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17 <br /> 1 VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br /> 2 <br /> 3 d. NC 5411-40 Corridor Study <br /> 4 The Board provided comments to Durham—Chapel Hill—Carrboro Metropolitan <br /> 5 Planning Organization on the NC54/1-40 Corridor Study. <br /> 6 Planning Director Craig Benedict gave an overview of this item. He said that tonight's <br /> 7 goal is to send comments to the DCHC- MPO. <br /> 8 <br /> 9 BACKGROUND: The BOCC heard a presentation on the NC 5411-40 Corridor Study at its <br /> 10 February 21, 2012 meeting. <br /> 11 <br /> 12 What is the purpose of the study? <br /> 13 The purpose of the study is to analyze short-term and long-term land use issues and multi- <br /> 14 modal transportation problems, evaluate opportunities and challenges, and recommend short <br /> 15 and long-range land use and transportation solutions and strategies along the corridor. <br /> 16 <br /> 17 Why is this study important? <br /> 18 The NC 54 corridor serves as one of the major gateways between Chapel Hill and southwest <br /> 19 Durham, and its interchange with 1-40 has consistently ranked as one of the top congested <br /> 20 locations in the region. Development pressures within the corridor coupled with mobility and <br /> 21 capacity issues have illuminated the concern that the existing and planned transportation <br /> 22 infrastructure in this area is insufficient to accommodate growth and to address land use and <br /> 23 transportation problems. Short and long-range solutions are needed to preserve this important <br /> 24 corridor. <br /> 25 <br /> 26 What are the study objectives? <br /> 27 The vision of the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC <br /> 28 MPO) is to develop and implement transportation plans that are multimodal and that fully <br /> 29 integrate land use and transportation issues. To achieve this vision this study will: <br /> 30 - Clearly define a realistic blueprint" for an integrated growth and mobility strategy for <br /> 31 the corridor <br /> 32 - Establish a development framework that strengthens multimodal travel options and <br /> 33 reduces vehicle miles of travel <br /> 34 - Improve operations, safety, and travel time <br /> 35 - Categorize strategies into near, mid-term, and long-term phases <br /> 36 <br /> 37 How much will the study cost and who is paving for it? <br /> 38 The total cost for the study is $349,977, with 80% of the funding coming from Federal <br /> 39 transportation planning funds and the remaining 20% funded jointly by the City of Durham, <br /> 40 Durham County, and the Town of Chapel Hill. <br /> 41 <br /> 42 The Table of Contents (Attachment 1) and Executive Summary (Attachment 2) from the <br /> 43 Corridor Study are provided. The complete NC 54/1-40 Corridor Study is 169 pages and can be <br /> 44 reviewed online: http://www.nc54-i4Ocorridorstudy.com/DraftReport.html <br /> 45 <br /> 46 IMPLICATIONS: <br /> 47 This study creates a short and long-term transportation framework for the corridor where a <br /> 48 segment of light rail (LRT) is being proposed, future roadway widening, and mention of <br /> 49 premium Bus Rapid Transit (BRT-H). Since these are all major transit investments, decisions <br /> 50 should consider the complementary and/or supplementary nature of these transportation <br />