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Information Item <br />Memorandum <br />To: Michael Talbert, Interim County Manager <br />From: Craig N. Benedict, Planning Director <br />Subject: Eno Mountain Road / Mayo Street Relocation Feasibility Study <br />Date: June 17, 2014 <br />The Access Management Awareness Project & Report for Orange Grove Road, jointly <br />prepared and adopted by the Town of Hillsborough and Orange County in 2003, <br />focused on methods for a better functioning road corridor in the surrounding <br />Hillsborough area. The Plan included a recommendation that the Town and NCDOT <br />pursue the realignment of Eno Mountain Road to align with the intersection of Mayo <br />Street at Orange Grove Road to resolve traffic conflicts caused by the close proximity of <br />the intersections to two urban major thoroughfares with another urban major <br />thoroughfare. That intersection would potentially warrant a traffic light. Beyond potential <br />capacity constraints, the lack of operational improvements such as designated left and <br />right turn lanes with adequate stacking room or traffic signals at the intersections of Eno <br />Mountain Road and Mayo Street at Orange Grove Road acts as an impediment to traffic <br />flow at these two intersections and along the Eno Mountain Road /Orange Grove <br />Road /Mayo Street corridors. <br />Recent activities impacting the corridor and intersection include a development proposal <br />for a 4 -phase 118 -unit townhome development on a 23.67 -acre site on property located <br />at the intersection of Orange Grove Road and Eno Mountain Road. The property is <br />located in unincorporated Orange County, but within the Town of Hillsborough's <br />Extraterritorial Zoning Jurisdiction (ETJ). While the property is subject to Hillsborough's <br />development regulations, Orange County provided courtesy review of the site plan. <br />The road connection that has been prioritized in the Access Management Awareness <br />Project & Report for Orange Grove Road would realign these intersections and provide <br />operational modifications that would improve traffic flow and safety. No preferred <br />alignment for the project has been established but very broad preliminary feasibility <br />analytics indicate that the preferred approach may be to realign Eno Mountain Road <br />with Mayo Street as opposed to realigning Mayo Street with Eno Mountain Road. While <br />it is not likely for this project to be implemented in the very near future, planning and <br />potential reservation of right -of -way should be immediate. The traffic study prepared for <br />the proposed townhome development did not warrant improvements to be borne by the <br />developer. <br />The implementation of the project could have long -term impacts on site access from <br />Eno Mountain Road. The recommended road connection would provide a more direct <br />route to Eno Mountain Road, and could potentially serve as an important link in a future <br />