Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
said that the OWASA board is not equal to elected officials. He agrees with Joal Hall Broun in <br />that OWASA needs to think seriously about what the elected boards are saying. <br />B. Transportation Issues <br />1) Update on Smith Level Road Project <br />Alex Zaffron said that there have been several developments since the memo in the <br />packet was published. <br />Karen Lincoln said that there were two projects -Smith Level Road and the <br />Homestead/High School Roads Sidewalk. These have become closely related financially. The <br />Smith Level Road project is a request from the Town of Carrboro far the design to be less than <br />the four lane divided highway that NCDOT had proposed. The previous discussion was that <br />DOT offered to do a lesser design for the road and that it would be removed as a Transportation <br />Improvement Program project. DOT proposed to put it on the Moving Ahead program, and <br />Carrboro would have to pay for the right-of-way for the cross-section far Smith Level Road as a <br />TIP project and utility relocation. There was another meeting with DOT to further discuss this, <br />and DOT said that it would consider the TIP project to be a three-lane cross-section for Smith <br />Level Road, but Carrboro would have to make a formal request to DOT, which would further <br />delay the project. The other option would be to use the Moving Ahead money. <br />2) HomesteadlHigh School Roads Sidewalk Development Update <br />Karen Lincoln said that when the committee met last summer, they thought the sidewalk <br />problem had been solved and that the funding had been resolved. The only things that had to <br />be worked out were the municipal agreements and the right-of-way maintenance agreements. <br />The County and the municipalities did this by December. However, somewhere along the way <br />the Public Transportation Division of DOT, which handles the Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities <br />money, were never pulled into the process or informed about it. <br />Alex Zaffron further explained the delays. It turns out that the real problem was that <br />people did not communicate within DOT. DOT did admit that it was their fault and that they <br />would try to fix it. On Tuesday, the Carrboro Board of Aldermen approved making a request to <br />DOT to proceed with the design for the three-lane crass-section. This frees up the Moving <br />Ahead funds. The board also formally requested that whatever funding is necessary far <br />roadway and pedestrian projects be shifted to the Homestead/High School Road project from <br />the Smith Level Road project. Now the other participating jurisdictions need to join Carrboro in <br />a resolution to shift the Moving Ahead funds to the HomesteadlHigh School Roads sidewalk <br />project. <br />Commissioner Gordan said that she, Jim Ward, and Alex Zaffron were at the last <br />Homestead Road Safety meeting. The County estimate for Smith Level Road Moving Ahead <br />funds is $1.3 million. For the Homestead Road project, the funds needed include $650,000 for <br />the sidewalk, and $100,000 far the signal. This would be $750,000 out of $1.3 million. She <br />thinks the jurisdictions should request that any money left over from the Homestead Road <br />project should be shifted to the Smith Level Road improvements for High Schaal #3. <br />Alex Zaffron said that the right-of-way acquisition figures for HomesteadlHigh School <br />have not been completed, so they want to have some "wiggle" room. <br />Commissioner Gordon asked what was decided about High School #3 in terms of Smith <br />Level Road and other road improvements. Alex Zaffron said that the CUP was left with some <br />flexibility in the language. The school system design team will be working with the DOT design <br />team. <br />Commissioner Gordan asked what the CHCCS and Board of County Commissioners are <br />going to have to pay for Smith Level Road improvements. Alex Zaffron said that in negotiations <br />