AG 2001 05 21 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Each of these routes are currently being improved or are slated for improvement in the next several years. Highway 49 is currently being widened through the Town and will be completed in 2002, Highway 29 is being improved around the Lowe's Motor Speedway and will be completed in early 2001, and feasibility studies are underway for the future widening of Interstate 85. The widening of Interstate 85 will not begin for another 3 to 4 years. A major project under way is the construction of the I485 outer belt around the City of Charlotte. This is a 65 mile loop whose first section opened in 1996 and will not be completed until 2008. As discussed earlier in this document this transportation facility will have a major impact not only on land use in the planning area but on the existing transportation system as well. To illustrate this point we can look to an estimate of future traffic by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. In 1998, the NCDOT estimated that the section of I485 that will nm between Interstate 85 and Highway 24/27 will carry 90,000 cars per day by 2020. Between these 1-85 and NC 24/27 there will be five exits that will directly serve the Harrisburg planning area. The Rocky River Road intemhange is the closest I485 interchange to Cabarrus County. As stated by the developer, two proposed residential projects on Rocky River Road are a direct result of access to 1485. Combined, these two developments will add up to 2000 new housing units to Cabarrus County. A third project at Rocky River Road and Stallings Road is still in its planning stages but would contain up to 320 homes. In addition to these residential projects, three neighborhood commemial centers are planned along Rocky River Road in anticipation of the potential residential growth along this corridor. Roads - Recommendations While the improvements described above will certainly improve accessibility to the Harrisburg Area, there will also be some negative impacts. Several roads will see traffic volumes increase significantly, delays at key intemections will increase, and increased accessibility will bring increased desirability for new residential and non-residential development which will further impact the transportation system. Map 6 shows recommended routes for new roads above and beyond those included in the MPO Transportation Plan and the Collector Street Plan as well as those improvements already adopted within those plans. It is recommended that the additional facilities shown in Map 6 be added to the appropriate plan through the formal amendment procedures recognized by the MPO Technical Advisory Committee. Table 5 lists each of the recommended new road alignments and describes the recommended cross-section for each facility. Because the Harrisburg Area is expected to grow at an accelerated pace over the next 10 to 15 years it is imperative that the corridors shown on Map 6 be preserved for future road improvements. Each of the proposed roads in Table 5 should be designed to accommodate vehicular, pedestrian and bicycle traffic. To accomplish this goal, sidewalks and either bike lanes or wide medians shall be installed on all new streets as welt as included in major improvement projects on existing roads. This will ensure that non-vehicular alternatives are available for short trips to employment centers, retail centers, schools and parks. A more detailed discussion of bicycle and pedestrian modes of transportation is discussed later in the transportation section of this plan. At present, North Carolina DOT is facing a shortfall in funding currently identified road projects through out the state. None of the projects in Table 5 are currently identified in the State's Transportation Improvement Program for funding. These new alignments along with needed improvements to existing roads will require a u'emendous amount of capital over the next