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

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COPY .- NCOOT I. INTRODUCTION The overall growth (economical, social, agricultural, etc.) of a region can be greatly influenced by how efficiently the transportation system handles travel demands. If the system fails to provide the means for quick and convenient transportation of people and goods, the region's overall growth becomes stagnated and fails to reach its full potential. It is necessary that such a system not only meet existing travel demands, but that it also keep pace with the development of the region. This report will set forth a system of thoroughfares to serve the anticipated traffic and land development needs of Orange County for the next twenty years. In the development of the system of thoroughfares, certain priorities shall be established based on maintenance needs, inadequate bridges, poor horizontal and vertical alignment, and insufficient present and future capacity. The system of thoroughfares proposed was developed following the basic principles of thoroughfare planning as described in Chapter II of this report. Major thoroughfares were located based upon existing and anticipated travel demands, existing streets, existing and anticipated land developments, topographic conditions, and field investigations. The plan advocates these improvements which are felt to be essential for proper traffic circulation within the current planning period (1990 - 2010). This study of the existing and proposed thoroughfares in Orange County is based on what is called a "sketch" planning process. Due to the lack of resources which are used to prepare a computer -based travel forecasting model (and the lengthy delay associated with this preparation), this study is not predicated upon specific forecasts of traffic keyed to specific forecasts of housing and employment growth. The "sketch" planning process emphasizes using common sense, extensive field investigation, and public review to establish recommendations. In North Carolina, road building authority lies with the State and municipalities rather than with the counties. For this reason, urban thoroughfare plans developed for municipalities have been used for long -range thoroughfare planning. However, county plans have generally been used for functionally classifying the relative roles of existing facilities. This county plan does not deviate from this "rule ". The functional role of each existing and proposed rural thoroughfare is described in this plan. Responsibility for any proposed construction of new roads or improvement of existing roads must be shared by the county and the Division of Highways. with the different governmental agencies involved in providing the elements of the plan, coordination of activities is of prime importance. Therefore, a formal adoption of the revised plan resulting from this study is needed by the county and the North Carolina Board of Transportation. 1