Agenda - 10-20-2015 - 6a - Minutes

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11 1 2 1) The Western Connector is a proposed project in Moore County in or near Pinehurst. All 3 projects involving Orange County on the list are underlined and italicized to distinguish 4 them from projects in other jurisdictions within the TARPO planning area. 5 6 2) If pulled from the consent agenda, staff will be prepared to address any questions or 7 facilitate any discussion for the item that may need to occur as a follow-up to the 8 meeting scheduled earlier in the day. The Town of Carrboro is only opposed to the 9 project being submitted as a widening but is in favor of the project being submitted for 10 consideration of operational improvements and intersection improvements. The TARPO 11 Prioritization Subcommittee recommendation is to submit all of these variations to 12 NCDOT for scoring. While the original list of TARPO projects that the BOCC endorsed 13 contained only alternative operational improvements for the corridor rather than 14 widening, within the TARPO Prioritization Subcommittee, NCDOT Division 7 15 recommended that the widening project stay as a carry-over project to be scored 16 independently of the other project variations. In the event that NCDOT Division 7 and 17 any local jurisdiction do not agree on how and if projects within the existing SPOT 18 database are submitted, it is NCDOT's policy that the project will remain in the database 19 "as is" and be carried forward for scoring and consideration of inclusion in the Statewide 20 Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). However, because the project crosses 21 into the DCHC MPO planning area and the project is not currently in the financially 22 constrained DCHC MPO Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP), it cannot be included 23 in the STIP even if it scores well enough to be included unless the MPO Board takes an 24 action to include it. Accordingly, there are further potential barriers in place for the Town 25 of Carrboro to take an action of opposition to the widening of the facility. 26 27 It is Orange County transportation planning staff's recommendation to keep the idea of 28 widening the facility as a long-term vision or alternative because current and projected 29 data tell us that it will be needed. However, these data will need to be updated and 30 revisited over time to research the potential effects that other transportation actions may 31 have on traffic volumes for this facility and to determine if a $57 million widening project 32 can still be justified. Transportation planning staff agrees that a less impactful short-term 33 solution involving operational improvements would address much of the existing 34 deficiencies along the corridor that could function, as an appropriate interim step toward 35 potential widening if data continue to support that adding travel lane capacity should 36 occur. 37 38 3) Modernization projects are those intended to bring sections of roadway up to modern 39 safety and operational standards or to increase the design speed of a facility. The Old 40 Greensboro Road and Orange Grove Road/Buckhorn Road projects simply just involve 41 the addition of four-foot paved shoulders. The Efland-Cedar Grove Road project would 42 involve improving the facility from a 20-foot cross section (currently accommodating 43 narrow 10-foot travel lanes) to a 24-foot cross section to accommodate 12-foot travel 44 lanes. The project would also involve geometric alignment improvements to straighten 45 the roadway where needed, the addition of turn lanes, and the incorporation of bicycle 46 facilities. 47 48 Chair McKee said Commissioner Price is the Board's TARPO representative and asked 49 if she had any additional comment.