Agenda - 02-23-2012 - Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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Churton Street is many things to the Town of Hillsborough and its residents and visitors. It's the Town's "Main Street," a conduit to one of the state's historic and cultural gems, and a north- south access road to residential neighborhoods in the downtown core. And, despite the efforts of state and local planners, it's a cut - through for regional traffic including heavy trucks. Previous plans focused on rerouting traffic around town with significant cost, environmental obstacles, and likely negative impacts to downtown merchants. Recently, the Elizabeth Brady Road Extension project (Hillsborough Bypass) was eliminated from the Durham - Chapel Hill- Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC -MPO) 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan at the request of the Town of Hillsborough. Instead, the Town and DCHC -MPO turned their attention to a series of projects to address anticipated long -term congestion along Churton Street. These projects include: • South Churton Street widening • Eno Mountain Road /Mayo Street re- alignment and safety improvements. • NC 86 widening between US 70-A and Old NC io • NC 86 widening from US 7o Bypass to Coleman Loop Road • Orange Grove Road Extension to US yo Alternate For the most part, these projects are long -term unfunded solutions and cannot be expected to address existing congestion. As a result, the Town shifted its focus to analyzing existing and near- term congestion within the Churton Street corridor and identifying immediate and short- term solutions for mobility. The Town of Hillsborough with support from the DCHC -MPO initiated the Hillsborough Downtown Access Study to answer the following questions: PROJECT WORKBOOK • What cost effective solutions will improve traffic downtown, not necessarily to speed people through town but rather to make a "slow" trip enjoyable? • Can improvements at intersections (e.g. turn signals, longer or new turn lanes) improve traffic flow? • What traffic calming measures could protect or enhance the walkability of downtown? • What are the impacts— positive and negative —if on- street parking along Churton Street was removed to provide wider sidewalks for outside dining? • How can we accommodate the need for loading zones without compromising other goals or desires? • What other behavior or built improvements, including bicycle, pedestrian, transit, and streetscaping, can we make to reduce congestion, improve safety, and enhance the downtown experience? • How can improvements be phased or prioritized? In general, the Hillsborough Downtown Access Study outlines a plan for Churton Street that places concept design -level detail toward answering to these questions. Previous planning efforts have established the need for an approach that balances mobility, safety, aesthetics, and corridor vitality. To a degree, the study embraces the framework of Context Sensitive Solutions, which encourages roadway design decisions to address to the context through which the roadway passes. Thus, three distinct context zones appear, each of which require unique design treatments. As detailed in the recommendations of this plan, a one size fits all approach is not the right strategy. Chapter 1 1 Y tr ti on,& , ,i® _�. ci r • • The Hillsborough Downtown Access Study empowers the Town to evaluate coordinated planning concepts explored in previous plans and develop design solutions for the corridor that balance the sometimes competing interests of local access, mobility, safety, vitality, and quality of life. Early in the planning process, the project's Guiding Principles were developed by the staff -level Advisory Committee to summarize the core philosophy that guides the Hillsborough Downtown Access Study: . Improve circulation and mobility for local traffic. • Use innovative ideas and toolsfor potential solutions. • Enhance walkability through design applications. • Implement access management where appropriate. • Advocate streetscape improvements that enhance downtown vitality, pedestrian comfort, and historic integrity. • Protect the viewshed to historic properties. • Identify policy and regulatory recommendations to complement physical improvements. • Establish recommendations that are functional and implementable. The Town realizes the trade -offs associated with not supporting a bypass — higher congestion. However, it is here that the focus of the study lies. What can we do to offset traffic congestion or at least mitigate it to acceptable levels? An acceptable level for the purpose of this study is a corridor that is safe for all users, promotes walkability, accentuates the historic character of the core, enhances the aesthetic appeal of the area, and encourages economic vitality. bw_ Kimley -Horn and Associates, Inc. n CD .—r