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ORANGE TRANSPORTATION <br /> COUNTY GOVERNMENT <br /> TRANSPORTATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT <br /> COUNTY <br /> NoKm CALIQLLNA PUBLIC TRANSIT <br /> OrangeCounty <br /> Item 5.c. <br /> Subject: NC 54 West Multimodal Corridor Study <br /> Attachment: 1. Phase 2 Report <br /> PURPOSE: Approve the NC 54 West Multimodal Corridor Study in Orange County. <br /> BACKGROUND: In fall of 2018, VHB concluded the NC 54 West Multimodal Corridor Study <br /> presenting a thorough existing conditions, environmental and economic analysis of the corridor, <br /> two rounds of public engaging workshops in each of the local jurisdictions and presented the full <br /> report (link). They also followed up on it with a Phase 2 (attached) report addressing all the <br /> important issues raised throughout the planning process. <br /> City of Graham approved the study prior to Phase 2 report while Burlington-Graham <br /> Metropolitan Planning Organization in collaboration with Alamance County approved the study <br /> in its entirety, with phase 2. They submitted the western portion of the corridor for the States <br /> Strategic Prioritization of Transportation (SPOT) 6.0 and will do so again for 7.0. Orange County <br /> received the report as did Triangle Area Rural Planning Organization (TARPO)and Durham-Chapel <br /> Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO). Both regional agencies defer to <br /> the County respectively. Fall 2019, Carrboro unanimously approved a resolution unconditionally <br /> opposing the study. <br /> While Orange County continues coordinating and collaborating with all its local and regional <br /> partners along the corridor since the study's completion, traffic on NC 54 has returned to pre- <br /> covid levels, serious injuries and fatalities continue at increasing rate, and development pressure <br /> increase in southern Orange County. Orange County continues to collaborate with North Carolina <br /> Department of Transportation (NCDOT) who updated their Complete Street Policy and <br /> Implementation Guide in 2019, revamping state highway projects for a more comprehensive <br /> benefit for all users. The state also grants local government the ability to adopt transportations <br /> plans and implement them through Comprehensive Plan and Unified Development Ordinances <br /> State New Process—Complete Streets (link) <br /> Over the past three years, NCDOT has significant progress is advancing the policy and improving <br /> its implementation through their Project Delivery Network (PDN). All highway projects now go <br /> through a comprehensive "complete" use assessment. The Comprehensive Transportation Plan <br /> (CTP) is the governing document for the state's new Complete Street Policy and its <br /> implementation. Per the new policy, "during the Comprehensive Transportation Planning <br /> process, bicycle, pedestrian, transit, and other multimodal usage shall be presumed to exist along <br /> and across certain corridors." NCDOT recognizes that an individual user is a pedestrian, bicyclist, <br /> transit rider, EV/gas vehicle driver, etc., and often times in the same day. Therefore, the policy <br /> dictates "Consideration of multimodal elements will begin at the inception of the transportation <br /> planning process and the decisions made will be documented." <br /> 600 Hwy 86 N - Hillsborough, North Carolina 27278 <br /> Phone (919) 245-2008 - Fax(919) 732-2137 <br /> orangecountync.gov/transportation <br />