Agenda - 05-15-1990 (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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development. Further, after recently enduring the construction of I-40, they are angered by the possibility of another construction project in the same area. They also expressed fear that sedimentation in New Hope Creek and Jordan bake will result. Since a section of right -of -way has been dedicated for the alignment of the parkway, residents feel that the old alignment should be maintained. Residents have also made comments concerning the pressures created by potential development to upgrade the roads and construct the I-40 interchange. Several residents stated that the NCDOT promised before I-40 was constructed that there would never be an interchange at Farrington Road and 1-40 but that the NCDOT has yielded to the demands of developers. Response: The staff recognizes that an interchange with an interstate highway does create strong pressures for high intensity land use, which would conflict with adopted land use plans. Use of the dedicated right -of -way for Laurel Hill Parkway rather than George King Road shifts the road only slightly to the west and does not eliminate the possibility of an interchange with US 15 -501 (Chapel Hill Blvd.) east of Pope Road. Several alternate alignments for the Laurel Hill Parkway have been considered since the public meetings. All of these alignments use the dedicated section of right -of -way through the Oaks III rather than George King Road, and all eliminate the interchange of Farrington Road and I -40. The elimination of the proposed interchange at Farrington Road has a slight negative impact on the operation of adjacent I-40 interchanges. The purpose of the proposed interchange was for local service and as such, anticipated traffic volumes were relatively low. The realignment of the Laurel Hill Parkway to connect directly with the proposed realignment of Mount Moriah Road via Watkins Road at US 15 -501 is considered to be absolutely necessary. The use of Watkins Road rather than Pope Road does provide a more direct route for existing and anticipated travel patterns in the area. There is a strong move between the residential area (west of I-40) to and from Durham via Old Chapel Hill Road. Use of the alignment shown in the adopted Chapel Hill Plan or any alignment that intersects with US 15 -501 west of the location shown in the proposed plan would not permit adequate design standards to be maintained for the proposed upgrading of 15- 501 to a freeway. US 15-501 - POPE ROAD - MOUNT MORIAH ROAD INTERCHANGE Baekg d: Traffic projections for 2010 indicate that US 15 -501 will carry some 90,000 vehicles by the design date. US 15 -501 therefore must be upgraded to a freeway to accommodate this volume. In addition, only a small amount of development in the vicinity of Mount Moriah Road and Pope Road would overburden the existing at -grade intersection. It is recommended that the intersection be upgraded to an interchange located one tenth of a mile to the east of the I-40 interchange in order to operate 2.7