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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRoad Classifications-1989R o a d C itzzs . 0 1 TIES In Ne-, 1 DCM COPY DCM COPY i !t! lease do not remove...,... Division of Coastal Management hlew Hanover Couninj Plan ing Department The preparation of this document was financed in part through a grant provided by the North Carolina Coastal Management Program, through funds provided by the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended, which is administered by the Office of Ocean and Coastal Re- sources Management, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. i CONTENTS ti Purpose History of Existing Access Criteria for Multi -family Development Street Hierarchies and Classifications Thoroughfare Classification Plan Inventory The Existing New Hanover County Thoroughfare Classification Plan Future Directions Recommendations ROAD CLASSIFICATIONS IN NEW HANOVER COUNTY This.. report seeks - to describe and analyze road classifications for-selected_roads in New Hanover County. The purpose of this analysis is to develop a road classification .system for determining access eligibility for- high density multi -family projects in the unincorporated areas of the County. There are requirements for non-residential uses in the County; however, this report does not address that issue. II. HISTORY OF EXISTING ACCESS CRITERIA FOR MULTI -FAMILY DEVELOPMENTS The reliance on thoroughfares for determining eligibility for higher density projects dates back to the 1972 Zoning Ordinance adopted by the County. In that Ordinance, apartments or .other, formsof multi -family development had to have direct access to an existing thoroughfare as shown on the Thoroughfare Plan, or to a marginal access road along such thoroughfares. The Thoroughfare -Plan referred to here :is the Wilmington Thoroughfare Plan, which included some recommended improvements in the unincorporated area. In addition to that access criteria, an applicant also had to obtain a -Special Use Permit. This access requirement remained in vogue for several years. However, only one high density development was built during that time. That was Governor's Square on South College Road. Then in 1980, the Zoning Ordinance was modified to permit by right multi -family development in areas where direct access to an existing collector or arterial facility -was available. It was also during this same time period that the New Hanover County Thoroughfare Classification Plan was developed. This represented a -more liberal approach for multi -family development and was in sharp contrast to the limits imposed for similar projects having access only to thoroughfares. The result, an entirely new generation of roadways -Vas born, making it much. easier to establish *higher density projects throughout the County.. - This philosophy prevailed until the last Land Use Plan Update in 1986. It had become apparent that in the time prior to the update, unclear definitions and the total number of roads eligible for.. high density development had created an uncontrollable and haphazard approach to siting higher density development. Liberal interpretations by the Board of Adjustment of what actually constituted a collector road brought to staff's attention that a change was needed. In the 1986 Land Use Plan Update, the total land area classified transition, which permits higher density development, was reduced. Recognizing. the significant reduction, staff followed up with a series of zoning. text amendments that increased the allowable density of multi -family projects within that area. However, the access eligibility was also limited by eliminating collector roads from 1 the formula. Currently, all high density projects must have access to a minor or major arterial. As before, roads not now classified as a minor or major arterial can be petitioned for inclusion. Applications are processed in much the same manner as a rezoning application, except .no special notice is required for adjoining property owners. A recent example of this process is the addition of Racine Drive to the list as a " minor arterial". III. STREET HIERARCHIES AND CLASSIFICATIONS Though the major focus of this report 'is to analyze arterials for high density development eligibility, some -background of road classification systems is helpful. There is a fundamental framework for most road classification systems. The highest level is usually the arterial. Such roads are basically designed to convey traffic between inter -regional centers.: On the lower order of the classification system is the residential access street. Streets so designated are designed to. carry the least amount of traffic at the.lowest speed. In between the. lower and upper designations of the street hierarchy is a _diverse range of street classifications (Figure I). ' There are collector streets, residential subcollectors and minor arterials, each performing specialized traffic movement functions -and all designed to move vehicles safely and efficiently to arteries providing higher levels of service. (For detailed definitions, see Figure