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3 <br /> B. EXISTING CONDITIONS .47 <br /> Description of the Road Network in the County <br /> Orange County has a relatively adequate road network. Major highways in Orange <br /> County are Interstate 85, Interstate 40, US 70, NC 54, NC49, NC 86, NC 157 and NC <br /> 57. In addition, a widespread state-maintained rural highway system provides access to <br /> those major corridors from the rural areas of the County. <br /> Interstate 40 and Interstate 85 are.the major inter-county corridors. The 1-40 corridor <br /> links Hillsborough and Chapel Hill with employment centers in Durham, Research <br /> Triangle Park and Raleigh to the east. The 1-85 corridor links Hillsborough with Durham <br /> to the east. 1-40 and 1-85 corridors converge at the southwestern periphery of <br /> Hillsborough to provide a link with Mebane and employment centers in the Triad <br /> (Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point) to the west. <br /> Major US aqd NC routes linking Orange County with surrounding areas also provide <br /> intra-county access and linkage to the rural areas of the County from the Towns of <br /> Hillsborough, Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Mebane which spills over into Orange County <br /> from Alamance County. NC 86 and NC 57 provide access from the northern rural areas <br /> to the Town of Hillsborough; US 70 links the Towns of Mebane and Hillsborough and <br /> the rural areas in between; NC 54 and NC 86 South link rural areas in the southern <br /> portion of the County with the Towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill. <br /> Orange County's Functional Classification Criteria <br /> Functional classification is the process by which streets and highways are grouped into <br /> classes, or systems, according to the type of service the roads are intended to provide. <br /> Basic to this process is the recognition that individual roads and streets do not serve <br /> travel independently of each other. Rather, most travel involves movement through a <br /> network of roads. Functional classification defines the role that any particular road or <br /> street plays or should play in serving the flow of trips over a road network. <br /> The road network has a dual role in providing both (1) access to property, and (2) travel <br /> mobility. Access to a property is necessary at both ends of any trip. Mobility along the <br /> path of such trips can be provided at varying levels, usually referred to as "levels of <br /> service." Levels of service can incorporate a wide range of elements (e.g., riding <br /> comfort, travel time and freedom from speed changes), but the most basic element is <br /> operating speed. <br /> Not only is there a functional hierarchy of systems (with interstates at the highest level <br /> and local roads at the most basic level), but also a parallel hierarchy of travel distances <br /> served by those systems. This hierarchy of travel distances can be related logically to a <br /> desirable functional classification to meet access and mobility requirements. Local <br /> roads emphasize the land access function; arterials emphasize a high level of mobility <br /> for through movement; collectors offer a compromise between both functions. <br /> F:IPLANNI NG\KLINCOLN kompplan\transele.doc\2-10-00\2-15-00 <br />