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2 <br />Four <br />bridges <br />are located <br />on the <br />project. They <br />are as <br />follows: <br />Clear <br />Bridge <br />Length <br />Width <br />Age <br />Rating <br />No. <br />Location <br />Ft. <br />Ft, <br />rs.) <br />New =100 <br />17 <br />Cane <br />Creek <br />151 <br />44.0 <br />17 <br />92.6 <br />11 <br />Haw <br />River <br />316 <br />44.0 <br />62 <br />85.6 <br />34 <br />Back <br />Creek <br />172 <br />44.0 <br />17 <br />96.6 <br />70 <br />Haw <br />Creek <br />148 <br />44.0 <br />17 <br />97.9 <br />Bridge number 11, originally built in 1928, was reconstructed and <br />widened in 1973. This improvement accounted for the high sufficiency <br />rating. <br />Traffic Volumes, Capacity, and Accident Record <br />The volume of traffic that utilizes this route ranges from approxi- <br />mately 6,000 vehicles per day (vpd) near the Alamance- Orange County line, <br />to 13,000 (vpd) near Burlington and also near Carrboro. These volumes <br />are estimated to increase to 12,000 to 17,000 vpd by the year 2010. <br />The capacity of the existing road is approximately 5,000 vpd. The <br />actual volumes presently using the facility (6,000 to 13,000 vpd) indi- <br />cate that the capacity is exceeded along the entire studied route. <br />Accident data for a recent 3-year period shows a total of 282 <br />accidents along the studied section. ,This yields a total accident rate <br />of 118.1 accidents per hundred million vehicle miles (ACC /100MVM), which <br />is less than the statewide average of 214.2 ACC /100MVM for comparable <br />2-lane rural NC routes. Rear -end slow or stop (23A), angle (17A), and <br />left turn same road (15%) were predominant accident types. <br />Need for Project <br />The improvement of NC 54 from the Chapel Hill Bypass to Burlington <br />is needed to provide adequate capacity for existing and future traffic <br />volumes. <br />III. RECOMMENDATIONS AND COSTS <br />For purposes of recommendations and possible staging of construc- <br />tion, the project has been divided into 3 sections: A, 8, and C (see <br />Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5). <br />For Section A, from SR 2106 (south of the I -40/85 interchange) <br />to SR 2138, it is recommended the existing roadway be widened to a <br />5 -lane, 64 -foot curb and gutter facility due to the concentration of <br />existing roadside development and lower speeds. This would match <br />the proposed cross section of the Y -line improvement for the I -303K <br />