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11/5 :^2± c^z North Carolina Department of Transportation Statewide Planning Branch Urban Studies Unit A Thoroughfare Plan Technical Report for Greene County ^o.mmmns GL GHDUSe MAY 1 4 \m February 1999 Thoroughfare Plan for Greene County^ North Carolina Prepared by: Statewide Planning Branch Division of Highways North Carolina Department of Transportation hi cooperation with: Greene County The Federal Highway Administration The United States Department of Transportation ,.!•" Februaiy 1999 Robert T. Blackwood, PE ^y^qO Persons responsible for this report: Transportation Engineer: Robin Young Urban Group A Unit Head: Rick Blackwood, PE Manager, Statewide Planning Branch: M.R. Poole, PhD, PE Engineering Technician: Bob Stewart Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from State Library of North Carolina http://www.archive.org/details/thoroughfarplan1999green Contents Executive Summary i Overview i Thoroughfare Planning i Summary of Recommendations i Implementation ii Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Chapter 2: Thoroughfare Plan 3 Intent of the Thoroughfare Plan 3 Thoroughfare Plan Recommendations 3 Major Collector 3 Minor Arterials 3 Other Projects 3 Highway Trust Fund Law 4 Construction Priorities and Cost Estimates 4 Bridge Replacement Priorities 4 Chapter 3: Implementation 13 State-County Adoption of the Plan 13 Corridor Preservation 13 Funding 14 Chapter 4: Trends and Related Issues 17 Population 17 Economic Trends 18 Land Use 18 Vehicle Registration 19 Travel Demand 20 Transportation Improvement Program Projects 22 Chapter 5: Travel Deficiency Analysis 25 Capacity Deficiency Analysis 25 1995 Analysis 25 2025 Analysis 26 High Accident Intersections 27 Bridge Conditions 27 Chapter 6: Environmental Analysis 29 Environmental Screening 29 Tables 1. Recommended Bridge Improvement Priorities 5 2. County Population Growth : 17 3. Township Population Growth 17 4. Commuting Patterns 18 5. Persons per Vehicle Trends 19 6. Road Capacities 21 7. Minimum Tolerable Lane Widths 21 8. High Accident Locations 27 Figures 1. Greene County Thoroughfare Plan 7 2. Thoroughfare Plan Recommendations 9 3. Deficient Bridges 11 4. Average Daily Traffic Volumes 23 5. Environmental Concerns 31 Appendices Appendix A: Thoroughfare Plan Sheet Tabulation Table A-1: Thoroughfare Plan Street Tabulation and Recommendations A-4 Figure A-1: Typical Thoroughfare Cross Sections A-6 Appendix B: Thoroughfare Planning Principles Benefits of Thoroughfare Planning B-1 County Thoroughfare Planning Concepts B-1 Rural Thoroughfare Classification System B-1 Objectives of Thoroughfare Planning B-7 Operational Efficiency B-7 System Efficiency B-9 Application of Thoroughfare Planning Principles B-9 Figure B-1: Schematic Illustration of a Functionally Classified Rural Highway Network B-3 Figure B-2: Functional Classification for Greene County....B-5 Appendix C: Benefits Analysis Table C-1: Environmental Considerations C-1 Table C-2: Impact Probability C-2 Table C-3: Benefits Evaluation of Selected Thoroughfare Plan Projects C-2 Appendix D: Recommended Subdivision Ordinances Definitions D-1 Streets and Roads D-1 Property D-2 Subdivision D-2 Design Standards D-3 Streets and Roads D-3 Riglit-of-Way Widths D-3 Table D-1: iVlinimum Riglit-of-Way Requirements D-4 Table D-2: Design Speeds D-5 Table D-3: Sight Distance D-6 Table D-4: Superelevation D-6 Table D-5: Maximum Vertical Grade D-7 Table D-6: Exact Metric Equivalents D-9 Table D-7: Exact English Equivalents D-9 Table D-8: NCDOT Metric Roadway Conversions D-9 Appendix E: Level of Service Definitions Figure E-1: Levels of Service E-3 Appendix F: County and Public Involvement Executive Summary Overview In 1997, Greene County requested the development of a thoroughfare plan as part of a larger effort to plan for the county's future. The county is primarily agricultural and is anticipated to stay this way for the foreseeable future. The addition of the Global Transpark in Lenoir County is their concern, it will bring additional residences and employment to Greene County. The officials would like to have a four lane road through the County in order to better connect with the Global Transpark and attract more residents. Thoroughfare Planning Thoroughfare planning helps to ensure that the transportation system in the County is efficient enough to provide quick and convenient transportation for the people and goods of the region over the ne.xt 25 years. In a thoroughfare plan, future traffic problems are anticipated and recommendations are developed for improving the road system. This plan consists of a system of major roads that will satisfy the anticipated transportation needs of Greene County into the 21st century. Two major benefits are derived from thoroughfare planning. First, each road or highway can be designed with a specific function and a specific level of service in mind. This will save money in future right-of-way, construction, and maintenance costs. Through traffic will be minimized in neighborhoods by designating certain roads to be used primarily for through-travel. Also, local officials will be informed of future road improvements which can be incorporated into other planning and policy decisions. This will minimize negative impacts to the community by allowing developers to design subdivisions that incorporate proposed roads, and allowing school and park officials to better locate their facilities. Summary of Recommendations The following is a summary of major recommended improvements to the roads in Greene County over the next 25 years. These improvements are based on many factors, including population projections, land use patterns, traffic data, roadway conditions, bridge conditions, environmental concerns, and public input. Recommendations for the urban area of Snow Hill are included in this report because it does not have a separate thoroughfare plan. • Bypass, around Snow Hill, 4-lane divided facility • NC 58, from Wilson County to the Bypass to Lenoir County, widen to 4-lane divided facility • US 13, from SR 1140 (Taylor Road) to the Bypass, to the split with US 258, widen to 4-lane divided facility • US 258, from Lenoir County to the Bypass, widen to 4-lane divided facility Implementation ^ The development of the thoroughfare plan is the first step in getting new road and highway projects implemented. This plan should be used by Greene County as technical support when requesting projects from Board of Transportation Members, from the NCDOT Division Engineer, or at the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) hearings held each fall. The plan should also be used when the County develops other plans, such as land use, parks and recreation, or area comprehensive plans, or when making policy decisions, such as subdivision approvals, to ensure that these will be compatible with the proposed roadway system. The Statewide Planning Branch of NCDOT can help with these tasks by answering questions, reviewing subdivision plats, and preparing fianctional designs of proposed roads.