Orange County NC Website
Approved 11/19/14 <br />Chuck Edwards: It has been looked at. Recommendations have been made for internal improvements. We will be <br />glad to revisit that. <br />Jeff Charles: The Chapel Hill Bike Ped Board received a letter from a gentleman that lived of Whitfield and he walks <br />into Chapel Hill area and his concern was the new 86 and 140 Bridge for pedestrians. We weren't sure if it was in the <br />Town or County. <br />Chuck Edwards: We received the same information. Our traffic folks are looking at that. An obvious thing was the <br />bridge was not designed for pedestrian walking. <br />Paul Guthrie: Are you giving attention to the deterioration of the old Kerr Scott Bridges? <br />Chuck Edwards: Absolutely. <br />Paul Guthrie: Some things tend to get overlooked. How are you approaching that issue? <br />Chuck Edwards: One well- funded program we have is for the replacement of public bridges. <br />Paul Guthrie: I'll give you one example, Old Greensboro Road and Phil's Creek Bridge. There is more and more <br />heavy truck traffic using that road, 18 wheelers and every time they go down that hill they knock another hole in the <br />pavement. I assume you are doing regular inspection of these older bridges. <br />Chuck Edwards: I wish I had brought my list, I will get back with Abigaile with more information. <br />Jeff Charles: NCDOT worked on one bridge on Arthur Minnis near Borland. There is another old bridge by that one <br />that was actually in worse shape. Do you know if that one is prioritized? <br />Chuck Edwards: Yes. They are handled by a design contractor. <br />Jeff Charles: That will hit the cycling community hard. <br />Chuck Edwards: We do reach out to others on these projects to provide public information. <br />Abigaile Pittman: In the Buckhorn Economic Development District, there is old bridge on the south perimeter. We <br />wouldn't want it replaced as it is because the development in the area will be industrial. When you look at these <br />issues with related land use changes involved, do you consider upgrading the bridge to accommodate industrial <br />traffic? <br />Chuck Edwards: Under this program, we are trying to get the best bang for the buck. At some point, if there is a <br />need to change that, that particular bridge may not fit this program but another program. <br />Paul Guthrie: If there are no other topics, we can move on. <br />Chuck Edwards: Abigaile is giving out information about resurfacing roads. <br />Abigaile Pittman: Reviewed information. Elizabeth Gregory will tell us about some of the problems encountered with <br />emergency service vehicles on these 12 -foot private road standards. <br />Elizabeth Gregory: The main problem is the width because fire trucks are large and the ambulances also. People do <br />not realize the county has no hydrants so the fire truck cannot hook up to a hydrant. They have to shuttle water <br />which means trucks go to water sources and fill the truck that is on the scene of the fire. The main problem is the <br />trucks have to turn around, so if they can't pass each other. Our standard when we get into a subdivision is 20 feet <br />but we try to work with DOT with their standard of 18 feet. When you get down to 12 feet as in the Class B roadway, <br />they will need to send a smaller fire truck which holds less water. It is an access problem. Fire trucks are very <br />expensive. If there are roads they cannot get down; they need to wait for another fire truck to get additional hose. <br />