TOWN OF MOUNT PLEASANT, SOUTH CAROLINA TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE Monday, August 31, 2015 (September Committee meeting)

Transcription

1 TOWN OF MOUNT PLEASANT, SOUTH CAROLINA TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE Monday, August 31, 2015 (September Committee meeting) Municipal Complex, Building C, Council Chambers 100 Ann Edwards Lane Mount Pleasant, SC Minutes Members Present: Staff Present: Mayor Page, Chair; Mr. Chris O Neal, Mr. Paul Gawrych Eric DeMoura, Town Administrator, Brad Morrison, Transportation Director, Paul Lykins, Transportation Project Engineer Mayor Page called the meeting to order at 12:30 p.m. 1. Approval of Minutes from the July 6, 2015 meeting Councilman Gawrych so moved; motion seconded by Councilman O Neal. Motion carried unanimously. Mayor Page noted that before starting the committee meeting, she wanted to praise the Public Services and Fire and Police departments for their hard work dealing with the 5 inches of rain Mount Pleasant experienced that day. She remarked that our investments in infrastructure were doing well and paying off. 2. Request to transfer CHATS funding to support Highway 41 widening Mr. DeMoura greeted the Committee members and stated that changes to Highway 41 have been designated as a priority, but the project has lacked the necessary funding. Mr. DeMoura explained that there was now a

2 Transportation Committee Meeting August 31, 2015 Page 2 of 6 consideration to reallocate $8 million in federal funds from the Billy Swails Boulevard project to the Highway 41 widening. Mr. DeMoura then introduced Mr. Morrison. Mr. Morrison greeted the Committee and reiterated the concept being considered is a redirection of existing Billy Swails Boulevard funds to the SC 41 widening through a request of the Charleston Area Transportation Study (CHATS) Policy Committee. Mr. Morrison began his presentation with a review of the current scope of the Billy Swails Boulevard project. He then explained the scope and status of the SC 41 widening project, as well as the proposed strategy and timeline for implementation. Mayor Page stated that the SC 41 project was already in year five (2019) of the current Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) and questioned if that included all of Highway 41 or just a portion. Mayor Page said she wanted clarification in order for the public to understand how far down the list of projects Highway 41 was. Mayor Page related that, essentially, the Town would be spending $8 million to begin the Highway 41 project now as opposed to waiting until Mr. Morrison confirmed that without moving the funding, it would be 2024 or 2025 before the Highway 41 widening was complete. Councilman O Neal asked the total cost to complete the Highway 41 widening. Mr. Morrison responded that the South Carolina Department of Transportation s (SCDOT) estimate was $20 million to complete the entire Highway 41 widening. Councilman O Neal asked when the Town would be able to start if the Town were to receive the $20 million immediately. Mr. Morrison responded that it would still be the same schedule discussed in the presentation. Councilman O Neal asked for clarification that even if the $20 million was provided immediately, the project could still not be constructed immediately. Mr. Morrison answered in the affirmative, relating that if it was not federal funding, it may go a bit quicker, but the project development process is still

3 Transportation Committee Meeting August 31, 2015 Page 3 of 6 necessary, which includes design, permitting, right-of-way acquisition and then construction. Regarding permitting on this project, he indicated SCDOT is more equipped to do that aspect because they have access to saltwater wetlands banks. Mayor Page questioned how long a project s environmental impact study lasts relative to a phased construction. Mr. Morrison confirmed that the impact study should still be relevant within the expected timeframe of this process. However, if several years passed between the study and construction of subsequent phases, it may need to be revisited and updated. Mr. Morrison further explained that you wouldn t normally produce a NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) document until the project was financially viable and that the impact study would have to be done for the entire project limits as opposed to only a part. Mr. Morrison said he felt that the impact study would still be applicable for subsequent phases. Mayor Page asked who owned Highway 41 and whose responsibility it was to widen it. Mr. Morrison confirmed that SCDOT owns Highway 41. Mayor Page asked what was making SCDOT say that Highway 41 needed to be widened. Mr. Morrison explained that the NEPA process answers questions regarding need the need for widening, but the primary reason would be capacity. He reiterated that Highway 41 has a high priority in plans, but no funding to construct. Mayor Page indicated the Town has received several questions as to why the Town hasn t done anything about Highway 41. Mr. Morrison offered that many other roads the Town has recently widened were also SCDOT roads, such as US 17. He noted one couldn t get to Highway 41 without traveling down US 17, so 17 took priority in available funding. Mayor Page then asked Mr. Morrison if he stood behind the request and proposed plan as the Transportation Director. Mr. Morrison confirmed he did.

