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<br />ORANGE COUNTY <br />ORANGE UNIFIED TRANSPORTATION BOARD <br /> <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: August 19, 2020 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 4 <br /> <br />SUBJECT: Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization <br />Comprehensive Transportation Plan Amendment <br /> <br />DEPARTMENT: Planning and Inspections <br /> <br /> <br />ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />1. Staff Recommendations <br />2. Project Sheets <br />Nishith Trivedi, Transportation Planner, <br />919-245-2582 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />PURPOSE: <br />To receive an update on the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization <br />(DCHC MPO) Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) Amendment process, present staff <br />recommendations, and prepare to return to a subsequent on-line Orange Unified Transportation <br />Board (OUTBoard) meeting in September to complete recommendations to the Board of County <br />Commissioners (BOCC). <br /> <br /> <br />BACKGROUND: Orange County’s CTP is split among DCHC MPO, Burlington-Graham <br />Metropolitan Planning Organization (BG MPO) and Triangle Area Rural Planning Organization <br />(TARPO). Each MPO/RPO covers different portions of Orange County’s Transportation network <br />and helps ensure it is planned in a comprehensive, coordinated and collaborative manner. The <br />CTPs are adopted and amended through different processes established by MPO/RPO. While <br />BG MPO and TARPO maintain their portion of Orange County’s CTP, this item focuses on <br />DCHC MPO CTP Amendment process scheduled to start at the MPO Board in September. <br /> <br />On August 8, 2019, North Carolina Department of Transportations (NCDOT) adopted a <br />new Complete Street Policy, to “encourage non-vehicular travel without compromising the <br />safety, efficiency, or function of the facility”. Following this policy update, DCHC MPO initiated a <br />public process to amend the 2045 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) to take the new state <br />policy into consideration. <br /> <br />On November 13, 2019 the DCHC MPO 2045 Metropolitan Transportation Plan was amended <br />to include new Complete Street Policy. Subsequently, NCDOT distributed a Complete Street <br />Implementation Guide that specifies, “The adopted CTP will be considered the controlling plan <br />for the identification of non-motorized facilities to be evaluated as part of a roadway project.” <br />Since then, MPO staff has been working with local jurisdictions to identify potential CTP <br />amendments so that they will be consistent with the amended MTP and new state policy. <br />Though no project has been implemented through the new policy to date, the CTP sets the <br />stage for NCDOT assistance in non-highway improvements as part of roadway projects. <br />5