STAFF REPORT
Operations Committee, March 4, 2010

Joint Resolution for American Tobacco Trail Roadway Crossings (EN10-045)
Consideration of joint resolutions between the Town of Cary, Wake County, and Chatham County for safety considerations by NCDOT at American Tobacco Trail roadway crossings
Speaker: Mr. Tim Bailey

From: Tim Bailey, P.E., Engineering Director
Prepared by: David Spencer, P.E., Engineer
Approved by: Benjamin T. Shivar, Town Manager
Approved by: Michael J. Bajorek, Assistant Town Manager

Executive Summary: Staff members from Chatham County , Wake County , and the Town of Cary , as well as members of the Chatham County Board of Commissioners, Wake
County Board of Commissioners and the Cary Town Council have identified safety concerns along the American Tobacco Trail (ATT) where the trail crosses several state-maintained roadways. These concerns include, but are not limited to, rural speed limits, sight distance limitations, and roadway alignment. A joint resolution between the Town of Cary and Chatham County has been drafted to ask the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) to perform safety evaluations at all roadway crossings in Chatham County and to provide appropriate safety countermeasures. Additionally, a separate joint resolution between the Town of Cary and Wake County has been drafted to ask the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) to perform safety evaluations at all roadway crossings in Wake County and to provide appropriate safety countermeasures.

Background: The ATT is a 23 mile multi-modal commuter and recreational trail through the Triangle Region that connects the people of Western Wake County , the Town of Cary , the Town of Apex and eastern Chatham County to the City of Durham and the Research Triangle Park . Along the trail, several at-grade crossings on NCDOT maintained roadways are provided to make the north-south connection. At-grade trail crossings are located on the following roadways:

• SR 1731 (O’Kelly Chapel Road)
• SR 1732 (Pittard Sears Road)
• SR 1733 (New Hope Church Road)
• SR 3120 (Morrisville Parkway)
• SR 1606 (White Oak Church Road)
• SR 1605 (Green Level West Road)
• SR 1603 (Wimberly Road)
• SR 1602 (Goodwin Road)
• SR 1160 (Olive Chapel Road)

Discussion: The roads of western Wake County and eastern Chatham County are rural in nature and have rural features such as 55 mile per hour posted speed limits, side road ditches, and winding curves. These roadways were not designed to accommodate non-vehicular crossings and there is a concern for the interactions between motorists and trail users.

In an effort to provide safe and effective at-grade crossings along the trail, the Chatham County Board of Commissioners, the Wake County Board of Commissioners, and the Town of Cary Town Council desire to ask NCDOT to perform in-depth safety evaluations of each crossing. Staff has coordinated with Chatham County and Wake County staffs to draft joint resolutions. The Chatham County resolution and the Wake County resolution are attached to this staff report. The Chatham County Board of Commissioners will be reviewing and voting on the resolution at their March 1, 2010 meeting. The Wake County Board of Commissioners has not set a date for the review of their joint resolution.

The resolutions were separated due to Chatham County and Wake County being located is different NCDOT Divisions.

Fiscal Impact: Approval of both resolutions should have no fiscal impact on the Town. Recommended improvements that result from a NCDOT safety analysis will likely be the responsibility of the State.

Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends approval of both joint resolutions and forwarding the resolutions to Board of Commissioners for Chatham County and Wake County for their approvals. Staff recommends the approved joint resolutions be sent to the North Carolina Secretary of Transportation, Mr. Eugene Conti, as well as the local NCDOT Division Engineers’ offices and the State Traffic Engineer.