5 Freight, Rail + Transit Element 5
Overview The purpose of the Fuquay-Varina 2040 Comprehensive Transportation Plan is to provide efficient, cost-effective multimodal transportation recommendations to facilitate the movement of people and goods in and through the Town. While previous chapters focused on the movement of drivers of person vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians, this chapter focuses on the movement of freight, rail, and public transportation. The vision of this chapter is to provide recommendations that strengthen the freight, rail, and public transportation networks and lean into regional partnerships. By working towards this vision, Fuquay- Varina can bolster both the local and regional economies by moving people and goods effectively and conveniently. Freight and Rail The efficient movement of freight is vital to the economy. The ability to transfer goods to and from destinations efficiently is a priority of Fuquay-Varina. In the production cycle, the movement of goods is vital and becoming increasingly more expensive. A way to reduce the cost for end users is to ensure the movement of goods through roadways and railways is efficient. The improvements described in the Roadway Element, combined with the considerations in the Freight and Rail section, streamline a coordinated approach to enhancing travel for all modes of transportation. By identifying and highlighting these coordinated improvements, the CTP can help facilitate a safer transportation network for all people. Challenges and Opportunities The challenges associated with freight planning primarily hinge on the private sector’s control over a significant portion of rail facilities in North Carolina. While the Town’s regulations guide the location of truck facilities, the facilities that trucks primarily operate on are controlled by NCDOT. Rail is primarily regulated at the federal planning level, but private corporations own and control the use of railroads. By understanding the unique constraints associated with freight and rail, the Town of Fuquay-Varina can continue to collaborate and partner with other entities to enhance mobility within the Town. Currently, the only roadway in Fuquay-Varina that is designated as being “Available to All Trucks” in the North Carolina Truck Network (NCTN) is US-401. This factor sends a large volume of truck traffic through the Fuquay Downtown on US-401. Furthermore, because all primary highways (US and NC routes) in North Carolina are generally available for all legal trucks per general statute §20-115.1(b), many trucks are currently routed through the Varina Downtown on NC-55. These truck passages present significant problems for the trucks due to constrained widths and turning space, along with the congested low-speed traffic. Additionally from a land use perspective, the heavy volume of trucks on these particular roads works contrary to the downtown business activity and environment which works best in a space that is more pedestrian-friendly and easy to navigate. Regional Initiatives The Town has the opportunity to leverage on-going and previous regional initiatives for freight and rail. The following planning efforts should be closely considered as the Town moves forward with implementation of the recommendations in the Fuquay- Varina 2040 Comprehensive Transportation Plan . Triangle Regional Freight Plan (2018) The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) partnered with the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO) and the North Carolina Department of Transportation to develop a streamlined, regional freight plan for the Triangle Area. The Triangle Regional Freight Plan identifies linear project improvements along the strategic freight corridors (SFCs) to fund over the next 20 years.
This collaborative effort also identifies programmatic and policy recommendations to supplement the investment in the SFC network. The recommendations identified in the Fuquay-Varina 2040 CTP are intentionally aligned with the recommendations outlined in this regional freight plan. In the future, both the CTP and the Triangle Regional Freight Plan should be referenced to serve as a guide for future investments in the local and regional freight network. The Triangle Regional Freight Plan includes the following recommendations for the Town of Fuquay-Varina: • Long-Range Freight-Oriented Development Opportunity Zones | NC 55 Highway and NC 42 Highway corridors with a total of 14 large industrial parcels
• Freight-Oriented Development (FOD) Opportunity Areas | The following corridors in Apex, Holly Springs, and Fuquay-Varina: I-540, NC 540 (Future Southern Wake Expressway and East Wake Expressway) Fuquay-Varina Recommendations
The primary highways (US 401, NC 42 Highway and NC 55 Highway) are the only through routes for trucks in Fuquay-Varina and US-401 is the only one specifically designated in the state’s truck network (NCTN). The Town will benefit from collaborating with NCDOT to identify additional preferred truck routes through and around Town, including potentially designating a Surface Transportation Assistance Act (STAA) truck route as an alternative to US 401 through the downtown. The Town should work with NCDOT to establish additional truck routes which provide efficient alternatives to the passage of trucks through the Fuquay Downtown on US 401 and the Varina Downtown on NC 55 Highway. Where any desired routes do not yet meet NCDOT standards for truck mobility, the town should partner with the state to identify projects and implement any improvements required to bring them up to standards. For rail, Norfolk Southern and RJ Corman provide cargo and freight services through Town. While there are no standalone rail and freight projects as part of this CTP, several recommendations will have a synergistic impact on rail and freight service within the Fuquay-Varina. Additionally, the town should pursue grade crossing improvements which enhance the safe interaction between highway and railroad traffic, and consider opportunities to perform railroad crossing elimination through provision of grade separations or other improvements which achieve similar safety goals. The recommendations regarding existing planned projects are summarized below. Table 13. Freight Specific Projects ID Route Rail Freight
Improvements include widening for additional capacity. While rail service is not directly impacted, there is an at-grade crossing on NC 42 Highway. Any improvements along this corridor should consider the incorporation of multimodal enhancements. Improvements include the addition of a median-divided roadway. The recommendations along the corridor will enhance travel flow. In addition to providing better traffic flow that bypasses much of the town’s business district, it can serve the purpose of providing a much better truck route around the Town. NCDOT is currently constructing R-5705 A and B, which complete a strategic bypass around Angier to the south and will serve truck traffic well in addition to providing enhanced road capacity. Town may pursue the designation of the enhanced NC 55 Highway route, potentially even as an STAA route, as an alternative to US 401 through downtown.
NC 42 Highway
W24
US 401 (N Main St)
MD8
S NC 55 Highway
N4
S NC 55 Highway
W2
59
Town of Fuquay-Varina
2040 Comprehensive Transportation Plan
60
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