Sidewalk and Roadway
Prioritization
Town Council Retreat
January 25, 2015
Presentation Outline
• Overview of Sidewalk and Road Funding in
Town
– Town
– State
– Federal
• Sidewalk Prioritization
– Sidewalk Gaps in Town
– Discussion of Draft Policy
• Roadway Prioritization
– Transportation Plan Recommendations
– Prioritizing Current Needs
Sidewalk and Road Funding in Town
• Sidewalk and Road improvement projects have
generally been funded one of three ways in Town:
– Town funds
• Bonds (roadway) – McCrimmon Parkway Extension/NC 54
Bypass, Jeremiah Street, Town Hall Drive
• Operating Budget (Sidewalks) – often used to provide
matching funds for grants; Sidewalk projects can also be
funded by Powell Bill in the Town’s Operating Budget
– State Funds
• State Transportation Improvement Program
• Small Grants – Spot Safety, Spot Mobility
– Federal Funds
• CAMPO LAPP Program
Sidewalk Prioritization
• Researched best practices and policies in other
cities and towns
• Staff is working to develop a draft Sidewalk
Prioritization Policy for review by Town Council
– Includes Policy, Prioritization Method, Ranking Criteria
and Ranking Score Sheet
– Policy uses criteria and a point system to rank projects
that will fill in gaps in the Town’s sidewalk network
– Staff Committee of Public Works, Planning Department
and Engineering Department staff will rank the
sidewalk projects and determine funding eligibility
Sidewalk Prioritization
• Staff recommends using the following criteria to evaluate and score
potential sidewalk projects:
– Connections to Pedestrian Generators and Existing Network
•
•
•
•
Schools and Daycare Facilities
Transit
Activity/Commercial Centers
Public Facilities
– Safety Factors
• Street type
• Volume
• Vehicle speed
– Public Support
– Constructability
• Physical constraints
• Cost
• Once projects are ranked, staff committee may recommend moving
projects within the rankings based on available budget and funding
sources (such as leveraging grant opportunities)
• Town Council will approve the criteria and receive a report on the
sidewalk project rankings - including project scores
Sidewalk Projects
for Prioritization
Next Steps
• Staff expects to present Sidewalk
Prioritization Policy to Council in March
• Once Council approves policy, staff would
proceed to rank projects for FY2016
• Staff would present list of prioritized projects
for Council review and acceptance in
July/August
Questions & Council Discussion
Sidewalk Prioritization
Roadway Prioritization
• The 2009 Transportation Plan includes a Future
Roads Map and Recommended Cross-Sections
for many major roads in Town
• Many of these improvement projects are on
the major state roads in town:
– Aviation Parkway
– McCrimmon Parkway
– Morrisville-Carpenter Road
– NC 54
• The Plan also categorizes these improvements
into Short- and Long-Term Recommendations
2009
Transportation
Plan
Future Roadways
Map
2009 Transportation Plan – Recommended Roadway
Improvement Timeline
Roadway Prioritization
• Town Policy 2007-100, amended by 2009-068 –
Town policy on funding state road projects
– Funding for state road projects:
• Accelerate state road projects on STIP
• Projects that are jointly conducted with other jurisdictions
• Projects that address a significant public safety or
environmental concern
– Policy required Agreement with NCDOT for
reimbursement
– Policy provides funds via General Obligation Bond
• Tax rate increase only until NCDOT reimburses Town
– Based on new Strategic Transportation Investments
Legislation, staff believes Policy needs to be revised
Roadway Prioritization
• Town Capital Investment Program
– FY2015 CIP lists several Town road projects
•
•
•
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International Drive Extension (Split into 3 Segments)
Southport Drive Extension
Morrisville East Connector
Town Hall Drive Medians/Bicycle Lanes
– Previously listed State Road projects (FY 2014 CIP),
but removed because list was not up-to-date
• Projects listed were believed to be in STIP
• Project list had not been updated in several years – many
projects are no longer in STIP
– Does Council want to fund and/or prioritize state
road projects in CIP?
Transportation Prioritization
• The best way to prioritize the Town’s various
transportation needs – Road, Bike, Pedestrian
and Transit projects – is during the
Transportation Plan Update process
– This will allow for public comment, and proper
evaluation of all projects
– It is expected to take 2 – 3 Years to complete the
Transportation Plan Update Process
• There are several projects that can be
prioritized without the Transportation Plan
Update process being complete
LAPP Program
• Town has been successful
in applying for and
receiving LAPP funds
– Over $5,000,000 received
through LAPP since 2009
– 76% of Project costs in
Federal Funding
• Only 5 Roads in town
Qualify for LAPP funding
–
–
–
–
–
Morrisville-Carpenter Road
Aviation Parkway
NC 54
Morrisville Parkway
Davis Drive
• Staff recommends Council
focus prioritization on
LAPP-eligible projects
until Transportation Plan
Update Process is
Complete
– Roads eligible for LAPP
carry most traffic in Town
– Relatively easy to categorize
and evaluate projects
– Focus on MorrisvilleCarpenter Road, NC 54 and
Aviation Parkway
– Get most “bang for the
buck”
LAPP Project Evaluation
• The LAPP program evaluates projects using a set
of criteria – focused on funding high-impact
projects
– Highway Effectiveness – Score weighted based on
Project Phase
• Capacity (V/C), Benefit/Cost (using Travel Time Savings), Crash
Reduction Factors, Crash Rates
– Planning Consistency (MTP)
– Local Priority (if applying for more than 1 project)
– Project Phase (NEPA/Design, ROW, Construction)
– Prior Agency Funding (Per-Capita funding last 5 Yrs.)
Town Experience with LAPP Program
• Most projects funded through LAPP have been
construction projects – most bike/ped projects
– 1 Roadway Project – Morrisville-Carpenter Road
Widening Project, in Partnership with NCDOT
• LAPP program criteria and scoring system is
designed to fund construction projects – most
effective use of limited funds
• Using Town funds for NEPA/Preliminary Design
phase may increase probability for receiving
funding through LAPP Program
Prioritizing LAPP Projects
LAPP-Eligible
Roadway Projects
– Operational
Improvements
• Turn Lanes, Auxiliary
Lanes
– Widening
– Roadways on New
Location
– Bridges
Project Criteria
– Traffic Volume on
Roadway
– Existing Safety Issues
– Project Cost
– Project Listed on STIP
Council Discussion
• Do you support the approach recommended by
staff?
– Focus Prioritization Process on LAPP-eligible projects
– Use Transportation Plan Update Process to prioritize all
transportation projects in Town
• Revise the Road Funding Policy?
• Council Goals for Road Project Prioritization
• Staff Follow-Up:
– Take Council input to develop draft Road Prioritization
Policy
– Future Discussion with Council at Work Session