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Update on the Development of the Draft 2026-2035 STIP and Consideration of Transportation Projects for Prioritization 7.0.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this agenda item is to provide the Town Council with an update on the development of the 2026-2035 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), the prioritization schedule and the proposed list of Town projects for consideration for P7.0.
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Department
DEPARTMENT: Planning
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Contact
CONTACT INFORMATION: Christina Moon, Planning Administrator, 919-918-7325, cmoon@carrboronc.gov <mailto:cmoon@carrboronc.gov>; Patricia McGuire, Planning Director, 919-918-7327, pmcguire@carrboronc.gov
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Council Direction
COUNCIL DIRECTION:
___ Race/Equity ____ Climate ____ Comprehensive Plan __X__Other
Council Direction Statement
The projects recommended for consideration in the SPOT 7.0 process have been identified in the Comprehensive Plan and Bicycle Plan as priority projects that advance multimodal travel options which further the Town’s efforts toward climate action and race/equity.
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Information
INFORMATION: About every two to three years, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) develops a state transportation improvement plan (STIP) to identify funding and schedule transportation projects for a period of ten years. NCDOT selects these projects using a data-driven prioritization process established by the Strategic Transportation Investments (STI) law, adopted in 2013. (Information about STI may be found at the following link: <https://www.ncdot.gov/initiatives-policies/Transportation/stip/Pages/strategic-transportation-investments.aspx> ).
The process for P6.0 began in early 2019 but was subsequently paused due to NCDOT funding issues. Since that time, NCDOT has worked with its partner regional planning organizations to obtain updated cost estimates and schedules for projects previously programmed for funding to determine how much funding is available for new projects in the upcoming funding cycle. It is anticipated that all projects submitted as part of P6.0 will be resubmitted as part of P7.0, but due to increasing construction costs, the number of new project submittals will be limited.
Carrboro submitted six projects as part of the P6.0 process, three bike/ped projects and three highway projects. These include:
§ Bike-Pedestrian Projects
§ NC Old 86 - Bike lanes from Farm House Rd to Homestead Rd
§ Seawell School Rd - Sidepath or bike lanes and sidewalk (2 projects submitted) from Estes Dr to Homestead Rd
§ Highway Projects
§ NC Old 86 - Corridor improvements for all modes from Old Fayetteville Road to Calvander proposed as modernization
§ NC 54 & Old Fayetteville - Intersection Improvements
§ Calvander - Intersection Improvements
Based on the initial scoring for P6.0, staff is recommending the following projects for Resubmittal as part of P7.0:
• Seawell School Road sidepath (Bike/Ped project: local match required). This will involve coordination with Chapel Hill.
• Old NC 86/Hillsborough Road from Farmhouse Road to Calvander bike lanes and sidewalk (Bike/Ped project: local match required). Further coordination with Orange County and NCDOT will be needed.
• NC 54 Superstreet. Staff is reevaluating whether to resubmit the proposal for a reduced conflict intersection/superstreet for NC 54 from James Street to just west of Old Fayetteville Road. This proposed project is intended to address the community’s interest in a full-movement to the Lloyd Farm development. To date, a left-in movement for eastbound travel has been approved as part of the permit.
• NC 54 sidepath project. The project was only guaranteed funding for design in the last STIP, and is therefore subject to reprioritization.
New project submitted:
• Phase 2 of the Morgan Creek Greenway. Phase 1 is under design, an Engineer’s Estimate for Phase 2 has been prepared. Completion of Phase 2 would extend the project close to the final destination points of University Lake via existing formal and informal paths.
Based on the previous experience, staff is recommending at this point that the Calvander intersection improvement project not be resubmitted. Additional discussions with Orange County and NCDOT are needed to evaluate the feasibility of a project focused on bicycle safety -such as a one-lane roundabout or a one-lane roundabout with an outer multi-use path rather than a vehicular capacity design.
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Fiscal and Staff Impact
FISCAL IMPACT: Future fiscal impacts are dependent on the selection of projects during the P7.0 process.
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Recommendation
RECOMMENDATION: The Town Manager recommends that the Town Council adopt the attached resolution that updates and reaffirms the Town’s interest in these projects.
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