Agenda 12-02-19 Item 8-a - Minutes

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19 1 is adopted, MPO staff would pursue funding to widen the road; but if the report is just received, 2 MPO staff can await further direction in March or April 2020. 3 Commissioner Dorosin clarified that decisions will be made in March or April 2020, as to 4 whether to pursue funding or not. 5 Aaron Cain said there is already funding for the intersection and safety improvements, 6 but the decision about widening would be made in the spring. He said funds are scheduled for 7 Right-of-Ways in the next budget year, with construction start in a few years. 8 Nishith Trivedi said this only relates to the section between Orange Grove Road and Old 9 Fayetteville Road. 10 Commissioner Price asked if the Burlington Graham MPO is involved. 11 Wannetta Mallette, Burlington Graham MPO (BGMPO), said Phase 1 of this plan was 12 presented a year ago. She said the BGMPO received the study, but did not take any action at 13 that time. She said there were a number of concerns about safety improvements from NC119 14 to Hwy 54, and the BGMPO is interested in looking into ideas of surrounding MPOs. 15 Matt Day, Triangle Area Regional Planning Organization (TARPO), said TARPO's 16 decision schedule is a bit different that the MPO, with decisions being made in February. He 17 said widening NC 54 is on TARPO's draft list of projects to submit for funding. He said this 18 draft list is open for public comment now until January 16, 2020. 19 Commissioner Price asked if the Burlington Graham MPO needs to be included in item 20 #3. 21 Aaron Cain said it can be; the DCHC-MPO has no objection. 22 Commissioner Greene said she likes the idea of collaboration, instead of making 23 decisions now. She said to make sure rumble strips are in the plan for safety improvements. 24 Aaron Cain said yes, that would take place in the engineering phase. 25 Commissioner Bedford asked if the impending 1-40 improvements were incorporated 26 into this study. 27 Nishith Trivedi said yes, these improvements have been considered. 28 29 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 30 31 b. Approval of a Planning Framework for Updating the Orange County Transit Plan 32 The Board considered voting to approve a planning framework for updating the Orange 33 County Transit Plan and to appoint two Commissioners to serve as representatives to the Policy 34 Steering Committee. 35 36 BACKGROUND: In 2012, the Board of Orange County Commissioners along with the Durham- 37 Chapel Hill Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization and GoTriangle adopted the Orange 38 County's first comprehensive Transit Plan. This Plan was funded using a newly adopted Article 39 43 Half-Cent Sales Tax, and it included investments in new and expanded bus service, new 40 capital infrastructure projects such as the Chapel Hill North-South Bus Rapid Transit Project, 41 the Hillsborough Train Station, and the Durham-Orange Light Rail Project. The Plan was most 42 recently updated in 2017 to meet federal requirements associated with the Durham-Orange 43 Light Rail Project. 44 45 In March 2019, the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit Project was discontinued. This project 46 was central to the Transit Plan. It was the Plan's primary investment, represented a critical 47 partnership between Durham and Orange counties, and served as the transit infrastructure 48 around which other transit services and growth strategies were planned. In response to the 49 discontinuation of the light rail project, a staff team began the process of creating a potential