[Durham INC] Transportation Committee Update

Thu Jan 20 19:00:27 EST 2011

At the November meeting, the Transportation Committee mentioned that we were trying to put together an overview of what was going on.  This is a draft version.
Regards, pat

INC TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEEJan 2011 
Members DeDreana Freeman, 919.399.2056  - Chair
 goldenbelt.historicdistrict at gmail.com

Mike Shiflett, 919 xxx-xxxx          		Patricia J. Carstensen, 919.490.1566
mwshiflett at hotmail.com                		pats1717 at hotmail.com

 Peter Katz, 310.936.5694              		Tom Miller, 919 xxx-xxxx
 peter.katz at duke.edu                      			tom-miller1 at nc.rr.com

1)      Mission is to:
 a.      Developing/Update a document to explain transportation plans on-going in Durham NC.
b.      Address transportation,traffic and roadway concerns submitted by INC supported neighborhoods. 
c.       Develop a strategy to address the traffic and roadway concerns. 
d.       Conduct an annual transportation information Q&A session.

If your neighborhood would like to request support or assistance with a transportation issue in your neighborhood-Please submit a request to the transportation committee via the INC.transportation email 

Road Projects

Alston Road Widening- U-3308
What it is:   NC 55 (Alston Avenue), from NC 147 (I. L. "Buck" Dean Freeway) to US 70 Business-NC 98 (Holloway Street).  Widening to 4 lanes, divided facility (which takes a lot of space), and replace Norfolk-Southern Railroad Bridges.  

Website: https://apps.dot.state.nc.us/Projects/Search/ProjDetails.aspx?ProjID=3848
Neighborhoods affected and their concerns: Safety
Current neighborhood concern is the displacement of local supermarket would cause the community an environmental injustice.  For the Golden Belt Neighborhood Association, the current plan would split our neighborhood further and remove historic structures we would like to protect.

Contacts:Neighborhood: Golden Belt, East Durham, Cleveland-Holloway, & Eastway VillageStaff: Beverly Robinson - brobinson at ncdot.gov

East End Connector
What it is:  The proposed project would provide a direct connection between the Durham Freeway (NC 147) and US 70 (Miami Boulevard), as well as make improvements to US 70 from Pleasant Drive to north of Holloway Street (NC 98). This project has been 'on the books' since 1959 and was always out-rated by other projects throughout the state until a compromise agreement back in the early 2000's that transformed it into a set of road and highway improvements to replace the ill fated Eno Drive loop project.    The latest schedule has Right of Way acquisition (final pieces) in 2011 with construction to begin in 2014.  Melvin Whitley was instrumental in pushing for an additional exit ramp off the EEC that will improve the potential for badly needed economic development in the area impacted by this construction project.  

Website: http://www.ncdot.org/projects/eastendconnector/
Neighborhoods affected and their concerns: 12 houses will be destroyed to make way for the highway.  Many neighborhoods are hoping the EEC will take through-traffic off their streets.
Contacts:Neighborhood: East DurhamStaff: Leza Mundt, AICP- Consultant Engineer, NCDOT   (919) 733-7844 Ext. 244
·         1548 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1548

Rebuilding Revere Road
What it is: Revere Road was built by a developer, started falling apart when the first car drove on it, and now needs to be dug out to 18-24 inches and totally re-built.  

Website: http://www.ci.durham.nc.us/departments/works/revere/index.cfm
Neighborhoods affected and their concerns: Parkwood has been working with Public Works to make sure every homeowner can get to their driveway every night, that the Christmas parade will not be interrupted, and that residents know exactly what is going on.
Contacts:Neighborhood:  Mike BrooksStaff: Kyle Butler by e-mail or at (919) 560-4326, ext 30245

Triangle Expressway
What it is: Toll facility connecting RTP and 540 is the only toll facility in the US that will not have toll booths.  Instead they will incorporate electronic billing (much like E-PASS) for toll collections.  It should be open to traffic next year.

Website: http://www.ncturnpike.org/projects/Triangle_Expressway/
Neighborhoods affected and their concerns:
Contacts:Neighborhood:Staff:

Non-Road Projects (Transit, Bike, Pedestrian)
Long term regional transit plan
What it is: Plans for paying for the building faster transit (probably rail, but possibly busway) across the Triangle; there would also be more feeder bus routes.  At some point, we will be asked to vote on a sales tax to pay for the system.  They have evaluated quite a few possibilities (a full system across the Triangle, just selected segments such Alston Ave. to UNC, etc).