II.) Street hierarchies have obvious importance for land use planning purposes (Litokin and Walker). Foremost, they promote safety. As land use sprawls in all directions, planners are able to direct, through zoning and subdivision ordinances, street designs that more closely resemble the.needs of the development and the community. In other words, different development types can be matched with the road- classification most closely, suited to .handle the traffic that is generated. Street hierarchies also promote efficient land uses. This means that the needs of land uses are recognized, which ensures sites have adequate access (ingress and egress) and road capacities are adequate to funnel traffic generated by the site to other roads of adequate capacities. It should be reiterated that the basic -framework for, street hierarchies is generally universal. However, the degree of sophistication from local government to. local government will vary and the ultimate range of classifications is likely to be equally as diverse.. Whatever form a local street hierarchy takes, the critical measure is how that hierarchy is utilized. In the past,.New Hanover County has relied extensively on a basic classification scheme. Three types of road.ways are identified: major arterial, minor arterial, collector roads and residential streets. The County has utilized acombination of these road designations for determining the development potential of a site - that exceeds 2.5 units an acre. 2 O oil 0 Sub col lector ( Future ) MINOR -ARTERIAL n FIGURE II RESIDENTIAL STREET HIERARCHY: DEFINITION Residential Street Type Function 1) Residential Lowest order of residential streets. Provides frontage for access Access Street to lots, and carries traffic having destination or origin on the street itself. Designed to carry the least amount of traffic at the lowest speed. All, or the maximum number of housing units, shall front on this class of street. An cast -to -west orientation is considered desirable to allow for maximum solar lot configuration. Residential access streets should be designed so that no section . conveys an ADT greater than 250. Each half of a loop street may be classified as a single residential access street, but the total traffic volume generated on the loop street should not.exceed 500 ADT, nor should it exceed 250 ADT at any point of traffic concentration. 2) Residential -Middle order of residential street. Provides frontage for access Suocollector to lots, and carves traffic of adjoining residential access streets. Designed to carry somewhat higher traffic volumes with traffic limited to motorists having origin or destination within the immediate neighborhood. Is not intended to interconnect adjoin- ing neighborhoods or subdivisions and should not carry regional through traffic. Subcollcctors shall be designed so that no section conveys an ADT greater than 500. Each half of a loop subcollector maybe classified as a single subcollector street, but the total traffic volume conveyed on the loop street should not exceed 1,000 ADT, nor should it exceed 500 ADT at any point of traffic concentration. 3) Residential Highest order of residential streets. Conducts and distributes Collector traffic between lower -order residential streets and higher -order streets —arterials and expressways. Carries the largest volume of traffic at higher speeds. Function is to promote free traffic flow; therefore, parking and direct access to homes from this level of street should be prohibited. Collectors should be designed so that they cannot be used as shortcuts by non - neighborhood traffic. 4) Arterial A higher order, interregional road in the street hierarchy. Conveys traffic between centers; should be excluded from residential areas. Guideline Maxim wn ADT 250 (each loop) 500 (total) 500 (each loop) 1,000 (total) 3,000 (total) Source: Listokin/Walker 4 FIGURE III LIST OF DESIGNATED COLLECTOR AND ARTERIAL FACILITIES FOR NEW HANOVER COUNTY THOROUGHFARE CLASSIFICATION PLAN Collectors Antionette Drive SR 1247 Bayshore Drive SR 1363 Blue Clay Road SR 1318 Edgewater Club Road SR 1402 Elisha Drive SR 1481 Gordon Road SR 1327 Gordon Road -SR 1399 Greenville Avenue SR 20017 Greenville Loop Road SR 1421 Holly Shelter Road SR 1002 Kings Grant Drive SR 2003 Kings Road, Kings Drive (SR 2057, SR 2004) Long Leaf Acres-Drive.SR 1410 Masonboro Loop Road SR 1492 Middle Sound Loop Road SR 1403 Mohican Terrace SR 1565 Murraysville Road SR 1322 North Kerr Avenue SR 1175 Oakley Road SR 1329 Oriole Drive SR 1486 Parmele Road SR 1335 and 2103 Piner Road SR 1619 - Grissom Road SR 1520 Rockhill Road SR 1331 Rogersville Road SR 1419 Sanders Road SR 1187 'Silver Lake Road SR 1197 Silva Terra Road SR 1237 Springview Drive SR 1378 Twenty-third Street (23rd) SR 1302 Arterials Carolina Beach Road (US 421 North and South) Castle Hayne Road (US 117-133) Eastwood Road (US 74) Market Street (US 17) Military Cut-off Road Hwy (US 17) North and South College Road (NC 132) Oleander Drive (US 76). Sidbury Road (SR 1336) Wrightsville Avenue (SR 1411) Racine Drive (New Addition) 1987 Counts 8,000-18,700 APT 8,300-17,000 APT 10,700-12,100 