Agenda 09-03-19 Item 8-a - Minutes

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24 1 Commissioner Dorosin referred to the SPOT 6.0 process, and asked if there is an 2 estimated timeline to know if any money will come from this. 3 Brian Litchfield said it will most likely be January/February 2020 before staff knows this 4 information. 5 Commissioner Dorosin referred to the "current status slide", and clarified that everything 6 on the chart from Eubanks to Hillsborough will all need to be decided. 7 Brian Litchfield said that is correct. He said additional traffic analysis will be needed, 8 and staff with work with the Department of Transportation (DOT) to determine whether to 9 convert an existing travel lane, or construct a new lane. 10 Commissioner Dorosin clarified that Hillsborough to Southern Village has been 11 determined, and will be dedicated curb lane convert from Hillsborough to Manning, then mixed 12 traffic to Highway 54, and then construct from there to Southern Village. 13 Brian Litchfield said yes. He said staff will look to see if there are ways to phase in the 14 project, and the area further south may be able to be put to a future year. He said many 15 variables, including cost, will have to be considered. 16 Commissioner Price asked what would happen to the $8 million if the $25 million comes 17 in. 18 Brian Litchfield said if an amount close to $25 million comes in, staff would return to the 19 staff working group for the Orange County transit plan, and talk about how to proceed. He said 20 hopefully the $8 million could be reduced in that scenario. 21 Commissioner Price clarified that the $8 million will not be used right away, and is rather 22 just a commitment. 23 Brian Litchfield said yes, and it is in the plan from 2022 onwards. He said the $8 million 24 is not needed to do the 30% design or any other current work, and rather it is to show the 25 Federal Transit Administration (FTA) that there are dedicated funds, should to project move 26 forward. 27 Commissioner Price asked if the community will be given a chance for input after staff 28 does the charrettes, and goes back to the drawing board. 29 Brian Litchfield said yes, probably in the fall. 30 Chair Rich referred to the "what's happening slide" and the picture of the BRT running 31 down the center of the lanes. 32 Brian said that is not an example of this BRT project, but rather is illustrative of what 33 some of the DOT design work could lead to over time. He said it is unlikely to happen with the 34 current corridor. 35 Chair Rich echoed Commissioner Dorosin's concerns of the BRT wiggling in and out of 36 traffic, and how regular traffic keeps flowing. 37 Brian Litchfield referred to the "current status" slide, and said the desire is to minimize 38 transitions from one area to the next. He said when 30% design is done, from Eubanks through 39 Hillsborough will either be dark green or light green. He said Hillsborough Street into downtown 40 will have some transition areas, where buses are pulling out of dedicated lanes into mixed 41 traffic. He said staff has visited other cities where buses transition in and out traffic, and there 42 are signals that allow this to happen. He said there would be something similar done in Chapel 43 Hill, along with signage and different colors of paint on the road. He said during peak hours, 44 from Rosemary Street to the Carolina Inn, the outside lane almost operates as a bus lane 45 already, with many buses lining up in that outside lane. 46 Chair Rich asked if the BRT comes on in 2023, what would be done with the current 47 buses that use that lane. She asked if the buses would be used for other service, or be worked 48 out of the fleet. 49 Brian Litchfield said this investment is building upon the investment that has already 50 been made in the corridor already, and he said there is a 10-minute service on the north-south 51 corridor alone, which takes 8 buses. He said in August that number of buses will move to 10,