On March 1, 2012,

1. NC-54/I-40 CORRIDOR
BLUEPRINT FOR MOBILITY
Recommended Master Plan

2. Study Area

3. Land Use – Transportation
Vision
The NC 54 Corridor Master Plan promotes
location-efficient decisions to help lower
combined housing and transportation costs
per household. It connects people and jobs,
served by a more energy efficient
transportation network that enables more
trips to be made by walking, bicycling and
transit. The plan defines target growth areas
that help reduce sprawl in outlying areas.

4. Roadway Recommendations

5. 70,000 vehicles per
day

6. Objectives
• Improve safety for all
users
• Enable multimodal travel
options
• Avoid gridlock and its
effects
• Preserve access to the
maximum extent practical

7. Overview of Strategies
• Complete collector street connections
• Widen NC 54 to six lanes
• Improve capacity at intersections – Superstreet
configurations and grade separations at key locations
• Address critical issues in the I-40 interchange area
• Modify the US 15-501 interchange

8. Durham Collector
Street Plan
• Evaluated as part
of the design
considerations
• Essential for
distribution of
traffic
• Supports access
with Superstreet
modifications

9. I-40 Interchange Area
• The major area of concern is the I-40
interchange and Farrington Road
• Volumes in this area are expected to approach
75,000 to 80,000 vehicles per day, and 9,000
vehicles in the AM peak hour alone (currently
45,000 vpd)
• ~ $900 of lost time per vehicle per year at the
Farrington Road intersection during peak
• ~ $150,000 of time lost per year considering all
vehicles using the intersection during peak

10. Recommended Design
• Resolves critical conflict points
• Maintains access and meets future demand
• Complete in phases

11. Slip Ramp for Direct Access to I-40
Eastbound
• Allows
vehicles on
Farrington
Road south
of NC 54 to
access the
eastbound I-
40 on-ramp
without
delay from
the
Farrington
Road / NC 54
traffic signal

12. Barbee Chapel Grade
Separation
Recommended Optional

13. Superstreet Modifications

14. The “Superstreet” Intersection
• All remaining at-grade intersections with the exception of
Hamilton Road

15. 15-501
Interchange
• Partial cloverleaf design
modification
• Removes unsafe
weaving
• Integrated signals
• Safer bicycle and
pedestrian
accommodations

16. Summary & Conclusions
• Corridor’s strategic location is driving growth pressures
– makes for a complex set of travel markets and issues
• The corridor needs balanced solutions
• Substantial capacity improvements needed by 2035
with or without new development in the corridor
• Light rail network can guide future growth into the
planned station areas to reduce auto trip making and
provide location-efficient housing
• Phasing to improve mobility in the short- and long-term