ADT 14,900-25,100 ADT 9,300-12,400 ADT 5,500-23,700 ADT 19,200-22,200 ADT 1,300 ADT 6,100-25,000 ADT (No Count Available) 5 IV. THOROUGHFARE CLASSIFICATION PLAN INVENTORY Presently, there are -39 separate roadways listed on the County's Thoroughfare Classification Plan. Of those, less than one-third (10)-fall into arterial classification category. (See Figure III for current listing.) The remaining collector roads are. primarily secondary roads maintained. by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The collector roads can be grouped into two basic categories, those serving ascentral outlets for major subdivisions and those serving as a collector from several subdivisions and .routing traffic to an arterial. For example, Kings Grant Drive serves local residential''traffic primarily from Kings Grant Drive. On the other hand, 'Middle Sound Loop Road collects traffic from a host of subdivisions and routes the traffic to.Market Street (US 17). The County's arterial inventory consists of all locally designated.NC and US' numbered :highways and three SR (secondary road) designated roadways. In name., the -inclusion of the SR designated roadways appears to contradict the essence of arterial designations. Functionally, however, -the roadways do .-serve an arterial function --connecting other major roads. For example, Sidbury Road collects residential and non-residential traffic and links NC 132 with US 17. The following is a general description of each arterial in the County. A. WRIGHTSVILLE AVENUE (SR 1411) (US 76) Wrightsville Avenue is located in the central part of the County, traversing- the County from east' -central Wilmington to Wrightsville Beach. The corridor is approximately 6.1 miles in length including the segment located in Wilmington. The primary land use fronting the road is residential, although there are scattered commercial uses in the CityJs segment of the road and a higher concentration of -commercial zones nearer. Wrightsville Beach. Recent development trends indicate a great interest to develop high density projects in the County's segment of -this thoroughfare. This has been perpetuated mainly by the availability of sewer. These include Wrightsville Place, Bayberry. Forest and Bradley View. - The thoroughfare is primarily a two-lane facility with a sixty foot (60) right-of-way. It serves as a major connector from. North College for beach -oriented and local residential traffic. 1987 traffic counts -indicate a steady increase in flow along the route, with the greatest increases since 1983 along the area nearest Wrightsville beach. Road widths have been increased. east of the Military Cut-off intersection by adding turning lanes and increasing lane widths. This action has made flow in this area of the corridor less congested but has not relieved the 'overall 6 traffic problem. (See Fig. IV, for traffic counts on selected arterials.) B. CAROLINA BEACH ROAD- (US 421 South, US 421 North) - Carolina Beach Road runs the entire length of the County. (north to south) beginning at the Pender County line and terminating in Fort Fisher. -The. corridor Is total length in the County is approximately 27.84+ miles. In the southern part of- the County, the road consists of a four -lane facility with a- grassed median in a 150 foot right-of-way. The _northern segment, that area north of the Northeast Cape Fear --River, is a multi -lane facility within a 150 foot right-of-way. -Except for a small 'enclave of residential uses (Flemington) the entire -northernmost area is zoned for 'industrial use. As a result of the land use pattern and zoning on this section of the corridor, future residential development appears remote. Land uses along the southern segment. in the unincorporated -County north of Snow's Cut vary widely. Pockets of commercial districts dot the roadway and a -large; well-defined commercial node is defined- in, the Monkey Junction area. Residential development consists- of a mixture of mobile homes,. old and new subdivisions and single structures unassociated with a specific subdivision. Traffic volumes along this segment of the road have increased by 40o since 1983 and as residential projects and commercial centers continue to develop, this trend of increased traffic volumes is likely to continue. C. EASTWOOD ROAD - Eastwood Road begins at US 17 (Market Street), east of. the City of Wilmington and terminates in Wrightsville Beach. The corridor's - total- length is approximately 5.1+ miles. The road is primarily a two-lane facility within a 150 foot right-of-way. Traffic volumes have steadily increased over the last several years, with an average increase of 25o for that part of the road in the County's jurisdiction'.. The development of Landfall, an upscale golf course community and some commercial development, led to major road improvements to the portion of the corridor just west of Military Cut-off eastward to Plaza East. Improvements included four-laning with a center landscaped median and a sidewalk/bikepath parallel to the road. These improvements collectively help reduce some of the congestion associated with new development