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New Hope Corridor Open Space Master P1an <br />15 -501, also called the Chapel Hill- Durham Boulevard. The Boulevard is a major <br />commercial and public transport route. After flowing under the Boulevard and <br />merging with Sandy Creek (which rises in the vicinity of Duke University's West <br />Campus), New Hope Creek enters lands owned by the U.S. Army Corps of <br />Engineers. These lands surround the impoundments of the B. Everett Jordan <br />Reservoir. Normal levels of this reservoir do not extend north of the Chatham <br />County and Durham County line, although extensive areas of Corps land in Durham <br />County are seasonally or permanently wet. The New Hope Creek again crosses under <br />Interstate 40 just south of the NC 54 interchange, near the Farrington Road sewage <br />treatment plant. <br />The corridor is crossed by two interstate highways, two U.S. highways, and <br />numerous State secondary roads. Local roads serving properties and subdivisions <br />abut the floodplains and sections of Duke Forest in the corridor. Trails and fire roads <br />exist in both divisions of Duke Forest and have long been used for walking by Duke <br />personnel and the general public. Informal footpaths have developed from adjacent <br />subdivisions through Duke Forest and some private properties. Old logging and farm <br />lanes can be found in various states of regrowth, especially along the floodplain areas. <br />Further description of the corridor and its features are contained in Appendix A. <br />Inventory and Analysis of Existing Conditions. <br />D. Goals of the Open Space Corridor <br />Jurisdictional Goals as Reflected in the 1989 Joint Resolution <br />The main goal stated in the Resolution (Appendix B) is to.... <br />"....preserve an open space corridor linking the Eno River State Park, the <br />New Hope Creek Corps lands and the growing communities of Durham, <br />Chapel Hill, and Carrboro for aesthetic, environmental, educational, and <br />recreational purposes, and as a means of shaping the urban form of the <br />area." <br />The Resolution also contains the following specific, goal - oriented statements: <br />• Preservation of open space as an accompaniment to growth can mitigate the <br />impacts of growth and help retain natural beauty; <br />• Preservation of open space provides environmental benefits such as protecting <br />water quality and providing habitat for native plant species and wildlife; <br />19 <br />1 <br />