REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Scott L. MOzier, PE, Director
Public Works Department
AARON A. AGUIRRE, Director
Parks, After School, Recreation, and Community Services Department
BY: jill m. Gormley, TE, Assistant Director
Public Works Department, Traffic & Engineering Services Division
ANNE G. SEHM, Grants Administrator
Public Works Department, Administration Division
SUBJECT
Title
RESOLUTION - Authorizing the Submission of Two Grant Applications to the California Department of Transportation’s Active Transportation Program (ATP) Cycle 7 Call for Projects Totaling up to $24 million in requests for funding; and Authorizing the Execution of Grant Applications and Grant Agreement documents by the Public Works Director or Designee (Council Districts 1, 4, 7).
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the submission of two grant applications to the California Department of Transportation’s ATP Cycle 7 call for projects totaling up to $24 million in requests for funding; and authorize the execution of all grant application and grant agreement documents by the Public Works Director or designee.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The ATP Grant Cycle 7 call for projects was released in March 2024. The ATP encourages the use of active modes of transportation, such as biking and walking, by funding education and infrastructure projects which support active travel. The grant program is competitive, with a minimum requirement of 25 percent of funds distributed to disadvantaged communities. The call for projects occurs at both the State and Regional (Fresno County) level. Traditional applications for the Statewide call are due on June 17, 2024, and applications to the Regional call are due on November 20, 2024. Projects not funded at the State level will be repackaged and submitted for Regional consideration. All proposed projects have been evaluated using the Active Transportation Prioritization Tool and have been grouped to maximize the competitiveness of the grant proposals.
BACKGROUND
The ATP is a competitive statewide program created to encourage increased use of active modes of transportation, such as biking and walking. Senate Bill 99 (Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, Chapter 359, Statutes of 2013) and Assembly Bill 101 (Committee on Budget, Chapter 354, Statutes of 2013) created the ATP, and Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) (Beall, Chapter 5, Statutes of 2017) directs additional funding from the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account to the ATP. The Cycle 7 call for projects is projected to have an estimated $568 million dollars available to be awarded. Of that total, the City of Fresno is eligible to compete for approximately $284 million in funding at the State level and approximately $6.3 million at the Regional level. Infrastructure projects with or without a non-infrastructure component can be submitted as small (less than $3.5 million), medium (between $3.5 million and $10 million), or large ($10 million or more). ATP also funds non-infrastructure projects, which include educational programs, and the development of active transportation plans. The program is administered by the California Transportation Commission, Caltrans, and Fresno Council of Governments. Project funding can be programmed for use in Fiscal Years 2025/26, 2026/27, 2027/28, and 2028/29. The minimum project size at the State application level is $250,000. There is no minimum at the Regional level, but applicants are encouraged to request less than $3.5 million per project.
On March 2, 2017, the City Council adopted the City’s Active Transportation Plan (the Plan) and a complementary Active Transportation Project Prioritization Tool (the Tool). The Plan has been referenced to identify potential projects based on community requests and the Tool has been used to calculate each project’s priority score. Many of the projects included in this cycle have been directly identified through the Department of Public Works Traffic Operations and Planning Division’s Signal Priority Locations. Improvements have been ranked on 16 inputs including access and equity, connectivity and traffic control, mode shift, and user comfort. An update to the Plan is underway with Public Outreach planned for summer 2024, and a proposed City Council presentation in spring 2025.
For the Statewide call for projects, the Public Works Department plans to submit two grant proposals: one medium infrastructure application and one large infrastructure application. Both application packets will include non-infrastructure educational and encouragement activity elements which will be implemented in partnership with the Parks, After School, Recreation and Community Services (PARCS) Department. Proposed programming will occur at City of Fresno community centers located at various parks near the proposed infrastructure projects and at Fresno Unified School District schools immediately enhanced by the proposed improvements.
Application 1 - Stride and Ride for Future Fresno High Schoolers will be submitted to the medium project category; the West Avenue bicycle lane enhancements and five intersection improvements are located in Council District 1.
Application 2 - Midtown Trail Tunnel and Regional Connectivity Project will be submitted to the large project category. This project would construct a pedestrian and bicycle undercrossing (tunnel) along Clovis Avenue at Dayton Avenue, design and construct of a 0.25-mile gap in trail improvements on Shields Avenue between Manchester Center and Fresno Street and install up to 85 wayfinding signs throughout the Midtown Trail. These projects are located in Council Districts 4 and 7.
Notification of grant awards for the State application is expected by November 1, 2024, and notification for the Regional application is expected in February 2025.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
Adoption of a resolution of support for a grant application is not considered a project pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference is not included because this resolution does not include a bid or award of a construction or services contract.
FISCAL IMPACT
This resolution will have no impact on the General Fund. No matching funds are required. Should the grant be awarded, ATP funds will be incorporated into the City of Fresno annual budget for the fiscal year(s) in which they will be available.
Attachments:
Resolution
Proposed Project List
Project Area Map