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Minimum Problem Statements – Highway – 2 Residential and employment development will continue to occur around the I-85 interchanges. Bicycle, pedestrian and transit trips will need to be considered in the interchange upgrades and the cross-section of the intersecting roadways. The US Army Corps of Engineers and resource agencies should be included in the environmental analysis stage of project development very early. I-85 crosses Falls Lake and its related wetlands, Army Corps of Engineering property, and critical watershed. The entire length of this study segment is within a protected or critical watershed. I-85 (I-40 to Durham County line) Traffic volume on segments of I-85 from I-40 to the Durham County line is currently between 33,000 vpd and 37,000vpd. It is projected to exceed LOS D by 2040 with expected volumes of 49,800 vehicles per day (vpd), 51,600 vpd, and 52,700 vpd from I-40 to South Churton Street (SR 1009), South Churton Street to NC 86, and NC 86 to US 70, respectively. LOS D capacities on the facility range from 29,700 vpd to 44,500 vpd. Improvements are needed in order to relieve anticipated congestion and to maintain a minimum LOS D on the existing facility. This section of I-85 is currently a four-lane divided freeway with three interchanges and corresponding ramps within an approximate 260-foot right-of-way. This section of I-85 is adjacent to the improved six-lane section of I-85 through Durham County. The CTP project proposal is to improve to a six-lane freeway with a raised median for this facility to better accommodate the projected 2040 volume. I-85/US 70 Connector (SR 1239) Peak-period traffic flow on Efland-Cedar Grove Road (SR 1372) from US 70 to Forest Avenue (SR 1322), from Forest Avenue to Mount Willing Road (SR 1120), and from Mount Willing Road to I-85/I-40 currently exceeds the realistic design capacity and service flow rate on the subject facilities. These facilities collectively serve as the only option for many commuters with origins in northern Orange County to access I-85/I-40 in the northbound/eastbound (respectively) direction to further access the region’s major employment centers to the south and east. This particular route involves taking two (2), 90-degree turns and traversing an at-grade railroad crossing located approximately 30 feet from two (2) intersections on either side. The combination of facilities creates a major capacity contraction relative to the facilities that feed it traffic. Additionally, stacking at the intersections connecting the combination of facilities creates hazardous conditions for vehicles encountering the at-grade railroad crossing adjacent to the intersections. The CTP proposal is to convert the existing I-85/US 70 Connector’s interchange with US 70 approximately 1.25 miles east to a full-movement interchange with ramps providing access from all directions or to convert the interchange to a full-movement T-shaped at-grade intersection. Currently, ramps only provide access from northbound on the Connector to eastbound US 70 and from westbound US 70 to southbound on the Connector. There is no access from westbound US 70 to the Connector or from the Connector to US 70 westbound. The project would allow an improved mobility alternative for