Morrisville council hears detailed update on transportation plan as staff weigh local priorities against state scoring

Brett Martin, Morrisville’s transportation project manager, and Christina Whitfield of Kimley‑Horn told the Town Council on June 23 that Phase 3 of the Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) update focuses on public feedback, project prioritization and assigning roadway cross‑sections across the town. The presentation summarized outreach from popup events, an online survey and a public workshop and said combined input prioritizes transit, pedestrian and bicycle projects, with specific support for widening along NC 54 and certain north–south connections.

The consultants said their outreach captured roughly 45 online survey responses and more than 100 in‑person conversations. Whitfield said the in‑person and online results differed slightly — online respondents ranked pedestrians, intersections and roadways highest while in‑person participants emphasized transit, then bicycle and pedestrian priorities — but staff combined those inputs to focus the plan on transit, pedestrian and bicycle improvements.

Why it matters: the CTP will guide which projects the town advances locally and which are submitted to regional and state partners for funding. Several top‑scoring projects the consultants showed are already included in NC DOT or regional plans; others will require Morrisville to pursue local funding or stronger regional advocacy.

Key technical shifts recommended in the draft plan include 22 typical roadway cross‑sections (12 new since the 2019 CTP), removal of the old five‑lane center‑turn‑lane standard and the addition of sections that account for future bus lanes and separated bicycle facilities. Martin said those updated cross‑sections were designed to reduce ambiguity for review of proposed development and to align more closely with current design guidance.

Council members repeatedly asked how the CTP’s prioritization will affect smaller, town‑only projects that are unlikely to score highly under state or CAMPO criteria. Council Member Swangi Johnson noted that many high‑priority items in the document are major connecting corridors and asked how the town could move local, high‑impact intersection improvements forward when state scoring prioritizes volume and congestion. Martin replied that some projects can be advanced locally — paid for or implemented through development frontage work or town funds — while others will need coordination with NC DOT and CAMPO, and that the plan identifies both types and their likely funding pathways.

On the issue of data, staff said the CTP update was not scoped to collect new, townwide intersection counts (an expensive effort). Instead, the update relied on NC DOT's count stations and the Triangle regional travel demand model for volume and forecasting inputs. Martin and planning director Michelle Steaggle said the regional model does incorporate land‑use assumptions for the new Town Center and other major developments, but it does not replace a site‑specific microanalysis needed for some intersection solutions.

Several council members urged a two‑track approach: maintain the statewide/regionally compatible prioritization for DOT and CAMPO processes while simultaneously tracking a town‑controlled project list that could be funded locally or implemented via development agreements. Whitfield and Martin agreed, noting the CTP’s implementation plan will detail who is responsible, likely funding sources and when projects should be advanced.

Next steps: staff plan to develop a more detailed implementation plan and return with an itemized project list, cost estimates and suggested phasing. They also said they would present follow‑up materials the council requested — including a comparison of 2019 to 2026 project progress and the town‑specific sidewalk prioritization tool — at upcoming meetings.