Minutes 05-17-2016 - Laserfiche WebLink

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13 not include connection to the hospital or the light rail; however, these connections will now exist due to overwhelming feedback from stakeholders. Chair McKee referred to a bottleneck area in downtown Chapel Hill and asked if any thought has been given to acquiring more rights of way. Mila Vega said downtown is tight, and there is little right of way left to acquire without knocking down buildings, which would be very unpopular. Chair McKee said downtown always has a bottleneck, not just during peak hours. Commissioner Jacobs said if he was part of the decision-making group, he would advocate seeking funding for a change in the signalization system. He said this would allow flexibility to change the traffic signal patterns during peak hours. He said he has been surprised over the years that Chapel Hill has done so little to anticipate traffic patterns during peak times, such as football games, etc. Mila said she is not an expert on signals, but she will refer the suggestion to the consulting team. Commissioner Rich referred to the University of Arizona, which uses a console on game days that allows officials to change traffic signals as needed based on observed traffic. Chair McKee said he was in the command center during the championship football game, and he said cameras were able to scan main intersections. He said this may be able to serve as a rudimentary starting point. Mila Vega said technology will need to be considered more and more. Chair McKee asked if"non-federal costs" refer to the County's costs. Mila Vega said non-federal is anything that is non-federal. She said it is hoped that the State will be involved, but that is unknown at this time. Commissioner Price asked if crosswalks are included in this planning process. Mila Vega said yes, every station will be safely accessible. Commissioner Pelissier said the option of not going all the way down to Southern Village was considered previously, and asked if the capital cost for that plan is known. Mila Vega said that plan went from Eubanks Road to the University of North Carolina (UNC), which is about half of what is currently being considered. She said that plan was just over $6 million. Commissioner Pelissier said this current plan is a considerable increase over that previous plan. Mila Vega said there were some estimates done previously, but a study of this level was never completed to determine specific costs. Commissioner Pelissier asked if there have been any discussions with Go Triangle about this project. Mila Vega said it is too early, at this point. She said the current estimated cost is at least $19.4 million, and there is only $6 million in the bus and rail plan. She said there is a gap that will need to be closed. Chair McKee asked if there are any other revenue sources and if such sources could be defined at some point. He is concerned how this project will be paid for without raising taxes or borrowing funds. He said projects keep moving forward without funds being secured. Mila Vega said Chair McKee's concerns are valid, and the federal government will not provide funding without a clear financial plan. Commissioner Pelissier said there is a park and ride at the Eubanks end of the corridor, and asked if one is being considered at the southern end. Mila Vega said at the Eubanks Park and Ride there are about 350-400 parking spaces, while the Southern Village one has about 500 spaces. She said this may be expanded but nothing is yet defined.