What: NC-54/I-40 Corridor Study Public Workshop #1

Who: Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO), City of Durham, Durham County, and the Town of Chapel Hill

When: Wednesday, November 18, 2009, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Where: William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education

100 Friday Center Drive

Chapel Hill, N.C. 27599-1020

Fast Facts:

· The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO) will host an interactive community workshop on November 18 to obtain guidance on developing a blueprint for mobility and development in the NC-54/I-40 corridor, a critical gateway linking the City of Durham, Town of Chapel Hill, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

· The NC-54/I-40 corridor serves as one of the major gateways between Chapel Hill and southwest Durham, with its interchange with I-40 consistently ranking as the top congested location in the region. Development pressures within the corridor coupled with mobility and capacity issues have highlighted that the existing and planned transportation infrastructure is insufficient to accommodate growth and address land use and transportation problems.

· To develop land use and transportation strategies to preserve this important corridor, the DCHC MPO, the City of Durham, Durham County, and the Town of Chapel Hill have begun a corridor study to analyze short- and long-term land use issues and multi-modal transportation problems, evaluate opportunities and challenges, and recommend short- and long-range land use and transportation solutions and strategies along the corridor.

· The vision of the DCHC MPO is to develop and implement transportation plans that are multimodal and that fully integrate land use and transportation issues. To achieve this vision this study will:

o Clearly define a realistic "blueprint" for an integrated growth and mobility strategy for the corridor;

o Establish a development framework that strengthens multimodal travel options and reduces vehicle miles of travel;

o Improve operations, safety, and travel time; and

o Categorize strategies into near, mid-term, and long-term phases.

· A critical component of this study is public outreach and involvement. Three public workshops will be held as a part of this study, which should be completed in June 2010.

o The first public workshop on November 18 will present the community profile and solicit input on issues, opportunities, and trends to guide the development of future scenarios.

o The second public workshop, tentatively scheduled for late winter 2010, will evaluate alternatives and seek public input in the selection of the preferred scenario.

o The third workshop, tentatively scheduled for spring 2010, will give participants an opportunity to review and refine the corridor master plan and provide input on setting priorities for multimodal transportation and land use strategies, implementation strategies, and phasing.

· Once the study is finished, the final master plan will be presented to the local and regional policy boards and used to inform transportation/traffic analysis, land use decisions, project planning, and funding priorities.

o The total cost for the study is $257,432 with 80 percent of the funding coming from federal transportation planning funds and the remaining 20 percent funded jointly by the City of Durham, Durham County, and the Town of Chapel Hill.

· Residents interested in joining a group of citizen contacts for this study should contact Leta Huntsinger with the DCHC MPO at (919) 560-4366 ext. 30423 or via e-mail at leta.huntsinger@durhamnc.gov. For more information about this study, visit
http://www.nc54-i40corridorstudy.com/.