Elizabeth Brady Rd Extension (6)

CONCURRENCE MEETING
INFORMATION PACKET
FOR YOUR REVIEW
PRIOR TO MEETING ON
Thursday, February 21, 2008
PROJECT ENGINEER
Vince Rhea
TIP #U-3808
Please bring this packet
to the meeting.
~~~~~~
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AGENDA
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Eastern Concurrence Meeting
Board Room, Transportation Building
Raleigh, North Carolina
1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, Vince Rhea, Project Development Engineer, PDEA Branch
TIP No. U-3808, Elizabeth Brady Road Extension in Hillsborough from NC 86 south of US 70
Business to SR 1002 (St Mary's Road) North of US 70 Bypass
Orange County, Division 7
Team Members•
Andy Williams, USACE
Vince Rhea, PDEA
Felix Davila, FHWA
Chris Militscher, USEPA
Gary Jordan, FWA
Travis Wilson, WRC
Renee Gledhill-Earley, SHPO
David Wainwright, DWQ
Felix Nwoko, Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro MPO
NCDOT Technical Support Staff and Other Agency Staff:
Kathy Matthews, USEPA
Mike Mills, DOH Division 7
Brenda Moore, Roadway Design
Thad Duncan Roadway Design
David Chang, Hydraulics
Quang Nguyen, Structures
Ed Lewis, HEU
Mary Pope Furr, HEU
Elizabeth Lusk, NEU
Eric Midkiff, PDEA
Derrick Weaver, PDEA
* The purpose of this meeting is to reach concurrence on a Revised CP 1.

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STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENTT OF TRANSPORTATION
MICHAEL F. EASLEY
GOVERNOR
MEMORANDUM
TO: Merger Team Members
FROM: ~ Vincent J. Rhea, P.E.
Project Development and Environmental Analysis
SUBJECT: Hillsborough, Elizabeth Brady Road Extension, from south of US 70
Business to north US 70 Bypass at SR 1002 (Saint Mary's Road), Orange
County, Federal-Aid Project No. STP-0711 (1), State Project No.
8.2501901, TIP Project No. U-3808
Attached for your information is the Merger Meeting Packet for the Revisions to
Concurrence Point 1 Merger Team Meeting to be held February 21, 2008 in the BOT
meeting room.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact me at 733-7844,
extension 268.
VJR/vjr
Attachment
January 24, 2008
LYNDO TIPPETT
SECRETARY
Cc: Reggie Scales, Parsons Brinkerhoff, Quade & Douglas
files
MAILING ADDRESS:
NC DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
1548 MAIL SERVICE CENTER
RALEIGH NC 27699-1548
TELEPHONE: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
WEBSI7E: WWW.DOH.DOT.S1ArE.NC.US
LOCATION:
TRANSPORTATION BUILDING
1 SOUTH WILMINGTON STREET
RALEIGH NC

Elizabeth Brady Road Extension
Orange County
TIP Project No. U-3808
State Project No.: 8.2501901
Federal Project No.: STP-0711(1)
The NEPA/Section 404 Merger Team reached concurrence on the Purpose and Need of the
Elizabeth Brady Road Extension Project on June 14, 2001. The purpose of the project was to:
1. Reduce traffic congestion and improve the Level of Service (LOS) in the central business
district of the Town of Hillsborough, including Churton Street and Saint Mary's Road.
2. Improve traffic safety along Churton Street and NC 86.
The original signed Merger Form is shown in Attachment A. For many years it has been
assumed that reducing congestion and improving the level of service would improve safety, but
in recent years research has shown that the issue can be very complex and depend on multiple
variables. FHWA therefore now requires specific proof under special criteria that a project will
improve safety before it is made part of the purpose and need. It has been determined that it will
be difficult to establish that a decrease in volumes along Churton Street, due to the Elizabeth
Brady Extension Project, would or would not result in crash reduction or safety benefits, or by
how much.
Highway traffic safety or crash frequency is dependent on complex interaction of ROADWAY
conditions, DRIVER behavior and VEHICLE characteristics.
The primary ROADWAY variables impacting traffic safety include the following:
• GEOMETRICS (e.g., lane width, shoulder width, horizontal curves, grades, driveway
density, two-way left-turn lanes, passing lanes, intersection skew, turn lanes, sight
distance),
• VOLUMES (e.g., daily and peak hour auto, truck, bicycle and pedestrian traffic volumes,
turning movements, vehicle parking), and
• CONTROL (e.g., stop signs, signals, signal timing and coordination)
The effects of these GEOMETRICS, VOLUMES and CONTROL features on roadway and
intersection crash frequency have been incorporated in crash predictive models by researchers'.