in the area and beach bound traffic although the traffic problems have not been solved by these measures. Land uses along the corridor include a variety of scattered commercial uses and residential projects. Much of the commercial development is confined to three areas. These include: lands west of Cardinal Drive, the Military Cut-off 7 c• Road intersection, and the area east of Plaza East Shopping Center. Residential uses include a combination of single-family and multi -family projects. A unique characteristic of this Road is the application of Special .Highway Overlay District Zoning. This district places additional site development controls on all non-residential development including additional setbacks, restricting the location of off-street parking and loading, outside storage and signage. Residential activity is not affected by these additional requirements-. D. MILITARY CUT-OFF ROAD This arterial is located in eastern. New Hanover County. It begins at. Wrightsville Avenue and runs northward to its termination at US 17. it was originally constructed for military use, transporting military traffic from bases to the north, (e.g. Camp. Lejuene) to the state port. . Over time, the road has developed into a truck route and serves as a major link for beach bound traffic from US 17. Also, the road - is a critical link of -the Wilmington New- Hanover County's .proposed outer loop. The road itself is approximately 3.1+ miles in -length within a 100 foot right-of-way. it is primarily a two-lane facility, except for the area fronting the Landfall project. From this point to just south of Eastwood Road, Military Cut-off has been widened to four lanes with intermittent turning lanes. As with Eastwood Road, these road improvements, made by the T-andfall developers, were aimed at easing the anticipated congestion associated with traffic from the project's commercialand residential sectors. For example, traffic volumes have steadily increased since 1983--up-42.5o and the rate of development in the. area indicates that increased loads will continue. Land usage along the road is primarily residential or vacant with the exception of commercial clusters at US 17 and Eastwood Road. Recent trends indicate there is a growing pressure to rezone properties fronting the road to commercial from residential. In November, 1988, Special Highway Overlay District (S.H.O.D.) zoning was applied to Military Cut-off. As with Eastwood Road, the designation of S.H.O.D. imposes special site development criteria for non-residential.uses only. E. NORTH AND SOUTH COLLEGE ROADS (NC 132) - NC 132 (College Road) traverses central _New Hanover county on a north -south axis, beginning at the northern.end at US 117 in Castle Hayne and terminating in southern New Hanover County at Monkey Junction. It's total length is approximately 14.7+ miles. In the unincorporated County, the road is primarily a two-lane facility, except for a small segment between .U.S. 17 -and I-40. That segment is a four -lane facility with a center median. The right-of-way width is K 200 feet. It serves as a primary north -south transportation link for the County. Traffic volumes on North College Road have risen .by 20.9 % since 1983 and with the opening of the. final links of Interstate 40, increases are likely to be meteoric in relative comparison to other roads. - (Note: I-40 terminates at NC 132 north of US 17 .(Market Street). - Traffic volumes on South College Road south of the corporate limits have risen by 35.7% since 1983. These increases are likely to continue with the rapid residential development occurring in the area. The development of shopping centers at Monkey Junction will also attract additional traffic. Land usage on the northern segment of this corridor is a mixture of commercial, industrial, residential and institutional. Industrial uses are prominent near the intersection of Hunter's-- Trail, a portion of Northchase - a Planned Development District - and just south of Castle Hayne. Residential uses predominate in the areas between these zones, except for a growing commercial cluster, at the intersection of Murraysville Road. Commercial development is also located at the intersection with US 117 and commercial uses are planned within Northchase. . Land uses along the southern segment in the County south of the corporate limits are predominantly residential. Commercial activities have been generally confined at or near the intersection of NC 132 and US 421 South. F. CASTLE HAYNE ROAD (US 117) Another primary north -south transportation link in unincorporated New Hanover County is Castle Hayne Road. The road crosses western New Hanover County, beginning at the New Hanover-Pender County line and terminating at Smiths Creek. It is approximately 7.9+ miles in length and has a right-of-way width of 100 feet.