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Recommendations
•
Town MTIP Input.
The rankings shown are those that were provided by the Town
to the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) during the last
round of prioritization.
•
MTIP Ranking.
The numbers indicate the priority rank of these projects relative to all
the CAMPO roadway projects in the 2007 Project Priority Report of the Metropolitan
Transportation Improvement Program (MTIP).
•
STIP Listing.
The letter codes (3) indicate if and how the project is shown on the
2009-2015 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).
NC 54.
This road was the most-cited among the roadways in Morrisville for needing
improvements. Improvements are currently underway for two sections of NC 54: wid-
ening to four lanes north of Watkins Road at the north end of town, and widening to
four lanes south of Weston Parkway at the south end of town. Intersection improve-
ments at NC 54 and Aviation Parkway/Morrisville-Carpenter Road are underway in
2009 to facilitate traffic movement by allowing four lanes of traffic over the railroad
tracks. Long-term, this intersection will remain at-grade, while other intersections
along NC 54 are planned to be grade separated: McCrimmon Parkway, Airport Bou-
levard and Carrington Mill Boulevard.
Morrisville has already been reserving 124’ of right-of-way when properties adjacent
to the road are developed, in anticipation of a wider cross-section. Widening the
roadway requires a delicate balance of providing vehicle capacity and maintaining
a small town feel and pedestrian-friendly areas. Particularly in the Town Center, spe-
cial attention needs to be paid to avoiding impacts to existing buildings. This plan
proposes to address these challenges by:
•
Widening NC 54 in the near term to four lanes (six lanes south of Cary Parkway) with
cross-sections that respect their location
•
Maintaining the future option to widen further or incorporate other strategies
•
Incorporating an action item (3.21) that identifies specific actions for staff to pursue
making improvements, including an NC 54 Corridor Study that will determine phas-
ing of improvements and if/when additional widening is necessary, and additional
coordination with neighboring jurisdictions and regulatory and state agencies to
continue planning for improvements
•
Including additional recommendations such as access management that can
help faciliate traffic flow without additional infrastructure
•
Adding substantial bicycle and pedestrian facilities, including a wide 10’ walkway
along the east side of the roadway, a 5’ sidwalk on the west side and 6’ striped
bike lanes on both sides (4’ in the Town Center). Pedestrian havens, crosswalks and
signals will also improve the pedestrian-friendliness of the wider roadway.
Figure 5.7 delineates the different segments of NC 54 within Morrisville’s jurisdiction
and their planned improvements. Page E-17 in the Appendices illustrates the different
cross-sections. Three sections will be widened to four lanes with a median: NC 540 to the
northern boundary with Durham, McCrimmon Parkway to Sunset Avenue, and Keybridge
Drive to Cary Parkway. Figure 5.8 shows what this might look like. One section (Cary Park-
way to the southern boundary with Cary) will be widened to six lanes to match the cross-
section in Cary. In the Town Center (Sunset Avenue to Keybridge Drive), NC 54 will have a
narrower cross-section with no median to minimize impacts to existing buildings.
NC 54 from NC 540 to McCrimmon Parkway planned to be four lanes in the short term. Ex-
pansion to six lanes is possible if a TIA shows the improvement is needed and it is approved
by the Town Council, or if the NC 54 Corridor Study shows a future need and it is approved
by Town Council.
Additional Treatments.
Signal spacing is cur-
rently too far apart for coordination. Access
management on the west side is accom-
plished by the presence of the railroad and
existing development. The east side of the
roadway still has residential driveways; it is
recommended that an access management
policy be created that emphasizes the need
for creating access off existing side streets
with no additional connections from NC 54
wherever possible to reduce conflict points.
Additional information on access manage-
ment is included in Section Six. Turning bays
and minimum 30’ (maximum: 50’) turning
radii should be standard at all street and
driveway intersections to facilitate vehicles
turning at higher speeds. Other design fea-
tures contained in the NCDOT Policy on Access Management should
be adhered to during the design process. Finally, a reduction in speed
limit from 55mph to 45mph is strongly recommended for this corridor to
increase reaction times and promote safer driving conditions.
5.2 Roadways, cont’d
Figure 5.8 NC 54 Streetscape Illustration
This example shows the redevelopment potential along NC 54. Planted
medians and street trees complement the new roadway environment
and corridor commercial land uses fill in to support increased pedes-
trian use.
Existing roadway
With improvements