Website:  http://www.ourtransitfuture.com/
Neighborhoods affected and their concerns:
Contacts:Neighborhood:Staff:

Cross Triangle Greenway
What it is: Connecting up pieces of green-way to create a way to commute across the Triangle on a bike. It would link the investment Durham has made in the American Tobacco Trail to similar facilities in Chapel Hill and Wake County.

Website: http://www.CrossTriangleGreenway.org/
Neighborhoods affected and their concerns: This is an opportunity for neighborhoods already on the American Tobacco Trail.
Contacts:Neighborhood:Staff:

High speed rail
What it is: NCDOT rec'd $500 million from the federal government (with potential of 100's more from other states allocation if they don't use/want it) to contribute to faster service to NC from Washington DC to Charlotte with links to Atlanta to the south and NYC to the north in the next 15-25 years.   This would connect the two urban crescents (NC and Virginia).

Website:  http://www.sehsr.org/history.html
Neighborhoods affected and their concerns:
Contacts:Neighborhood:Staff:

Studies

2035 plan (soon to start 2040 plan)
The 2035 Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) is the guide for major transportation investments in the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC-MPO) area. The DCHC-MPO area covers the entire Durham County and the urbanized portions of Orange and Chatham Counties. The 2035 LRTP recommends major transportation projects, policies and strategies designed to maintain existing transportation systems and serve the region's future travel needs. The 2035 LRTP is also designed to support land use and air quality goals for the urban area, and must be prepared in accordance with Federal transportation and environmental requirements. Projects must be in the 2035 LRTP in order to receive state and federal transportation funding through the North Carolina Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).

Unofficial interpretation:  The feds pay for enough of our transportation infrastructure that we have to do what they say, and one of the things they say we have to do is have a long-range regional plan that was created with lots of public comment and shows how we will control auto emissions.  One plan (2025?) did kill Eno Drive and get the East End Connector out of limbo, but mostly this is a bit of a kabuki exercise.  Because the plan is supposed to be “realistic,” we can’t affect some critical assumptions (how many people will live in the area, for example) and we don’t ask questions about what an increasing cost of gasoline might do to development patterns.  

What is clearly useful in the plan is neighborhoods can look at the results to see proposed projects in their area, what is will be like to get from their area to various destinations, and possibly what the traffic will be like cutting through their area.

Website:  http://www.dchcmpo.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=65&Itemid=35
Neighborhoods affected and their concerns:
Contacts:Neighborhood:Staff: Andy Henry, (919) 560-4366, andrew.henry at durhamnc.gov,

NC54-I40 study
The NC 54 corridor is a gateway for our region, with both local and regional importance. The NC 54-I40 interchange has consistently ranked as the top congested location in the region. Despite growing congestion within the corridor, this area continues to be attractive leading to on-going development pressures within the corridor. The regional transit corridor goes through this region.  This development pressure coupled with growing mobility issues highlight the need to develop short and long-range land use and transportation strategies that will assist the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO), the City of Durham, Durham County, and the Town of Chapel Hill in shaping the growth within this corridor.

The consulting firm applied a lot of new techniques -- focus groups, scenario analysis, etc -- to the problem.

The MPO (which is doing it, *not* the municipalities) expects to work over the draft until May, at the earliest, before a "Final" plan is released so lots of time for staff to clean up the mess left by the consulting firm.

The current plan has some short-term fixes, some medium-term proposals, and a long-term vision.  The short-term plans are mostly for improved pedestrian safety and upgraded intersections.  It is the medium-term proposals that concern the neighborhoods.  The long-term plan would have a new dense mixed-use development just northwest of the NC54 I-40 intersection, around a proposed transit stop.

Website:  http://www.nc54-i40corridorstudy.com//
Neighborhoods affected and their concerns: Falconbridge, Cross Counties, Downing Creek, and probably are others are concerned because the study really is concerned with making more tax-base and development opportunities while making east-west traffic flow OK, and gives little or no weight the the problems of people going north-south through the area.  The proposed changes in the NC-54 and I-40 area are particularly worrisome for people coming from Durham on NC54 and trying to go towards Ephesus Church and with respect to cut-through traffic on Huntingridge.