4 Transportation Committee Meeting August 31, 2015 Page 4 of 6 Councilman O Neal questioned if moving the money would defund the remaining Billy Swails Boulevard project. Mr. Morrison answered in the affirmative. Mr. DeMoura agreed that the answer was yes, assuming this proposal gets approved and the Town redirects the funding. Mr. DeMoura offered that Billy Swails Boulevard could be completed through a future Charleston County sales tax increase, but that project could wait until more vital projects like SC 41 are completed. Councilman Gawrych stated that there has been much discussion concerning Highway 41 for the past two years, but that there hasn t been any funding found. He noted the proposed funding reallocation is a very strong move and sets the tone for aggressive action. He also noted the Town had successfully done this sort of arrangement before. Mr. Gawrych said this same concept was used in the past when US 17 needed widening and funding had already been allocated for the widening of Rifle Range Road to three lanes. He indicated that later, the decision was made to add an additional half-cent sales tax to widen Johnnie Dodds Boulevard. Councilman Gawrych felt other unfunded projects would fall down like dominoes if this funding change goes through and the Town continues to concentrate on getting the remaining projects like Billy Swails Parkway funded again. Councilman Gawrych continued that the Town had sought the help of the state and federal government and gotten nowhere. While they had been polite, no funding was forthcoming. Councilman Gawrych restated his position that other projects would fall into place as Highway 41 is completed and that the Town had looked at every option and needed to start the project now. Councilman Gawrych moved to recommend that Town Council request CHATS approve redirection of the $8 million currently programmed for the Billy Swails Parkway project to the SC 41 widening project. Councilman O Neal seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. 3. Update ongoing projects Mr. Lykins explained that the Town had begun work on I-526 and Longpoint Road.

5 Transportation Committee Meeting August 31, 2015 Page 5 of 6 Mayor Page questioned if the project was still on schedule. Mr. Lykins confirmed that the Town was expected to finish the project in February, weather permitting. Mr. Lykins continued that the Town was getting the Bessemer Road roundabout started and that there will be a preconstruction meeting around September 15. They expect to begin construction at the end of this month or early October. Mr. Lykins confirmed that Billy Swails Boulevard was now open and being landscaped, and the Town was working on designing the Patriots Point Boulevard project. Mr. Lykins also stated that staff was working hard to get the Coleman Boulevard project bid in October. Mayor Page asked if there was anything further to discuss. Councilman Gawrych questioned how traffic was moving with regard to the school campuses now that school has been in session two or three weeks. Mr. Morrison indicated the department had been monitoring signals for modification, but felt traffic was moving fairly smoothly. Mr. DeMoura echoed Mr. Morrison s comments and elaborated that there were some tricky situations when the new schools opened, but that was working itself out as parents became familiar with navigating routes. Mr. DeMoura also related that traffic backup in the Park West subdivision was significantly lower than previous school years, which is likely the result of redistricting and about one hundred to one hundred and fifty less students at each school. Councilman Gawrych agreed that parents were beginning to turn right from Porcher s Bluff onto Billy Swails Boulevard, as the Town had publicly suggested. Mayor Page asked Mr. Lykins for more detail on the Patriots Point realignment project. Mr. Lykins explained that the Town was in the process of getting design contracts executed. Mayor Page explained that the reason she asked is there have been some delays in the signing of leases due to concerns about possible changes in design plans. Mayor Page requested that the department reach out to Mac

