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Authorize the Town Manager to Submit Design Work to NCDOT for the West Franklin Street Lane Reallocation Project.
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Staff:
Department:
Bergen Watterson, Transportation Planning Manager
Planning Department
Overview: This memorandum provides background, overview, and next steps for the proposed West Franklin Street Lane Reallocation project. Many lane reallocation projects result in an increased number of pedestrians and bicyclists, more customers and higher sales revenues for local businesses, and decreases in speeding and crashes along the redesigned corridors.
Recommendation(s):
That the Council adopt the resolution, authorizing the Town Manager to submit design work to NCDOT for the West Franklin Street Lane Reallocation Project.
Background
Town staff have been considering redesigning the lanes on West Franklin Street for a number of years, and it is a recommended project in the 2017 Mobility and Connectivity Plan. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) will be resurfacing the road between May and August of 2020, which provides an opportunity to add bike lanes by changing the pavement markings on West Franklin at a fraction of the cost that it would normally be. Additionally, the Town of Carrboro is evaluating a lane reallocation on East Main Street, which, if implemented, would provide important connectivity for bicycles between the towns.
In October 2019 Town Council asked staff to proceed with the traffic analysis and pavement marking plans required by NCDOT to determine whether a lane reallocation on West Franklin Street would function adequately.
Overview
The West Franklin Street Lane Reallocation, if approved by Town Council and NCDOT, would extend from Columbia Street to Merritt Mill Road. The exact design is not known at this time, but it would likely include bike lanes of some sort, additional on-street parking, and a center turn lane. The analysis will also include consideration of loading/delivery vehicles and tran...
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