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North South Bus Rapid Transit - Locally Preferred Alternative Update. (*Reissued from 12/5/18)
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Staff: |
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Brian Litchfield, Transit Director |
Transit |
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Matthew Cecil, Transit Development Manager |
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Overview: The North-South Bus Rapid Transit (NSBRT) project supports the goals of Chapel Hill 2020, which calls for improved transit service on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. In April of 2016, the Chapel Hill Town Council approved the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) for the NSBRT project with three running-way options: 1) constructing a dedicated curb lane from Estes Drive to Eubanks Road. 2) Construct a dedicated center lane from North Street to Eubanks Road 3) either constructing or converting dedicated curb lanes between Estes Drive and North Street.
During the early phases of environmental and preliminary design work, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) recommended selecting a preferred running-way for the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard section between Eubanks Road and North Street. With guidance from FTA and the Transit Partners Committee, the Consultant Team (AECOM) analyzed the options for this section of the corridor in coordination with the NSBRT Technical and Policy Committees. The Committees are comprised of members from the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO), Go Triangle, Downtown Chapel Hill, UNC Health Care, The University of North Carolina, Town of Carrboro, Orange County, Town of Chapel Hill, and Chapel Hill Transit.
Background:
• On November 9, 2015 <http://chapelhill.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=7&event_id=440&meta_id=109516>, the Council received an update on the NSBRT Project.
• On April 27, 2016 <http://chapelhill.granicus.com/DocumentViewer.php?file=chapelhill_007789065cf9eb618e7bdb4fa7372a3b.pdf&view=1>, the Council adopted the LPA with three (3) running-way options for the northern section of the NSBRT Project.
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Recommendation(s): |
• That the Council consider adopting an update to the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA), for the corridor between North Street and Eubanks Road along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, to construct a dedicated curb lane between Estes Drive and Eubanks road, and to further evaluate converting a dedicated curb lane or constructing a dedicated curb lane from North Street to Estes Drive, during the environmental portion of the project, consistent with recommendation from the Transit Partners Committee and the NSBRT Technical and Policy Committees.
• That the Council authorize Chapel Hill Transit to submit the updated LPA to the DCHC MPO for adoption into the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP).
Decision Points:
Select running-way from the three (3) options included in the adopted LPA for the NSBRT Corridor between Eubanks Road and North Street.
Key Issues:
• Following a request by Orange County, staff assessed the potential for extending the NSBRT route from the Eubanks Park and Ride to the Durham Technical Community College campus in Hillsborough. The analysis determined that an extension was not currently feasible (Attachment: Technical Memorandum: Assessing the Feasibility of Extending North-South BRT Service to Hillsborough).
• An updated LPA is necessary to more accurately refine costs and define the schedule for environmental review, consistent with guidance provided by FTA. Staff evaluated the opportunities of each potential LPA option based on the following factors:
o BRT and bus operations
o Traffic operations
o Safety and emergency vehicles
o Active transportation
o Construction
• The analysis was conducted with the guidance of the Technical and Policy Committees and approved by the Transit Partners Committee. It was also informed by community engagement with key stakeholders, neighborhoods, local businesses, and the University, and recent open house events:
o October 22, 2018 - 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM: Christ United Methodist Church
o October 23, 2018 - 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM: Chapel Hill Public Library
o October 23, 2018 - 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM: Orange United Methodist Church
o November 7, 2018 - 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM: Carrboro Town Hall
• An updated LPA with clear priorities helps the Town spend resources only on options we might use.
Fiscal Impact/Resources: Funding for the current phase of the project is provided by the Orange County Transit Plan.
Council Goals:
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Create a Place for Everyone |
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Develop Good Places, New Spaces |
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Support Community Prosperity |
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Nurture Our Community |
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Facilitate Getting Around |
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Grow Town and Gown Collaboration |
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Attachments: |
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• NSBRT LPA Update Resolution |
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• Draft Staff Presentation |
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• Technical Memorandum: Assessing the Feasibility of Extending North-South BRT Service to Hillsborough |
A RESOLUTION TO RECOMMEND A REVISED LOCALLY PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE FOR THE NORTH-SOUTH CORRIDOR STUDY (2019-01-16/R-5)
WHEREAS, the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill approved the NSCS North-South Corridor Study (NSCS) Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA), directed that it be included in the Durham - Chapel Hill - Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC) Metropolitan Transportation Plan, and approved submission of a request to enter the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Capital Investment Program, Small Starts Project Development on April 27, 2016; and
WHEREAS, the NSCS LPA was approved entry into the FTA’s Capital Investment Program, Small Starts Project Development on November 21, 2016; and
WHEREAS, the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill received an update on a revised NSCS LPA on December 5, 2018 from Chapel Hill Transit (CHT) that was recommended by the Chapel Hill Transit Public Transit Committee and the NSCS Technical and Policy Committees; and
WHEREAS, CHT has completed public outreach and meetings with various community, business, and institutional stakeholders along the NSCS corridor to review the revised LPA; and
WHEREAS the revised LPA includes the following modifications from the LPA approved by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill on April 27, 2016:
- Eliminate consideration of an extension to the Durham Technical Community College Hillsborough campus from further study,
- Eliminate the center running Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) guideway option from further study,
- Recommend that the following BRT guideway designs be carried forward for additional design and environmental analysis:
- Mixed traffic operations on Eubanks Road,
- Construction of a dedicated curb running BRT guideway between Eubanks Road and Estes Road,
- Either construction of and/or conversion of a dedicated curb running BRT guideway between Estes Road and North Street
- Recommend a multi-use path for active transportation users,
- Recommend intersection improvements to benefit all users; and
WHEREAS the BRT route south of North Street that was recommended in the April 2016 LPA remains unchanged.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council hereby approves the revised NSCS LPA, that it be included in the Durham - Chapel Hill - Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC) Metropolitan Transportation Plan, and for CHT to complete 30 percent engineering and environmental review of the revised LPA.
This the 16th day of January, 2019.
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The Agenda will reflect the text below and/or the motion text will be used during the meeting. |
presenter
PRESENTER: Brian M Litchfield, Transit Director
Dan Meyers, Senior Transit Planner, AECOM
Julia Suprock, Senior Transportation Planner, AECOM
RECOMMENDATION: That the Council consider adopting an update to the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA), for the corridor between North Street and Eubanks Road along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, to construct a dedicated curb lane between Estes Drive and Eubanks road, and to further evaluate converting a dedicated curb lane or constructing a dedicated curb lane from North Street to Estes Drive, during the environmental portion of the project, consistent with recommendation from the Transit Partners Committee and the NSBRT Technical and Policy Committees; and that the Council authorize Chapel Hill Transit to submit the updated LPA to the DCHC MPO for adoption into the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP).