Agenda - 02-28-2000 - C2 - Laserfiche WebLink

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48 The functional classification of a road is a vital element in planning a safe and operational highway network. The functional classification of a road may be used as a decisive tool in determining design standards for roads; the priority of road improvements; the need for dedication of rights-of-way; the need for on-site and off-site highway improvements due to subdivision and land development activities; the appropriateness of the location and intensity of land development; or the need for access management. A functional classification system tailored to Orange County's road network serves the following purposes: a) provides road classifications that are easily understood and vi$ually distinct; b) insures uniform criteria for design of roads serving similar populations and purposes within Orange Coutny's jurisdiction, and c) insures compatibility with the NCDOTs Thoroughfare Classifications and the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) guidelines titled Highway Functional Classification: Concepts, Criteria and Procedures; and d) provides mechanism for limiting access onto major roads and requiring measures that preserve the existing character of rural areas during subdivision and land development. The functional classification elements in this document do not have to be identical to those of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) or those of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) as long as the function of each element is defined consistent with the function of corresponding elements in NCDOT or FHWA classification systems. NCDOT thoroughfare classifications are not consistent with FHWA functional classifications; NCDOT maintains a copy of the FHWA functional classifications for use in determining eligibility for federal funding in financing highway improvements. The functional classifications assigned by NCDOT consider each element as either urban or rural. Urban transportation planning boundaries used by the State do not coincide with Orange County's land use planning boundaries. Some of the roads classified by NCDOT extend outside the extra-territorial planning jurisdiction and/or municipal boundaries of the towns by means of urban thoroughfare plans. Table 1. lists a comparison of Orange County's classifications with functional classifications of the 1994 amendments to the Transportation Element which were based on the NCDOT prepared Thoroughfare Plan for Orange County. The functional classification criteria characteristic of Orange County's road network is based on fundamental principles of each functional class as outlined by state and federal authorities, municipal populations served by the road system (origin/destination populations), and typical trip lengths. F:t PLANNING\KLINCOLN\compplan\transele.doc\2-10-0012-15-00