- It is primarily a two-lane facility. This road serves as a major truck route and provides. a key access link for suburban bound traffic scattered throughout the northwestern area of the County.. Also, the road serves as an important airport- access for traffic to the north. Traffic volumes, have increased about 18% since 1983 for the total length of the road. Continued residential growth in the Castle Hayne area and industrial/commercial growth will keep volumes steadily increasing. Except for an enclave of, industrial related development north of Smiths Creek and the General Electric facility north of Rockhill Road and scattered commercial clusters, the- area is dominated by various residential districts - R-15, R-10, R-20, and RA. G. OLEANDER DRIVE - This arterial is a major link between the City. of Wilmington and the Town of Wrightsville Beach. It runs on a east -west axis and is approximately 2.8 miles 9 in length - measured from the Wilmington Corporate limits to Wrightsville Avenue.. It is a multi -lane facility encompassed in a 100 foot right-of-way. Development along the corridor is intense. A wide array of commercial uses can be found on both sides of the road's frontage.. Residential .development is primarily located north and south of the corridor away from the commercial frontage. -.The intensity of development along this road, coupled with the road'-s.attraction as -a main link to the beach ranks traffic volumes along the corridor among the County's highest. Since 1983, volume has increased by almost-46%. There is no evidence to indicate that volumes will decline. H. SIDBURY ROAD - (SR 1336) Except for Wrightsville Avenue, previously discussed, and Racine Drive,- which is' discussed below, Sidbury- Road is the only other non-U.S. or N.0 numbered highway to be included in the current arterial inventory. This road is located in northeast New Hanover County beginning at Blue Clay Road and running east to its terminus at Scott's Hill in Pender County. Its total length in New Hanover county is 5.3+ miles. It is primarily a two-lane facility encompassed in a 60 foot right-of-way. Development along the road is limited primarily to scattered residential uses. The only significant subdivision development on the road is Island Creek Estates and the Meadows. Much of the land in the area consists of large undeveloped acreage tracts. While Sidbury Road provides a major link between N.C. 132 to the west and U.S. 17 at Popular Grove to the east, traffic volumes have been historically. -very low. Since 1982, traffic volumes have averaged .about 1200 ADT. This is far below volumes one would expect along a major arterial. I. RACINE DRIVE - A section of this corridor was added to the arterial inventory on. April 4, 1988. The thoroughfare itself is part of recommended road improvements for the College Acres neighborhood. The road is designed to provide direct access to UNC-W from the north (Eastwood Road) and would divert traffic presently using the northern entrance to UNC-W away from existing residential streets in College Acres. Because Racine Drive parallels N.C. 132, it is also expected some traffic from N.C. 132 would be diverted from N.C. 132 and the U.S. 17-N.C. 132 intersection. To date, two segments of Racine Drive have been completed. The first is the section between Oriole Drive and Eastwood 10 STREET Market St. Market St. Market St. Market St. Market St. N.C. 132 N.C. 132 N.C. 132 N.C. 132 ~ N.C. 132 FJ U.S. 421 U.S. 421 U.S. 421 U.S. 421 U.S. 421 U.S. 117 U.S. 117 U.S, 117 U.S. 117 U.S. 117 U.S., 117 U.S. 117 Eastwood Rd. Eastwood Rd. Eastwood -'Rd. Eastwood Rd. COMPARATIVE TRAFFIC COUNTS FOR SELECTED COUNTY ROADS 19e3, 1965 AND 1987 CHANGE % CHANGE LOCATION 1983 ADT 1985 ADT 1987 ADT '63 -'85 '83 - '87 (1) South of Military Cut-off 13,200 18,800 18,500 +42.4% +40.15% (2) Gordon Road Intersection 12,100 14,900 14,900 +23..1% +23.1% (3) South of Ogden Community 18,400 23,000 25,100 +25.0% +36.4'% (4) North of Ogden at Bayshore 14,000 17,000 16,900 +21.4'% +20.7% (5) North of Eastwood Road 16,100 16,100 21,300 No Change +32.29% (6) South of Kings Grant/Crestwood 19,600 18,000. .23,700 -08.2% +20.9% (7) North of Kings Grant 13,000 12,700 157000 -02.3% 4.15.38'% (8) Murraysville Road/ f-+ Intersection (North) 10,300 10,500 NA -01.9% NA C (9) Northchase-Laney 7,800 8$000 5,500 +02.5% -29.48% (10) Monkey Junction 8,400 101800 11,400 +28,5% +35.71% H ti (11) South of Corporate Limits 13,800 16,900 17,700 +22.5% +28.26% (12) South of Monkey Junction 13,300 14,500 18,700 +09.0% +40.60% (13) South of N.C. 133 10,300 11,000 11,900, +12.6'% +15.53%. (14) Queensboro Steel 4,900 10,300 14,100 +1,10.20% +187.75% (15) South of County Line 4,600 8,400 8,000 +82.6'% +73.9% (16) North of Smith Creek 12,300 13,000 137400 +05.6% +8.94% (17) 23rd Street Intersection 14,300 15,400 15,800 +07.6% +10.45% (18) North of N. Kerr 137000 16,600 16,500 +27.6% +26.92% (19) South of N. Kerr 13,100 17,400 17,000 +32.8% +29.77% (26) South of General Electric 11,100 12,200. 12,000 +09.9% +8,10% (21) North of Hermitage Road 63500 8,200 B,300 +26.1% +27.69'% (22) Castle Hayne Proper 9,500 10,600 10,900 +11.5% +14.73% (23) Windemere Subdivision Area 9,000 10,700 11,600 +18.8% +28.8% (24) West of Military Cut -Off 7,600 8,900 10,700 +17.1% +40.78% (25) East of. Military Cut -Off 8,800 12,100 12,700 +37.5% +44.32%' (26) East of Plaza East 9,400 11,700 11,600 +24.4'% +23.407. CHANGE % CHANGE STREET LOCATION 1983 ADT 19e3 ADT 1987 ADT 'ea -'85 '83 - '87 Wrightsville Ave. (27) East of Cape Fear Hospital 6,900 9,100 7,200 +31.8% +4.3% Wrightsville Ave. (28) West of U.S. 76, Military Cutoff. 