Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
INTRODUCTION <br /> In order to qualify for funds administered by the North Carolina Department of Transportation <br /> (NCDOT), Public Transportation Division (PTD), non-urbanized and urbanized counties must have a <br /> current Transportation Development Plan (TDP) which is adopted by the County Commissioners and <br /> approved by the PTD. If the county is to be competitive in obtaining the funds for new vehicles available <br /> under Federal Transit Administration's Nonurbanized Area Formula Program (formaly Section 18), <br /> implementation of the adopted TDP recommendations must be scheduled. A TDP is developed with a <br /> four-year planning horizon, and requires an update at the end of that time. <br /> Orange County completed and adopted their last TDP update in January 1991, therefore requiring <br /> a 1995 TDP update. During the last four years, a number of the recommendations of the previous TDP <br /> have been implemented. <br /> In order to examine the potential for development of public transportation, review the current <br /> availability of agency transportation,and remain eligible for state public transportation funding,the County <br /> applied to the state for planning funds to update the TDP. Ecosometrics, Incorporated, of Bethesda, <br /> Maryland, was chosen to prepare the plan under a contract with the NCDOT/PTD. The planning process <br /> calls for guidance on the study from the Orange County TDP Steering Committee which is made up of <br /> human service agency representatives, planning agencies, Orange Public Transportation (OPT) <br /> representatives, and other local government officials from the County, Chapel Hill, and Carrboro. The <br /> ultimate goal of this study is to develop an implementable plan that meets as many of Orange County's <br /> transportation goals as possible, taking into account the identified operational and fiscal constraints. <br /> HOW THIS PLAN WAS PREPARED <br /> The information in this report was gathered through meetings with the current TDP Steering <br /> Committee,on-site interviews, written and telephone surveys of providers and purchasers of service, and <br /> collection of data from the Census Bureau Library, Chamber of Commerce, Orange Public Transit, Chapel <br /> Hill Planning Department, and the NCDOT. <br /> A- <br />