Agenda - 02-26-1979 - Laserfiche WebLink

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s 3 and Destination Traffic Survey for Chapel Hill. This is the latest survey of this type available. If we examine the data for State Route 54 west (the "old Greensboro highway") and State Road number 1005 (the Antioch Church Road or "new Greensboro highway") both of which would connect with the proposed southern bypass thoroughfare, we find that only 10% of the traffic on those highways was destined to pass th_ rou 'Chapel Hill, Conversely, 90% of the traffic on those highways was destined to stop in Chapel Hill or Carrboro, namely the major part of the traffic on those highways consisted of vehicles bringing people to Ind from Chapel Hill and Carrboro to work or to shop. If this through--traffic from or to N.C. 54 West and State Road 1005 West was distrubted in porportion to the total traffic on the principal exit-entry roads to the north (N.C. 85), east (U.S. 1.5-5O1 and N.C. 54E), and south (N.C. 15-501), then the through traffic from those two sources (viz. N.C. 54 W and 1.005 W) would account for only 1.4% of the total traffic on the 15-5011 bypass (probably the most heavily congested road in Chapel Hill). Thus, this enormovply expensive throughway around Chapel. Hill and Carrboro can be expected to have an insignificant impact in relieving the traffic congestion which exists at certain hours of the early morning or late afternoon within Chapel Hill and on the 15-501 bypass. On the contrary, the proposed southern bypass thoroughfare would bring the Chapel Hill--bound traffic from the west into town more rapidly and thus would add to the morning traffic congestion in the center of town and on the 15--501 bypass. Although the total volume of traffic on State Route 54 and State Road 1005 has increased since 1971, it is doubtful whether the proportion of through traffic on those roads has changed very much. If there is any doubt about this point, a new 0. and D. survey should be made before seriously considering the construction of this road. The 1971 Survey data also show that even the traffic on the 15-501 bypass consists largely of local traffic although the percentage df through taaffic is somewhat higher than the percentage for State routes 54 and 1005 west. If 1--40 is build through Orange. County as proposed, then traffic from the south and east destined for Greensboro would be much more likely to follow 1-40 to 1-85 to reach Greensboro rather than to take the proposed southern loop road around Chapel Hill since the latter would feed into State Routes 54 and 1005 which are only two lanes and thus are "slow" relative to I-85. Thus, the need for the southern thoroughfare is not apparent, and this road would not solve the traffic problems of Chapel Hill. In fact, this road probably would increase the traffic problems of Cbapel Hill since this road would stimulate additional development west of Chapel Hill and Carrboro,. This development also would increase the pollution of University Lake as stated previously. There is another probable effect ofthis loop road which should be considered, namely the ultimate effect which it may have on the central business district of Chapel Hill.. The construction of the southern bypass thoroughfare around Chapel Hill to the west probably would encourage the construction of shopping centers at one or more of the interchanges with other roads. Chapel Hill then may have a Westgate comparable in beauty and good planning with the Eastgate which now graces the city, and the effects will be similar, namely to draw still more business away from the central business district of the town. At the present time we do not have shopping centers west of Carrboro, and the residents of our community do not wish to have one in our area. We now do our shopping in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. However, if a shopping center is forced upon us as a result of the construction of the loop road to the west, then we probably will use it, and the trade which we now have with shopping centers in Chapel Hill and Carrboro will be lost to the central, business districts of the towns.