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6 <br /> Transportation (DOT) is responsible for the development, <br /> maintenance, and improvement of highways in the Rural Buffer. <br /> Orange Co.unty does not maintain a street system, hence, <br /> street service to individual developments are initially <br /> privately built, owned, and maintained. In larger <br /> subdivisions the roads often must be built to state <br /> specifications and are turned over by the developer to the <br /> state upon completion of the development. Reliance on private <br /> roads will continue unless annexation into the Rural Buffer <br /> occurs. Annexation is not forseen during the Joint Planning <br /> period. <br /> Thoroughfare plans for both Chapel Hill-Carrboro and <br /> Hillsborough incorporate projects in or near the Rural <br /> Buffer . They include widening portions of NC86 and Old NC 86, <br /> extending Weaver Dairy Road and Davis Road, relocating <br /> Homestead Road, and constructing an outer by-pass south of <br /> Chapel Hill by extending Old Fayetteville Road from Jones <br /> Ferry Road to NC 54 at the Durham County line. <br /> Funding is not available for all highway projects that <br /> have been identified as necessary to provide acceptable <br /> levels of highway service. As a result, highway construction <br /> lags behind need. This is expected to continue and will <br /> present serious problems for high growth areas, especially <br /> where roads are already at or near capacity. <br /> The other components of the circulation system are <br /> minor. The density in the buffer area is too low to generate <br /> sufficient demand for regular public transit service. Traffic <br /> volume on the Southern Railroad spur, which crosses the <br /> northern portion of the buffer, is expected to remain at its <br /> current low level of less than one train per day. <br /> Transmission lines are also considered part of the <br /> circulation system. High voltage electrical transmission <br /> lines owned by Duke Power and Piedmont Electric Membership <br /> Corporation cross the Rural Buffer, as does a Public Service <br /> Company gas line. The rights-of-way for these lines consume a <br /> significant amount of land and cannot be included as part of <br /> a buildable portion of a lot. As such, subdivisions must be <br /> designed around the rights-of-way. <br /> Rights-of-way can be used as part of a greenbelt or even <br /> a passive recreation system. Some of the trails in Eno River <br /> State Park currently follow transmission line rights-of-way . <br /> No publicly owned recreation facilities exist in the <br /> Rural Buffer, although there are numerous privately owned <br /> recreation sites. These include Duke Forest, camp and meeting <br /> facilities owned by churches ' or other non-profit <br /> organization, and clubs owned by hoiheowners associations in <br /> various subdivisions. <br /> r,., <br /> Police protection for the Rural "buffer is provided by R <br /> the Orange County Sheriff ' s Department. Fire protection is <br /> provided by seven volunteer , #, ire " °departments while two <br /> Jurisdictions provide the area 's wt'tth" <rescue service. No <br /> s i g n i f i c a n t problems with pub l't ' sat tS prov i s t'on exist in <br /> the Rural Buffer and none are anticipated in the forseeable <br />