These generalized highway safety linear regression type prediction models enabled highway
agencies to estimate the safety performance of existing or proposed two-lane rural highways
and to compare the expected safety performance of geometric design alternatives.
However, it has not always been easy to apply these safety models as they tend to be corridor-
sensitive and required local validation with corridor specific crash data. For urban area roadways
~ Prediction of the Expected Safety Performance of Rural Two-Lane Highways; PUBLICATION NO. FHWA-RD-
99-207; DECEMBER 2000; Research, Development, and Technology; Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center,
McLean, Virginia.

with unique adjacent land use conditions such as the Churton Street corridor in Hillsborough, the
relationships between CRASH rate and ROADWAY variables are typically inconclusive.
Therefore a revised purpose and need concurrence form, shown in Attachment B is presented,
eliminating Safety as a project purpose. Merger Team concurrence of the new project Purpose
and Need is requested.

Attachment A
MERGER PROJECT TEAM MEETING AC3REEMENT
Concurr6~nce point No. 1, url2ose and Need
Project Name/DeSCrlpfipn: Elizabeth Brady Road Extension riSR~1879}, Hilisborou~h,
Orange County
TIP Project No.: U-3808 ~} ~"D a oo>' ~ oa~6
State Prajeot No.: 8.2501901
FederA! Project No.: STt~-0711(1)
Purpose d1f the PronasQd Action.
~. Tt1B purpose of the proposed project is to:
1. Reduce traffic conflestion and improve the t,evel of Service (L4S) in the central business
district of the Town of Hillsborough, including Churton Street and Saint Mary's Rvad.
2. Improve ira~C safety clang Churton Street and NC B6.
The Project Team has concurred on this date of June 14, 2041, with the purpose and
need for the proposed project as stated above.
USAGE G
NCDOT
U$EPA
NCDCR~ ~~~~~'~'~
F WA
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NCW C + (~
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pCHG MPO

N-ECtGER pRQJECT TEAM MEET{NG AGREEMENT
ra ~;,n;~- :~; ~ purtaose and Need
~Qncurro __
Project NarnelDescription: Eli2nhet.h Brady Road Extension (5R-1879), Hillsborough,
Grange County
TIP Yrofect Nn.: t,T-3808
Sktte Project No.: 8.2501901
Federpl t'rojeci Na~ STP-0711(1)
Ep I{nose of the PrOgos®d ACtiQtl:
The ;~urposc of tith prapose+a pm,~cet is to:
1. Reduce traf#ic cangestlon and improve ~hden eChurtoneStreei aOnd Sfaint MarytsaRaadness
dsstrtct of the Town Qf Hiilsbarout~h, incl g
1. Improve traffic safety aibng Churton Street and NC 86,
The project Team has concurred ot~ this date of June 14, 2061, with the Purpose snd need for the
proposed prejcct as stated Above.
NcnoT
USACE
USFWS
NCDWQ
i v CDCR
FH~VA
NCWRC
DGHG MPO
ornr.~wu Foam es p•po)
FAX TRANSMITTAL
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M~_~GER pROJEGT TEAM MEETING AGREEMENT
Cos;c~irrence Point Nd. 1. Pur ose and Need
' cri tiofz: Elizabeth Brady l;.oad -gamtension (SR-1879}, Hillsborough,
prvjecz rVajnei,D~s ,~' Prange County
TIP Project lvo.:
U-3 X08
82501901
,State Project No.:
STP-t1717.(t)
Fcder-a1,Prolect JVo.:
Pu ese cif the Pro. used Action;
Thy pip©ae of the pr~pospd pzoj yet is to,
1. Reduce ~ffic congestion end improve tt'din eChurEb eSt eet aond Saint Mary~seRoad Hess
district of the ~ouvn of HiiCsbarough, tnctu 9
2. lmprave tragic safety along Churtan Street and NC 86_
The Pro'ect Team has concu~nred on this date of 7ume 1~, 2001, with the purPQSe and need for the
J
proposed project as stated above.
USA.CE
;EPA
T~CDCR
~~VV.A.
