PH ORD-1997-043 Orange County Functional Road Classification Comprehensive Plan and Ordinance Amendment

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. PAGE TO BE REMOVED FROM SECTION 2.6 ',')F COMP PLAN 07 COUNTY-SPECIFIC ROAD CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM Policy Issues Roads can be classified by the function they serve in the total road network. This classification takes into consideration the existing conditions as well as the planned future function. Some roads are more important in terms of carrying major traffic volumes or in making connections between major destinations, while other roads have a primary value in providing access to adjacent property. In general, there is an inverse relationship between the traffic- carrying function and the land-access function; i.e. , a four-lane road's primary function would be to move traffic, while the function of a two-lane road in a subdivision would be to serve the abutting land with frequent driveways. The extreme for each case would be an Interstate freeway for the function of moving traffic and a short, narrow, residential cul-de-sac for the function o_ land access. with the exception of an Interstate freeway, all roads provide each function to varying degrees. Data Collection There are certain roadway characteristics that are related to a properly designed and classified road. To aid in developing the functional classification for Orange County, the following roadway characteristics were inventoried for every public road in the County, outside of the urbanized planning boundaries: length, type of surface, number of lanes, road width, shoulder width, right-of-way width, type of adjacent land use, extent of development, speed limit, traffic control, roadway alignment, and traffic volumes. This inventory was collected by the County and, if maintained, will provide a thorough and accurate data base for further planning and programming. To assist in data collection, analysis, and classification of the road network, orange County contracted with the consulting firm of Rimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. of Raleigh, N.C. Rimley-Horn obtained mapping of public roads within the county and NCDOT roadway inventory printouts, developed a spreadsheet format for recording the data, and conducted a data collection training program with members of the Comprehensive Division of the Orange County Planning Department. Comprehensive Planning staff input. the data from the maps and printouts, as well as data observed and checked in the field. This data file originally included only that portion of the county outside of urban thoroughfare planning t;oundaries, i.e. , the study areas for Durham-Chapel. Hill-Carrboro, Hillsborough, and Mebane/Alamance County. The data file was lateir' expanded to include 1 the area within the Hillsborough study area but outside the city's extraterritorial planning jurisdiction (ETJ) . 2.6-3