Draft Comprehensive Transportation Plan Update_September 25

ROADWAYS

DRAFT

CORRIDOR CHARACTERISTICS As the Town’s economy expands and people continue to relocate here, the frequency and length of trips on existing roads will increase. This increase will make current delays worse and create new delays where none exist today. Understanding the system’s existing characteristics allows us to better anticipate future areas of concern. Once these areas are identified, establishing a set of transportation recommendations requires consideration of how the Town’s roads are classified and an understanding of how to balance the needs of multiple users along a given corridor.

Functional Classification (Street Hierarchy) An effective roadway network must manage two competing demands:

· Providing access to specific destinations · Offering mobility between centers

These two demands are inherently adversarial (e.g. increasing access typically limits mobility along the same corridor). Therefore, it is helpful to instill diversity into the network by providing easy access on some roads and protecting the mobility on others. Balancing access and mobility creates roadways that respond to the unique context and user groups along specific corridors. A functional classification system categorizes roadways based on characteristics such as speeds, vehicular capacities, and relationships with adjacent land utilizations. Federal funding programs use traditional roadway functional classification to help determine eligibility. For this reason among others, functional classification will always be necessary and should be consistently updated. Understanding a street’s place within the hierarchy of streets offers insight to help balance competing interests between design features, travel modes, and available right-of-way. The Town of Morrisville’s street hierarchy is made up of five classes:

Freeways

· · · · ·

Major Thoroughfares Minor Thoroughfares

Collector Streets

Local Streets

The following graphics and tables provide more detail about the street hierarchy. Figure 3-4 displays the future street hierarchy for roadways within the Town of Morrisville. The future street hierarchy reflects potential changes to the transportation network discussed in this chapter.

FREEWAYS ·

Controlled access

· Multi-lane roadways for higher speeds and longer distance travel · Carry traffic through the Triangle region

Functional Classification Freeway & Interstate

Local Examples

I-40 & NC 540

Number of Lanes

4+ travel lanes

Partial or full access control, exclusive to motorized vehicular travel

Other Considerations

MAJOR THOROUGHFARES · Controlled access ·

Multi-lane roadways for higher speeds and longer distance travel · Carry traffic through the Triangle region

Functional Classification Principal/Minor Arterial

Local Examples

NC 54 & Aviation Parkway

Number of Lanes

4+ travel lanes

Other Considerations

Relatively high traffic volumes

3-7 | P A G E

September 25, 2017 Draft