Title
Resolution to Proceed with the Nixon Road Corridor Traffic Study and Amend the FY16 Budget ($200,000.00) (8 Votes Required)
Body
Whereas, Northeast Ann Arbor Area residents have identified existing Nixon Road corridor traffic congestion and capacity issues and concerns;
Whereas, The City’s Land Development Regulations call for plans to be in place for necessary streets or traffic improvements where developments will contribute traffic that will result in Levels of Service (LOS) D, E or F in order for the site plans to be approved;
Whereas, Some/all of the proposed developments (i.e., Nixon Farms North and South, Woodbury Club, NorthSky) will contribute to the Nixon/Dhu Varren/Green Road intersection improvement project, but no additional improvements are proposed and no funding has been identified for the Nixon Road corridor;
Whereas, The Nixon, Green and Dhu Varren Roads Intersection Improvement Study Community Engagement Summary stated that public feedback included concerns regarding inadequate gaps along Nixon Road, and that “the City is considering the broader impacts of the adjacent developments on Nixon Road outside the study area.”;
Whereas, On September 8, 2015 Council approved the “Resolution Regarding Nixon Corridor Traffic Study” (R-15-294) to direct the City Administrator to present a plan to reassess the 2018 CIP priority of the study as a 2015/2016 CIP project in order to identify and advance recommended improvements for the corridor;
Whereas, On October 8, 2015 the City Administrator presented a proposed Nixon Corridor Transportation Study report which ranked the Nixon Road Corridor Study third out of the 13 projects in the “Other Transportation” category and outlined, as requested, the scope of work, deliverables, timeline, community engagement plan, estimated study cost and funding source;
Whereas, The study, as directed in Resolution R-15-294, is intended, at a minimum, to include a set of recommendations as well as identification of all of the potential road engineering and/or reconstruction improvements that could result in improved traffic flow in and around the corridor;
Whereas, The study, as proposed in the October 8, 2015 City Administrator memo, also proposes to evaluate alternatives for improving the corridor for all users, and cost estimates for each alternative;
Whereas, The proposed study is proposed to assess “near and long term transportation needs of the Nixon Road corridor” and will include an analysis of intersections along the corridor;
Whereas, The September 8th Nixon Corridor Traffic Study Resolution directed the City Administrator to provide the projected study cost and funding source(s), and, in response, the October 8, 2015 memo from the City Administrator indicated the project cost would be approximately $200,000.00 and the recommended funding source is the General Fund;
Whereas, The October 8th City Administrator memo also indicated that the City would utilize the services of a consultant in conducting the study;
Whereas, Some residents have also expressed concerns about traffic flow/impacts along Green Road resulting from the increased Southbound traffic on DhuVarren/Green; and
Whereas, The City Administrator advises that because a corridor study for Green Road is not currently in the CIP and adding a Green Road corridor study would add significantly to the cost of the Nixon Road Corridor Study;
RESOLVED, That the Council accept the “Nixon Road Corridor Transportation Study” project plan as outlined in the October 8, 2015 City Administrator memorandum, and that it is Council’s desire to proceed with the study as soon as work can begin (indicated as the First Quarter of 2016 in the memo);
RESOLVED, That Council appropriates a $200,000.00 transfer from the General Fund, to be funded from fund balance, to the General Capital Fund, and appropriates the transfer amount of $200,000.00 in the General Capital Fund, without regard to fiscal year, for purpose of conducting the study; and authorize the City Administrator to issue an RFP/RFQ for consulting services related to the study; and
RESOLVED, That Council accept the City Administrator’s recommendation to include the Green Road study as a potential and priority need when undertaking the full update of 2016 CIP, and also recommends that, in conjunction with the Nixon Corridor Study, it is advisable to consider the impacts of the increased Southbound Green to Plymouth Road traffic at the intersection(s) affected by the curved geometry at the North end of Green Road.
Sponsored by: Council Members Lumm, Kailasapathy, Briere and Westphal