Calendar:
Saturday, July 15
10:00 am - District 4 Community Shred Day Event, Snokey Bones BBQ - 8760 J.M. Keynes Drive
Information Items:
Thoroughfare Plan Changes for Shopto Road West and Dixie River Road Staff Resources:
Mike Davis, 704-336-3938 - madavis@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Tim Gibbs, 704-336-3917 - tgibbs@ci.charlotte.nc.us
On Monday, June 26, Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT) staff presented to the Council Transportation Committee a proposed change to the Mecklenburg-Union Metropolitan Planning Organization (MUMPO) Thoroughfare Plan. These proposed changes affect the City's funded Dixie River Road / Steele Creek / Shopton Road West CIP project, and the pending rezoning petition for Berewick (06-078).
During this meeting, Council members asked several questions relating to the development of the new thoroughfare alignments and the public input process used along the way. Attached is a report describing how the proposed thoroughfare alignments were developed, a map that shows the current and the proposed alignment, and a summary of the most recent public meeting, during which the City's preferred alternative was presented.
At its July 17 meeting, Council will be asked to direct its MUMPO representative's vote on the Thoroughfare Plan amendment at the July 19 MUMPO meeting in Monroe.
Street Maintenance Northwest Facility Grand Opening - July 27, 2006 Staff Resource: Layton Lamb, 704-336-5128 - llamb@ci.charlotte.nc.us
You are cordially invited to attend the Grand Opening of the City's new Northwest Street Maintenance facility on Thursday, July 27, 2006. The celebration will begin at 10:00 am at the new facility located at 4411 Northpointe Industrial Boulevard. CDOT's Street Maintenance Division is moving its central operation and administrative offices from the Otts Street Central Yard to its new facility at the Northpointe Industrial Park. The new location is more central to the service area which should result in service efficiency gains.
Attached is information about the Street Maintenance Division and the Belmont Neighborhood Revitalization efforts taking place in and around the old facility.
Southwest Water Main Newsletter
Staff Resource: Doug Bean, 704-391-5070 - dbean@ci.charlotte.nc.us
The Southwest Water Main (Phase A) is a 72-inch pipe being installed between the Franklin Water Treatment Plant on Highway 16 and Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The project is 75% complete. Attached is the newsletter mailed to customers along the project.
When complete, this large water transmission main will carry drinking water from the Franklin Water Treatment Plant in northwest Charlotte to homes and businesses across western Mecklenburg County and improve the city's overall water distribution network.
South End - Uptown Pedestrian Connection Over I-277
Staff Resources:
Ron Tober, 704-336-7245 - rtober@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Jim Schumacher, 704-336-3656 - jschumacher@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Recent developments have caused us to abandon the original plan to use the light rail corridor bridge over I-277 to provide a pedestrian and bicycle connection between the South End and Uptown. Because of the critical importance of providing this pedestrian connection, we are looking at alternatives involving the Caldwell St./South Boulevard corridor and the South Tryon St. corridor to provide this connection.
Archer Western, the contractor constructing the South Corridor light rail track and roadbed, recently advised CATS staff that the price and schedule they had quoted to build a pedestrian connection on the railroad bridge over I-277 between the South End and Uptown were incorrect and would need to be revised based upon further review of the proposed design and information from steel suppliers. Archer Western said the cost of the pedestrian walkway had increased to nearly $2.5 million versus their previous estimate of $1.6 million, and that the work could not be completed until July 2007, nearly six months later than they had previously planned. Archer Western said these changes were due in part to an error in the earlier cost calculations and to the worldwide demand for specialty steel products like the ones to be used in the walkway.
CATS and Engineering & Property Management staff have worked with Archer Western representatives to explore alternatives that would enable the pedestrian connection in the rail corridor to be retained. While the cost increase would be a major problem, the six-month delay is even more problematic for successful completion of the Lynx Blue Line. A six-month delay in completion of the bridgework over I-277 would delay the work to be performed by other contractors, including the firms installing traction power and train control systems. The delay would cause that subsequent work to be delayed by an equal amount and could result in delay claims by the contractors involved. As a result, the light rail project would not be completed by the December 31, 2007 date required in the Full Funding Grant Agreement with the FTA. The potential sanctions for not meeting this completion date as a result of our own actions include having to return the funding for the project to the FTA.
Staff has not been able to identify any way to mitigate the effects of the six-month delay in completing the pedestrian bridge. As a result, Archer Western has been directed by CATS to remove the pedestrian connection from its plans and return to a configuration that has only the light rail tracks crossing the bridge. South End and Charlotte Center City Partners representatives have been advised of this situation.
However, it is clear that pedestrian and bicycle connections between South End and downtown are very important as each area continues to grow. This linkage was articulated in the 2010 Center City Plan and the Trolley/Rail Corridor Vision Plan approved by City Council in 1998. The improvements were initially included in the Light Rail Transit (LRT) project. As outlined above, the connection has been deleted in order to not impact the LRT completion date. The South Corridor Infrastructure Program (SCIP) administered by Engineering & Property Management is reserving some funds to address the need for connectivity over the I-277 freeway as a result of it being eliminated from the CATS project. As design of the interchange modifications at I-277 and Caldwell Street associated with the NASCAR Hall of Fame progress, alternative ways to connect the South End and uptown will be studied. In addition, at the request of South End and Charlotte Center City Partners, we will also look at the possibility of making an improved pedestrian and bicycle connection using the South Tryon St. bridge area. An initial public/community meeting to address this issue is expected to occur in September.
