Agenda - 02-07-2017 - 8-a - Durham Chapel Hill Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization Comprehensive Transportation Plan

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39 Southpoint Auto Park Boulevard to Renaissance Parkway, has four to five lanes to accommodate the relatively high traffic volume with turn lanes for 1-40 and Renaissance Parkway. The roadway drains to nearby Jordan Lake and there are over twenty fresh water ponds in the corridor. Improvements are needed to accommodate projected traffic in order to maintain a Level of Service D and provide mobility between 1-40 and the growing retail, residential and employment development in southern Durham County and eastern Chatham County. Improvements might include adding turn lanes at intersections and widening the current lanes and shoulders at a minimum, or possibly include additional lanes. It should be noted that a feasibility study (FS-1008B) was started in 2014 for this section of NC 751 that collected field data and produced traffic forecasts. Although the feasibility study was not completed, it can provide details on the need for safety and capacity improvements on this roadway. This problem statement presents the roadway in four different sections below. The southern section, from Martha's Chapel Road (SR 1752)to O'Kelly Chapel Road (SR 1731), is a two- lane major collector with turn lanes at some intersections. It mostly has a 60-foot right-of-way but some subsections have 90-foot and even 200-foot right-of-way sections. The area is rural but has occasional churches and small scale commercial development such as nurseries. The 2012 AADT is 8,300 vehicles per day (vpd) and this volume has been about the same since 2003. The capacity is 12,400 vpd at LOS D. Although the current volume is well within capacity,the high peak volume split (75%) and the narrow rural roadway(24 feet overall width) combine to create safety hazards and congestion that is not common on rural highways. The 2040 volume is expected to increase to 14,000, or a 1.1 V/C ratio, which will worsen the safety and congestion problems. It is recommended that this southern section be widened to a four-lane divided boulevard facility. The middle section, from O'Kelly Chapel Road to Renaissance Parkway, is a two-lane major thoroughfare with turn lanes at intersections. It mostly has a 60-foot right-of-way but some subsections have up to 90-foot, and the overall road width is 19 feet to 24 feet. It should be noted that this section connects to two east-west roads, Stagecoach Road (SR 1107) and O'Kelly Chapel Road, that provide travelers with a southern alternative to congested 1-40 and NC 54. The area is a mixture of residential and retail/commercial, and there is ample undeveloped land that is developing at suburban densities. Recent development includes large single-family or multi-family development. The 2013 AADT ranges from 9,700 vpd at the southern end to 13,000 vpd at the northern end. The capacity is 12,700 vpd at LOS D. Although the current volume is close to capacity, the high peak volume split (65%to 75%), the narrow overall roadway, and multiple driveways and intersections combine to create many safety hazards and congestion. The 2040 volume is expected to be 18,000 vpd to 21,000 vpd, resulting in a 1.4 to 1.8 V/C ratio that will increase delay. The section adjacent to 1-40, from Renaissance Parkway to Southpoint Autopark Boulevard, is a four- lane major thoroughfare south of 1-40 and a four-lane divided boulevard north of 1-40. It has many right turn slip lanes and double left turn lanes at the 1-40 and Renaissance Parkway intersections to accommodate traffic to nearby South Pointe Mall and the adjacent big box and chain retail stores, and growing office developments. Local planners do not anticipate further widening of this roadway section because the roadway in some locations are close to buildings and the area to the west is mostly unbuildable given its proximity to Third Fork Creek and New Hope Creek. Minimum Problem Statements—Highway—6