title
Adopt a Resolution Opposing North Carolina Department of Transportation Incursion into the Oosting Natural Area.
body
Overview: On November 13, 2018, the Orange County Board of Commissioners adopted a resolution opposing North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) incursion into the Oosting Natural Area. This area is a segment of Duke Forest adjacent to Whitfield Road, just north of the I-40 intersection with NC 86/Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard. Upon adoption, the Board of Commissioners requested the Town's support of the resolution.
Recommendation(s):
That the Council adopt the attached resolution opposing NCDOT incursion into the Oosting Natural Area and requesting that NCDOT consider alternatives to disrupting this area and impacting homes in the Northwood community.
Additional Background:
NCDOT recently began publicizing a project to widen I-40 in Orange County. (This included scheduling a public meeting in Chapel Hill on November 5, which was postponed due to the OWASA water main break and has not yet been rescheduled.) Funding for the project could be approved in mid-2019, with right-of-way purchasing projected to start in 2021 and construction in 2023.
As part of that project, NCDOT is also considering changes to and around the NC 86 exit of I-40 to help alleviate rush hour issues. Proposed changes to Eubanks Road, south of the I-40/NC 86 intersection, would impact homes in the Northwood community.
Proposed changes to Whitfield Road, north of the I-40/NC 86 intersection, would impact the Henry J. Oosting Natural Area. In addition to being part of Duke Forest, this area lies within the Rural Buffer, which defines Chapel Hill's urban services boundary. It is recognized by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources' Natural Heritage Program as a Registered Heritage Area.
Attachments:
* Resolution
* NCDOT design drawing - I-40/NC 86 interchange - Alternate 2
* NCDOT design drawing segment - Whitfield Road
...
Click here for full text