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

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43 The section of Old NC 86 (SR 1009) from 1-40 to Dairyland Road is currently a two-lane, 20 to 24-foot undivided cross section with right and left-turn storage at various intersections.The section of Old NC 86 from Dairyland Road to Old Fayetteville Road is currently a two-lane, 20 to 24-foot undivided cross section that widens to a 30 to 40-foot undivided cross section with a center two-way left turn lane transitioning to left-turn storage at two intersections. Additional vehicle lanes would affect the character of the roadway and likely impact residential and agricultural areas. Bike lanes along the segment between Hillsborough Road and Dairyland Road would improve the corridor, as this segment of roadway sees very heavy bicycle traffic at certain times.The road is narrow and it can be difficult for vehicles to pass bicyclists when there is traffic, and bicycle lanes would alleviate this pressure.There are existing turn lanes at major intersections along the entire corridor, but other safety improvements would also ease congestion in the future. The CTP designates the roadway as needs improvements. The project proposal is to provide a two-lane undivided cross section comprised of twelve-foot travel lanes and five-foot bike lanes to more safely and efficiently accommodate increasing traffic volume and facilitate bicycle travel. NC 98 (Holloway Street and Wake Forest Highway) (US 70 to Wake County Line) NC 98,from US 70 to the Wake County boundary, is currently a four-lane undivided road from US 70 to Nichols Farm Drive and a two-lane section east of the intersection with Nichols Farm Drive. The short section from US 70 to Junction Road is already five lanes and will receive capacity improvements as part of the East End Connector construction that is already in progress. There are two possible project sections: Junction Road to Nichols Farm Drive; and Nichols Farms Drive to the Wake County Line. There are commonly turn lanes at cross streets, center left turn lanes at some retail developments and turn and acceleration lanes at driveways to major subdivisions. Sidewalks and bike lanes are rare and mostly concentrated in the segment near US 70. NC 98 is the principal road between Durham and northern Wake County(including Wake Forest) because Falls Lake limits the number of roadways that can make this east-west connection. It is the only major east-west roadway between 1-85 and 1-540, which is ten miles or more, and these rural areas are likely to experience substantial residential growth over the next few decades. The CTP includes the addition of a narrow median in the current four-lane section and the addition of two travel lanes in the current two-lane section to create a four-lane divided boulevard throughout. The 2011 AADT for the four-lane segment of NC 98 ranges from 16,000 vpd to 24,000 vpd, and thus only the segment near US 70 is approaching the 24,000 vpd LOS D capacity. The 2040 volume, however, is projected to range from 24,000 vpd to 39,000 vpd. This will create volume-to-capacity ratios from 1.0 to 1.5, an indication of heavy travel delays on a key corridor. The 2011 AADT for the two-lane segment of 11,000 vpd, which given the 12,400 vpd LOS D capacity, is creating some delays and safety concerns (e.g., passing vehicles on a two-lane road). The 2040 volume is expected to increase to 18,000 vpd, causing many delays and crashes if additional capacity is not added. Although long-range plans provide for additional lanes on 1-85 and 1-540, this additional capacity is likely to have little effect in drawing traffic away from NC 98 given the ten plus mile distance between those roadways and the expected residential growth. Minimum Problem Statements—Highway—10