North Country Council Regional Transportation Plan 2015 UPDATE North Country Council, Inc. www.nccouncil.org North Country Council Regional Transportation Plan 2015 UPDATE Adopted by: North Country Council Transportation Advisory Committee on 6/9/15 North Country Council Board of Directors on 6/10/15 The preparation of this plan has been financed in part through grant[s] from the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, under the State Planning and Research Program, Section of Title 23, U.S. Code. The contents of this report do not necessarily reflect the official views or policy of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Prepared by: North Country Council, Inc. The Cottage at the Rocks 107 Glessner Road Bethlehem, NH 03574 www.nccouncil.org **Beginning August 3, 2015, North Country Council’s new address will be: North Country Council, Mt. Eustis Commons, Suite 246, 262 Cottage Street, Littleton, NH 03561 Top Left Cover Photo Credit: G. Sewake Center Cover: G. Sewake Bottom Right Cover Photo Credit: North Country Transit CONTENTS SECTION PAGE I. Introduction 1 II. Public Engagement 9 III. Regional Overview 29 IV. The Region’s Six Travelsheds 63 A. Colebrook 63 B. Berlin-Gorham 81 C. Conway 104 D. Littleton 128 E. Haverhill 167 F. Plymouth 185 V. Land Use and Transportation 209 Appendix A. NHDOT Pavement Strategy Summary 220 Appendix B. NHDOT Bridge Strategy Summary 222 The preparation of this plan has been financed in part through grant[s] from the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, under the State Planning and Research Program, Section of Title 23, U.S. Code. The contents of this report do not necessarily reflect the official views or policy of the U.S. Department of Transportation. SECTION I INTRODUCTION NORTH COUNTRY COUNCIL North Country Council (NCC) is a Regional Planning Commission established pursuant to RSA Chapter 36 to promote coordinated development through the preparation of comprehensive plans and studies. It is the mission of North Country Council to encourage effective community and regional planning for the development of economic opportunity and the conservation of natural, cultural and economic resources. This is accomplished by providing information, regional advocacy, technical assistance, community education, and direct service to the region, its organizations, and political subdivisions. The Council also serves as the collective voice for the constituent towns in their dealings with state and federal agencies by representing and protecting regional interests. North Country Council serves: 51 communities 25 unincorporated places The northern third of New Hampshire All of Coos County and parts of Grafton and Carroll Counties About 3,418 square miles About 90,659 people (2012 Population Estimates, NH Office of Energy and Planning) TRANSPORTATION PLANNING IN THE NORTH COUNTRY REGION RSA Chapter 36 requires regional planning commissions to prepare a coordinated plan for the development of the region. Funding from the Federal Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Initiative through a grant to the state’s nine regional planning commissions administered by HUD enabled North Country Council to conduct a three year public engagement process from 2011-2014 to identify the region’s high priority needs and develop a set of consensus-based strategies for addressing those needs. That process led to the adoption of A Plan for New Hampshire’s North Country. That document serves as the overarching guide for the development of the region pursuant to RSA Chapter 36. Funding from FHWA administered by NH Department of Transportation enabled the development of this Regional Transportation Plan examining the transportation system in more detail and recommending activities to further the implementation of the regional plan. The region’s transportation system is comprised of the facilities and programs for transporting people and goods from one place to another. The region’s transportation facilities include highways, from Interstate 93 to Class V roads maintained by municipalities, airports, rail, and bike/pedestrian paths. The health and well-being of individuals is dependent upon the effectiveness and condition of the transportation system, as is the economic competiveness of the region. Regional Transportation Plan – 2015 Update 1 | P a g e The Regional Transportation Plan is a policy document that will guide North Country Council (NCC), the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT), member communities and partner organizations in making important decisions regarding transportation and other key issues. This plan describes the existing transportation system in the region, including the current trends and patterns, and outlines local and regional priorities to help guide future growth of a safe and efficient transportation system while preserving the qualities that make the North Country region unique. The Regional Transportation Plan will assist the Transportation Advisory Committee in reviewing and prioritizing projects for federal and state funding, e.g., Ten Year Transportation Improvement Plan (TYP) and the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP). The policies outlined in this plan will also provide guidance to communities in making decisions that incorporate transportation projects with land use planning. In regards to the Ten Year Transportation Improvement Plan (TYP) project prioritization, NCC’s Transportation Advisory Committee reviews and ranks new projects that are submitted for consideration. The scoring strategy below was used in the 2015 TYP cycle and was reviewed and endorsed by NHDOT. NCC TYP Scoring Strategy - 2015 1.) Staff reviews current TYP projects a. Provides TAC with list of projects in the Ten Year Plan. b. Provides TAC with letters of support from communities that submitted them. c. Confirms that all of the projects in the existing TYP are still needs/priorities. d. If there are clearly projects that are NOT supported within NCC communities that are in the approved TYP, NCC staff will contact communities for a letter from the town so the project can be pulled. 2.) Review all new Project Proposals & Attachments a. Staff provides score sheets, criteria descriptions and rating system information to TAC b. Staff provides information and data to TAC (traffic counts, if project accommodates a bus route or bike/ped facility, etc.) 3.) Score all new projects a. Score based on information provided (outlined above). b. Each TAC member should review TYP Threshold Criteria and determine if the project is Feasible and Supported. Guidelines for determining this will be provided to the TAC. TAC members MUST take notes in the Comments section explaining why it is NOT feasible and/or NOT supported. c. NCC will determine if the project is Eligible for another FHWA funding source 4.) TAC submits scores by predetermined deadline a. NCC staff compile scores and apply weightings to all new projects 2 | P a g e North Country Council b. NCC staff provide the scores and discuss the Feasibility, Support, and Eligibility Threshold Criteria with the TAC at determine if any projects should NOT be sent on to DOT for inclusion in the TYP. i. A draft list of priorities (showing the funding cut-off level allocated to the NCC region) is provided to the TAC for review. c. NCC votes on the priorities being submitted to NHDOT for inclusion in the Ten Year Plan. 5.) NCC staff submits confirmation of existing TYP Priorities and New Project Priorities (with project proposals and attachments) to the New Hampshire Department of Transportation. This document builds on and updates the June 2009 North Country Council Regional Transportation Plan. The process for developing the 2009 plan began with public meetings held throughout the region and numerous work sessions held with the NCC Transportation Advisory Committee. The document was adopted by the North Country Council Representatives as part of the Regional Plan in October 2009 and readopted by that body in November 2014. This document takes a closer look at specific transportation-related needs in each of the region’s labor market area-based travelsheds. EVOLVING FEDERAL POLICY North Country Council seeks to further the goals originally undertaken by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Equity Act of 1991 (ISTEA) and its successors, the Transportation Equity Act of the 21st Century (TEA-21), the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFTEA-LU), and the current transportation bill Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP- 21). These laws encourage comprehensive transportation planning on local, regional, state, and federal levels. The initial ideas of ISTEA have been carried forward to support the expanded intermodal transportation policies of TEA-21, SAFTEA-LU and most recently in MAP-21. INTERMODAL SURFACE TRANSPORTATION EQUITY ACT OF 1991 (ISTEA) On December 18th, 1991, President Clinton signed ISTEA into law in order to provide $155 billion in funding for highways, highway safety, and intermodal transportation between the fiscal years of 1992 through 1997. The purpose of ISTEA was to “develop a National Intermodal Transportation System that is economically efficient, environmentally sound, provides the foundation for the Nation to compete in the global economy and will move people and goods in an energy efficient manner.” As defined by the Federal Highway Administration (http://ntl.bts.gov/DOCS/ste.html),