57200 5,700 6,100 +09.6% +17.3% Wrightsville Ave. (29) East of Plaza East 9,200 10;800 15.,600 +17.4% +69.56% Wrightsville Ave. (30) Wrightsville Beach Bridge 20,790 21,590 25,000 +03.8% +20.25% Military Cut -Off (31) South of Eastwood Rd. 6,300 9,100 9,600 +44.4% +52.38% Military Cut -Off (32) North of Eastwoo'd Rd. 8,700 10,000 12,400 +13.0% +42.5% Military Cut -Off (33) South of U.S. 17 6,000 6,900 9,300 +15.0% +55.0% .-Oleander Dr. (34) Dogwood Lane Intersection 13,400 17,900' 19,200 +33.5% +43.2% Oleander Dr. (35) Greenville Loop Road Intersection 14,800 20,000 227200 +35.1% +50'0% N Oleander Dr. (36) North of Bradley Creek 19,400 19,100 N/A -01.5% N/A N. Kerr Ave. (37) Glynwood Subdivision 4,200 57700 5,700 +35.7% +35.7% N. Kerr Ave. (3e) Wrightsboro V.F.D. 6,600 7,800 7,500 +18.2% +13.6% N. Kerr. Ave. (39) Wrightsboro Community 6,600 7,300 N/A +10.6% N/A N. Kerr Ave. (40) Blue.Clay/Old Wrightsboro Rd. 7,500 8,900 N/A +18.6% N/A N. Kerr Ave. (41) West of N.C. 132 6,800 87400 8,600 +25.0% +26.74% Gordon Road (42) East of 1-40 5,800 6,200 6,200 +06.8% +06.8% Gordon Road (43) West of U.S. 17 4,900 5,600 6,400 +14.3% +30.6% Masonboro Lp. Rd. (44) South of Masonboro Sound Road Intersection .5,200 57000 5,600 -03.8% +7.69% Masonboro Lp. Rd. (45) South of Whiskey Creek 37500 .43400. 47800 +25.7% +37.14% Masonboro Lp. Rd. (46) Old Myrtle Grove Road 3,100 4,200 5,000 +35.5% +61.29% Myrtle Grove Road (47) South of Piner Road 3,200 37900 4,500 +21.8% +40.6'% Road. The second is the section between Randall Drive and New Center Drive. The remaining segment north of New. Centre Drive is under construction although a completion date is unknown. This minor arterial is approximately 1.25+ -miles in length encompassed in a 60 foot right-of-way. Part of the corridor is,located,in the City of Wilmington and part in New Hanover County. Development along the route in the County's portion is non-existent. However, a:.major multi -family project has been approved on the east side of the road and commercial uses are on the drawing board. In the near future, one can expect to find a broad mix of higher density residential uses and commercial development along this road. V. THE EXISTING NEW HANOVER COUNTY THOROUGHFARE CLASSIFICATION PLAN The previous section of, this report briefly discussed the existing: arterial inventory for. New Hanover county. The following section discusses the current qualifying criteria for establishing arterial designations as defined by this plan. (See Figure V for the arterial network.) The overall plan adopted June 4, 1979, is defined as follows "..... A functional classification system and accompanying plan of transportation facilities within the unincorporated area of New Hanover County established for -the -purpose of determining the eligibility of proposed multi -family and commercial development in terms of meeting access requirements as outlined in this ordinance." Note: This "ordinance" refers to the Zoning Ordinance.) (Emphasis added) Over the years, the use of throughfares for this purpose has served the County quite well. In more recent times, however, the development boom witnessed by the County has put great strain on the local road system and the throughfares with the greatest of flow capacities have been plagued by congestion. The County's plan (Figure VI) defines two levels of local arterials, principal and minor. The plan states that principal arterials are: designed to serve intra and inter -state trips between major urban centers with populations exceeding 5,000 persons. Typically, these include the U.S. and N.C. numbered facilities. Minor arterials augment the principal arterial system and serve as a link between a community of 100 to 5000 persons. They serve intra-county trips. These rather porous definitions listed in the plan are the only references to arterials. For one reason or another, greater attention and .13 FIGURE V ARTERIAL 'NETWORK 'FOR NEW 'HANOVER COUNTY FIGURE VI NEW HANOVER COUNTY THOROUGHFARE CLASSIFICATION PLAN New Hanover County Thoroughfare Classification Plan - A functional classification system and accompanying plan of transportation facilities within the unincorporated areas of New Hanover County established for the purpose of determining the eligibility of proposed multi -family and commercial development in terms of meeting access requirements as outlined in this ordinance. The classifications are as follows: A. Principal Arterial - Serves intra and :inter -state trip desires. between major urban centers with a population exceeding 5,000 persons. Typically, U.S. numbered facilities. B. Minor Arterial - Augments principal arterial -system and serves as a link to smaller urban areas with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 persons. Serves intra-county trip desires. C. Collector - Facility which complies with one or more of the following categories: 1. Collects traffic from residential concentrations of 100 or more units and directs it -to a higher facility, and carries a minimum traffic flow of 1,000 average vehicle trips per day; 2. Provides access to major traffic generators and serves inter -community trip desires; 3. Serves as a link between arterial facilities. In addition, the facility must meet or exceed the following standards: New Existing Construction Street Right-of-way width 60 ft. 50 ft. Pavement width - Streets w/curb or gutter 34 ft. 34 ft. - Streets w/open shoulder 20 ft. 18 ft. Minimum shoulder width* 6 ft. '6 ft. Design speed 35 mph. 35 mph. D. Local - Comprises all streets or roads not disignated as a higher facility. Provides access to land and higher facilities. Through traffic usage discouraged. 