TITLE: Title
Update on the Status of Transportation Projects - Estes Drive and North Greensboro Street (TIP #U-5846)
PURPOSE: The purpose of this item is to provide the Board of Aldermen with an update on the status of the intersection improvement project at Estes Drive and North Greensboro Street.
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DEPARTMENT: Planning
CONTACT INFORMATION: Christina Moon - 919-918-7325, Patricia McGuire - 919-918-7327
INFORMATION: Since the release of the draft 2016-2025 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) in December 2014, staff has provided reports to the Board on the status of an intersection improvement project at Estes Drive and North Greensboro Street (U-5846), on May 20, 2016, October 18, 2016 and December 6, 2016. The project, funded and managed by NCDOT, has been scheduled for design work in FY2017 and construction in FY2018. A public input session was held in Town Hall on November 14, 2016, and staff subsequently participated in a field inspection meeting at NCDOT’s district office in Graham on April 25, 2017. Surrounding residents and property owners received mailed notice of project in early November 2016, as part of the outreach for the public input meeting, and again in mid-July 2017, as part of the right-of-way acquisition process.
Right-of-way drawings showing the configuration of the proposed roundabout are provided (Attachment B). Staff has received a handful of inquiries from residents who have received mailed notice from NCDOT, with questions about the project and/or the schedule moving forward. Some correspondence has included suggestions for refining the design, and such information has been forwarded to NCDOT. While design work is typically finished by the time a project has reached the right-of-way acquisition phase, staff have been in contact with NCDOT to discuss opportunities to further enhance the project, particularly as it relates to the facilities for cyclists and pedestrians. It is worth noting that it can be difficult to discern an accurate sense of scale from online research. The Estes Drive/North Greensboro Street intersection is constricted by its location, existing infrastructure in the form of buildings and stormwater pipes, as well as the heavily used Frances Shetley bikeway. Staff has encouraged NCDOT to keep the roundabout as small as possible in the interest of bike-ped users of all ages, while maintaining dimensional standards necessary for all vehicles. Staff and NCDOT are also taking into consideration the need for a seamless connection to future bike-ped improvements along Estes Drive.
FISCAL & STAFF IMPACT: No fiscal impacts are associated with receiving the project update.
RECOMMENDATION:r Staff recommends that the Board receive the update.