NGDOT
USFWS
NGD~~7Q
~1CRTRG
DCI~C NS~C? ~,--__,_,

Attachment B
MERGER PROJECT TEAM MEETING AGREEMENT
Concurrence Point No. 1. Puraose and Need
Project Name/Description: Elizabeth Brady Road Extension (SR-1879), Hillsborough,
Orange County
TIP Project No.: U-3808
State Project No.: 8.2501901
Federal Project No.: STP-0711(1)
Purpose of the Proposed Action:
The purpose of the proposed project is to:
• Reduce traffic congestion and improve the Level of Service (LOS) in the central
business district of the Town of Hillsborough, including Churton Street and Saint Mary's
Road.
The Project Team has concurred on this date of ,with the purpose and need
for the proposed project as stated above.
USACE
USEPA
NCDCR
FHWA
NCDOT
USFWS
NCDWQ
NCWRC
DCHC MPO

Elizabeth Brady Road Extension
Orange County
TIP Project No. U-3808
State Project No.: 8.2501901
Federal Project No.: STP-0711(1)
The NEPA/Section 404 Merger Team reached concurrence on the Purpose and Need of the
Elizabeth Brady Road Extension Project on June 14, 2001. The purpose of the project was to:
1. Reduce traffic congestion and improve the Level of Service (LOS) in the central business
district of the Town of Hillsborough, including Churton Street and Saint Mary's Road.
2. Improve traffic safety along Churton Street and NC 86.
The original signed Merger Form is shown in Attachment A. For many years it has been
assumed that reducing congestion and improving the level of service would improve safety, but
in recent years research has shown that the issue can be very complex and depend on multiple
variables. FHWA therefore now requires specific proof under special criteria that a project will
improve safety before it is made part of the purpose and need. It has been determined that it
will be difficult to establish that a decrease in volumes along Churton Street, due to the Elizabeth
Brady Extension Project, would or would not result in crash reduction or safety benefits, or by
how much.
Highway traffic safety or crash frequency is dependent on complex interaction of ROADWAY
conditions, DRIVER behavior and VEHICLE characteristics.
The primary ROADWAY variables impacting traffic safety include the following:
• GEOMETRICS (e.g., lane width, shoulder width, horizontal curves, grades, driveway
density, two-way left-turn lanes, passing lanes, intersection skew, turn lanes, sight
distance),
• VOLUMES (e.g., daily and peak hour auto, truck, bicycle and pedestrian traffic volumes,
turning movements, vehicle parking), and
• CONTROL (e.g., stop signs, signals, signal timing and coordination)
The effects of these GEOMETRICS, VOLUMES and CONTROL features on roadway and
intersection crash frequency have been incorporated in crash predictive models by researchers'.
These generalized highway safety linear regression type prediction models enabled highway
agencies to estimate the safety performance of existing or proposed two-lane rural highways
and to compare the expected safety performance of geometric design alternatives.
However, it has not always been easy to apply these safety models as they tend to be corridor-
sensitive and required local validation with corridor specific crash data. For urban area roadways
~ Prediction of the Expected Safety Performance of Rural Two-Lane Highways; PUBLICATION NO. FHWA-RD-
99-207; DECEMBER 2000; Research, Development, and Technology; Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center,
McLean, Virginia.
Page 1

with unique adjacent land use conditions such as the Churton Street corridor in Hillsborough, the
relationships between CRASH rate and ROADWAY variables are typically inconclusive.
Therefore a revised purpose and need concurrence form, shown in Attachment B is presented,
eliminating Safety as a project purpose. Merger Team concurrence of the new project Purpose
and Need is requested.
Page 2

MERGER PROJECT TEAM MEETING AGREEMENT
Concurrence Point No. 1. Purpose and Need
Project Name/Description: Elizabeth Brady Road Extension (SR-1879), Hillsborough,
Orange County
TIP Project No.: U-3808
State Project No.: 8.2501901
Federal Project No.: STP-0711(1)
Purpose of the Proposed Action:
The purpose of the proposed project is to:
• Reduce traffic congestion and improve the Level of Service (LOS) in the central
business district of the Town of Hillsborough, including Churton Street and Saint Mary's
Road.
The Project Team has concurred on this date of ,with the purpose and need
for the proposed project as stated above.
USACE
USEPA
NCDCR
FHWA
NCDOT
USFWS
NCDWQ
NCWRC
DCHC MPO
Page 3