6 Transportation Committee Meeting August 31, 2015 Page 6 of 6 Burdette and the Medal of Honor Museum contacts before contracts were signed and money was spent on a project that might need to be changed. Councilman Gawrych returned to the subject of schools and questioned Mr. DeMoura as to the level of Town involvement at major intersections and the understanding with the Charleston County School District relative to traffic concerns. Mr. DeMoura explained that police presence would continue and they were weighing the need for police presence at major intersections. Councilman Gawrych asked the status of the Coleman Boulevard project and whether the storm drain pipes would also be upgraded. Mr. Lykins responded in the affirmative. Councilman Gawrych noted that when the road was previously widened, SCDOT didn t change the pipes. Adjourn Mayor Page adjourned the meeting at 12:58 p.m. Minutes submitted by: Regan Fantry Office Manager, Transportation Department

7 Six Mile Road Hamlin Road Legend Billy Swails Boulevard 4B Billy Swails Boulevard 4A Sweetgrass Basket Parkway Hungryneck Blvd. Previous phases Hungryneck/Sweetgrass Basket/Billy Swails Boulevard

8 Billy Swails Boulevard

9 Billy Swails Boulevard 4A

10 Billy Swails Boulevard 4B Current CHATS Guideshare Funding = $8M

11 Billy Swails Boulevard 4B

12 SC 41 Widening SC 41 Widening Phase I The facility is approximately 4.5 miles long between US 17 and the Wando River bridge. SC 41 is a two lane undivided minor arterial and a designated hurricane evacuation route. Most of the 28 wide roadway has an 8 earthen shoulder section with swales within a 75 ROW. Speed limit ranges from 45 mph to 55 mph. SCDOT 2014 average daily traffic (ADT) volumes range between 11,400 ADT north of Dunes West Boulevard and 19,400 ADT south of Joe Rouse Road. The facility experiences significant delays and queuing during portions of the peak hours, primarily due to capacity constraints at signalized intersections. Traffic projections indicate a future demand over 32,000 vpd on the highest volume portions of the facility. SC 41 widening is listed as #5 among all projects in CHATS Long Range Transportation Plan and $2M is programmed in the TIP and STIP for Preliminary Engineering to start in late 2019.

13 SC 41 Widening Proposed Strategy Town Council may request to transfer $8M in federal guideshare funds currently designated for BSB 4B to advance the SC 41 Widening project schedule. The Town must match the federal funds with $1.6M, for a total project budget of $9.6M. A mandatory NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) study should begin as soon as possible for the limits of US 17 to the Wando River Bridge. A phased approach will be proposed for construction: Phase I US 17 to Joe Rouse Road (1.5 miles) Phase II Joe Rouse Road to the Wando River Bridge (3.0 miles) The funding transfer will advance the project start schedule by 4 years and completion of the most critical Phase I segment by 4-5 years, with a 2020 completion anticipated. CHATS federal funds currently programmed to start in 2019 should continue to be programmed to complete the SC 41 Phase II portion, as currently reflected in the CHATS TIP/STIP As a placeholder mechanism, the Town should request CHATS program a portion of the current $8M on BSB 4B in order to be made whole for advancing the $8M to SC 41. In other words, CHATS guideshare should complete the funding of BSB 4B since the Town is advancing that project s funding to the SC 41 widening, a project principally committed within the current CHATS funding pipeline by its placement in the TIP. The Gregory Ferry Connector should be included in the NEPA process and made eligible for the $8M in federal funding. This project serves as a capacity enhancement to the US 17/SC 41 intersection. It is already designed, but it would be reasonable to address any minor modifications (if any) that may result from the NEPA process in order to fund its completion and compliment the SC 41 widening.

14 Estimated Schedule Completion TOMP approve transfer Sept. 8, 2015 Revise CHATS TIP Sept. 30, 2015 SCDOT STIP and FHWA approval Dec. 31, 2015 Procure NEPA/design firm Dec. 31, 2015 NEPA document approval June 30, 2017 ROW plans approval Dec. 31, 2017 Complete design and ROW Dec. 31, 2018 Phase I and GFC construction Dec. 31, 2020