TCC Recommended Actions Related to Monroe Bypass and Connector Staff Resource:
Tim Gibbs, 704-336-3917 - tgibbs@ci.charlotte.nc.us
The Technical Coordinating Committee (TCC) of the Mecklenburg-Union Metropolitan Planning Organization's (MUMPO) met on July 6 and took two actions which will be considered by the MUMPO on July 19. One item will require a directed vote of Council's MUMPO representative.
On your July 17 zoning meeting agenda, you will be asked to direct your MUMPO representative's vote in support of the TCC recommended action regarding Section A of the Monroe Bypass. The specific action would be to add Alignment 2 of Section A to the Long Range Transportation Plan, subject to an air quality conformity determination, and add an alignment to the Thoroughfare plan supported by the City of Monroe, whose jurisdiction the alignment traverses. The action item will further request you give Council member Mumford the flexibility to recommend deferral of MUMPO's votes should he feel there is additional information which he and City Council should consider. NCDOT staff pressed for a July MUMPO decision saying that construction of the funded road segments could be delayed further, if MUMPO's action doesn't occur in July.
You will recall that these actions are necessary to allow federal staff to sign off on an updated environmental study for the Monroe Bypass, thereby allowing Segments B and C (located between 601 and Marshville which are designed and funded for construction) to be constructed. NCDOT staff has indicated Segment C could be ready to be awarded for construction as early as February 2007, if environmental updates are approved by federal staff.
In March, you directed your MUMPO representative to vote in favor of moving forward with actions to add Segment A to the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) and Thoroughfare Plan. Since that time, NCDOT has performed various studies and held two public meetings. That information was presented to the TCC and considered in their recommendation.
Charlotte staff's philosophy has been to agree with selecting the alignment for Section A, which the City of Monroe supports, since the alignment is in the City of Monroe and right-of-way would be protected by their staff. We also support continuing forward with this action to minimize further delay to construction of Sections B and C. Charlotte staff supported the TCC action.
As a separate, but related action, the TCC recommended that the MUMPO chair send a letter to the Turnpike Authority asking for financial and other information related to potentially adding Segments B and C to the Monroe Connector Toll Study. The Monroe Connector is the proposed freeway that would connect I-485 with the Monroe Bypass. The TCC wants this information to be made available to the MUMPO prior to advertisement of bid invitations for Sections B and C as currently designed (non-toll) so the TCC and MUMPO can decide whether to ask that Segments B and C be added to the toll study (probably in November of this year). Charlotte staff supported the TCC's action, and does not feel this action requesting the Toll Authority to provide information requires a directed vote.
A map showing the Monroe Bypass Amendment Alternatives is attached.
Metropolitan Transit Commission Meeting Summary
Staff Resource: Ron Tober, 704-336-7245 - rtober@ci.charlotte.nc.us
At its meeting on Wednesday, June 28, 2006, the MTC voted unanimously to approve Resolution No. 2006-03, which accepted and adopted staff recommendations for the light rail alignment and station locations as the Northeast Corridor's refined Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA). This included establishing the North Carolina Railroad alignment as the preferred alignment to the vicinity of Old Concord Road with an alternative alignment following Sugar Creek and N. Tryon Street to be studied further as part of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). It also included an alignment segment and station on the UNC Charlotte campus and an end of the line station inside of I-485.
The MTC also received information briefings on the following:
Streetcar Project Study Results: Staff updated the MTC on the status of the Streetcar project and provided an overview of the design options that are recommended as part of the LPA. Staff modeled the Streetcar project after the Portland streetcar system utilizing modern vehicle technology based on European "Tram" that is a smaller, lighter weight vehicle than those used for light rail and is capable of operating in mixed traffic. The project has 33 proposed stops that will link several key destinations throughout the corridor including Johnson C. Smith University, Johnson and Wales University, Eastland Mall and the Epicenter. The estimated cost of the project in current dollars is between $246 million to $251 million with a projected ridership of more than 14,000. Staff designed the streetcar to fulfill many roles including replacing two of CATS' busiest bus routes along Central Avenue and Beatties Ford Road, serving the Eastland and Rosa Parks Place Community Transit Center and enhancing Center City mobility and circulation among other goals that will improve the overall transit system. Staff will come back to the MTC in July for action on the Streetcar's final refined LPA.
Chief Executive Officer's Report:
1. Ridership across all services increased 7.3 percent for the month of May 2006 compared to May 2005. Double-digit increases were seen across several service categories including regional express (48.8 percent), vanpool (35.6 percent) and activity center circulators. Regular bus service also increased 8.1 percent compared to May 2005. Year-to-date ridership is up 8 percent compared to this time last year.
2. More than 5,000 STS customers will undergo a recertification process under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to ensure their eligibility for the service. This is being done not only to save CATS money, but also to save customers money.
3. The first light rail vehicle arrived June 23 for testing and the Northcross Park and Ride lot opened June 28.
The next MTC meeting will be July 26, 2006 when action will be taken on the Streetcar project and information will be presented on the Southeast and West Corridors Study Results and Alignment Alternatives.