15 detail is paid to defining collector roads. In addition to a detailed definition, the plan specifies what . sorts of construction criteria and speed designs existing streets and newly constructed streets must meet to qualify for collector disignation. These types of standards are not delineated in the plan for arterial designations at all. Also, there is no cross-reference tying arterial _standards to NCDOT or other established criteria, except as noted in the County's Subdivision Ordinance. As discussed later, recommendations will be made to. bolster these definitional deficiencies. The utility of this plan rests with the fact that it has been incorporated into the County Zoning Ordinance. .For example, high density projects are required to have access or build an access to an existing minor or major arterial as listed in the classification plan. Additionally, non-residential zoning districts are required to have their principal means of ingress and egress along collector roads, minor arterials and/or major arterials. VI. FUTURE DIRECTIONS The use of the thoroughfare classification plan as just one means of siting high density development at least for the short` term, will survive. However, the long term prognosis for its survivability is uncertain. There are. many reasons for this uncertainty. One, 'development philosophy has evolved over the last few years from a position of permissiveness to one of restriction and control. An example of this thinking is recent discussions to consider adopting specific multi -family districts .as an alternative to high density being allowed in a general use R-15 or R-10 District. While thoroughfare access may still have an important role in locating new. districts, there is no guarantee it will. Two, the adoption of conditional use district zoning, which.at this writing appears likely in the fall of 1989 could make available innumerable tracts of land for consideration. At this point it is not known what access criteria would be applied. Another uncertainty surrounding the thoroughfare classification system is whether or not the plan is adequate to meet the demands of the area's growth. It was previously noted that the plan did not have any physical construction standards that it could apply to arterials, either existing or planned. Obviously, this deficiency can be easily corrected, although establishing an acceptable standard may be difficult. Also, the roads that now are included in the arterial inventory cannot continue to absorb inordinate amounts of commercial and higher density residential development without major improvements to the roads themselves and the construction of new roads which are designed to carry larger volumes of traffic. Finally, financing mechanisms are unclear and the absence of statutory authority for County road construction projects only exacerbates the situation. VII. RECOMMENDATIONS The Thoroughfare Classification Plan, at least for the short-term, should be modified to meet the needs of growth. The .growth in the County has outpaced the local road network 's ability to absorb it. As well, an.overall update is necessary to .insure that a rational linkage is made between higher density developments and the demands this type of development places on the-, . locality's transportation network. A series of recommendations are proposed in hopes of establishing a greater level of credibility for the plan and .its use in controlling and directing growth, at least higher density and commercial uses, to appropriate areas of the County. RECOMMENDATION NO. 1 The arterial inventory should be purged to eliminate the inclusion of SR numbered roads, except for Racine Drive. This would include Wrightsville Avenue and Sidbury Road. Though each may theoretically serve an arterial function, neither is designed to any arterial construction standards. Both are two-lane facilities with limited potential for :major improvements. Adequate right-of-way is -available for expansion, but improvements that might bring the roads up to arterial status have never been'a local priority although that priority could conceivably change in the future for Wrightsville Avenue. The City of Wilmington is preparing a land use plan for the Wrightsville Avenue corridor. It has tentativelybeen suggested that serious consideration be given to the upgrade of road. These improvements might include widening the corridor and establishing