Contacts:Neighborhood:Staff: Leta Huntsinger e-mail - leta.huntsinger at durhamnc.gov or 919-560-4366 extension*36423.
Northern Durham Parkway Study
The Northern Durham Parkway was developed by the Durham Joint City-County Planning Commission in response to local citizen concerns with the proposed Durham Northwest-Northeast Loop. The "Northern Durham Parkway Alternate Evaluation" analyzes the potential impacts of the Parkway on the human and natural environments, and determines the Parkway's eligibility for funding, environmental agency support, and adherence to the purpose and need for transportation improvements.

Website: http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/ndp/
Neighborhoods affected and their concerns:
Contacts:Neighborhood:Staff: ??
Ephesus Fordham small area plan
	In an effort to encourage development and to grow the non-residential tax base, the Town of Chapel Hill is working on a plan for the Ephesus Church - Fordham area.  This planning initiative is being led by the Town's economic development division.  The study will consider current transportation conditions, define future land uses and offer solutions for the existing transportation network. The ultimate goal is to encourage reinvestment in properties within the study area, which includes Ram's Plaza. The study, which is expected to be completed in nine months, will include examination of transportation (including possibly changing the street map and adding bike/ped and transit capabilities) and potential future land uses, recommendations to encourage reinvestment in properties. The project began on June 20th with the collection of information, assessment of existing conditions and an initial meeting the Project Staff Team.

Website: http://www.townofchapelhill.org/index.aspx?page=1518
Neighborhoods affected and their concerns: The area is the western entrance into Cross Counties, and sometimes ½ the time to get to downtown Chapel Hill is spent getting through the study area.  Thus, the neighborhood cares about improving movement through the area (you wouldn’t think it would take a transportation consultant to tell you that there are too many turns out of driveways there), but doesn’t need any more cut-through traffic.  

Other neighborhoods may be interested in the study process.
Contacts:Neighborhood:  Pat Carstensen, pats1717 at hotmail.comStaff: Chapel Hill planning - economicdevelopment at townofchapelhill.org

Traffic Effects on Neighborhoods

Hot-spot Traffic Concerns
We have a number of roads or intersections which are unsafe.Herndon and Barbee Road -- It isn’t a square corner, affecting visibility and ease of making a turn.  There is a stop sign for traffic on Herndon, and the amount of traffic is such that you either wait for ages or go when it’s not really safe to do so.  A 4-way stop would be safer, or perhaps a signal or round-about.  Contacts: Melissa Rooney, FairfieldFayetteville/751 and then cutting right onto Scott King as another big problem when the school opens with flying commuters.Markham and Magnum intersection -- I think the issue is that the “temporary” safety barrier has been there for years and it isn’t really safe.Widening of Hope Valley Road -- The section between Woodcroft Parkway and South Roxboro would be widened, new traffic signals added, and the alignmnet at South Roxboro changed.  See Planning WebsiteDowntown Loop -- When are we going to remove it?
Traffic Calming Measures
If your neighborhood would like to request support or assistance with a traffic calming measure-Please submit a request to the transportation committee via the INC.transportation email

Other Items
Charging stations for electric vehicles
A few municipalities are starting to put in infrastructure for electric vehicles.  At some point, we probably want to look at how our planning code deals with them.

National Transportation Legislation
The current transportation bill that directs spending on our nation’s roads, bridges and transit systems is set to expire on December 31, 2010. While it is virtually assured that Congress will not pass a new transportation bill before 2011, they will likely extend the current transportation bill before leaving Washington at the end of December.  The new bill could go either way -- a lot less money, especially for anything but roads, or more focus on making a transportation systems more sustainable and better integrated with land use.

Education / Resources on Transportation Planning
Transportation Planning is full of acronyms and jargon (MPO, HOV, VMT, commuter rail, light rail, and so on).  Which organization does what among the MPO, NC-DOT, Durham Transportation, Triangle Transit, the TAC, etc?  What questions should a neighborhood ask about the transportation elements of a development plan?  What do you do to make a “transportation improvement” less harmful to your neighborhood?  How do you ask to have a transportation issue fixed? 

Is is worth writing / finding website or document to help neighborhoods, or would it better to have a set of people who would be willing to help neighborhoods when they need it? 		 	   		  
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