government, this process is the New Starts Program managed by the Federal Transit Administration. Triangle Transit plans to submit a federal New Starts application for the Durham-Orange corridor in August 2012. While acceptance into the New Starts program and a signal from the federal government that the corridor is approved to enter preliminary engineering is NOT a guarantee of