a road classification that more closely resembles its function in the overall network. A timetable for a final draft of this plan has been set.for September or;October. In the intervening period, the County should downgrade the corridor to,a "collector" road. Sidbury Road was included in the Thoroughfare Plan, based _primarily on its length and its linking of N.C. 132 and U.S. 17. Historically, however, traffic volumes on this arterial have been very low. In fact, volumes since 1983 have never exceeded more than 1700 average daily trips (ADTs). As previously noted, it is a two-lane facility, but unlike Wrightsville Avenue, Sidbury Road caters primarily to rural suburban traffic in northeast New Hanover County. Plans for upgrading the facility are not on any priority list nor are there local land use plans being formulated which would address a need to make major improvements that might result in an upgrade to the corridor. At the very least, this arterial should be downgraded to collector status. Racine Drive, a recent addition to the Thoroughfare Plan, is also an SR numbered road.. It, however, is purposely excluded from a downgrade because it is specifically classified as a minor arterial in the Thoroughfare Plan for the College Acres 17 neighborhood. Various links built to date also have been to standards that comply with urban thoroughfare criteria. RECOMMENDATION NO. 2 Amend the Thoroughfare Plan to include specific criteria for physical construction standards for arterial roadways, including both minor and major arterials. There are a host of standards that could be used as design criteria for newly constructed roads. These include: Major/Minor Arterials R/W Width Pavement Width Median 4-lane-divided w/median 228' 48' (12' lanes) 46' 4 lane divided rural 200' 48:' (12' lanes) 30' 7 lanes (urban) 110, 77' (min.) N/A 5-lanes (urban) 801. 55' (min.) N/A 4 lanes divided.w/raised med.'901 48' (12' lanes) 24'-30' 4 lanes (urban) 70' 4&1 N/A 2 lanes (urban) (parking) 70' 24' N/A 2 lanes (rural) 100, 24' N/A 2 lanes (urban) - parking one side 70' 30' (6' parking) -N/A There are no standards, per se, for determining arterial status for existing roads unless the criteria above are included. Currently, the County considers all U.S. and N.C. numbered highways as arterials. But if the County was limited to that approach, new roads and other existing roads could not be easily incorporated into the plan. Therefore, in addition. to the physical criteria of construction, it is further recommended that the Thoroughfare Plan be modified to include up-to-date definitions of what an arterial generally is. The following definitions are recommended: Major Arterial - A roadway which is designated and built to carry larger volumes of traffic on an inter -regional scale. Typically, such roadways will serve as the central point of access through a town, city, -.or coiinty. It shall be the highest order of road facility in the transportation network. Minor Arterial - A roadway which is designed and built to carry larger volumes of traffic on a sub -regional scale. Typically, such roadways will serve a central point of access for routing traffic through urban areas within the sub -regional area. RECOMMENDATION NO. 3 In order to maintain the basic integrity of the current plan, retain the U.S. and 'N.C. numbered highways as designated arterials. Also retain Racine Drive, a.minor arterial in the plan. Incorporate those segments of roads designated as minor or major arterials found in the Wilmington Area Thoroughfare Plan. Portions of the following listed roads, when constructed, would be located across municipal county juristictional lines. These include: Smith Creek Parkway - University Parkway Outer Loop (Northern and -Southern) In the period prior to annexation by Wilmington of those areas -affected by the construction of these roads, the road's interim designation -as minor or major arterials would be useful in the County's land use planning efforts.to site higher density development. RECOMMENDATION NO. 5 Continue to exclude collector roads as eligible access points for higher density projects. Do not, however, remove the access requirement that non-residential uses have access, at a minimum; to a collector or higher classified roadway. REFERENCES Chapin, F. Stuart, Jr., Urban Land Use Planning. University of Illinois Press, Second Edition, 1979. City of Wilmington, "Thoroughfare System for the College*IAcres Neighborhood", 1984. City of Wilmington, Proposed Transportation Facilities, 1986-2000. (1986) Goodman, William I. and Freund, Eric C., Principles and Practice of Urban Planning, International City Management Association, 1968. Listokin, David and Walker, Carole, The Subdivision and Site Plan Handbook "Ordinance", Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 1989. New Hanover County Planning Report and City of Wilmington; Wilmington -New Hanover Land Use Plan Update, 1986-1995, (1986). New Hanover County Planning, Zoning Ordinance, 1969. New Hanover County Planning, Zoning Maps, 1969. North Carolina Department of Transportation, Selected Traffic Counts, 1983-1987.