REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
June 18, 2020
FROM: SCOTT L. MOZIER, PE, Director
Public Works Department
THROUGH: Randall W. Morrison, PE, Assistant Director
Public Works Department, Engineering Division
BY: SHELBY D. MACNAB, MPA, Grants Administrator
Public Works Department
SUBJECT
Title
RESOLUTION - Authorizing the Department of Public Works to Submit Grant Applications Totaling up to $11 Million in Requests for Funding to the California Department of Transportation's Active Transportation Program Cycle 5 Call for Projects, and authorizing the execution of application related documents by the Public Works Director or designee (Council Districts 1,3,4,5 and 7)
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution authorizing the Department of Public Works to submit grant applications totaling up to $11 million in requests for funding to the California Department of Transportation’s Active Transportation Program Cycle 5 Call for Projects and authorize the execution of application related documents by the Public Works Director or designee.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The ATP Grant Cycle 5 Call for Projects was released in March 2020. 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% of funds distributed to disadvantaged communities. The call for projects occurs at both the state and regional (Fresno County) level. A new “Quick Build” project type has been added to Cycle 5 and is due to the state on July 15, 2020. Traditional applications for the statewide call are due on September 15, 2020, and applications to the regional call are due on November 20, 2020. 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 was created by Senate Bill 99 (Chapter 359, Statutes of 2013) and Assembly Bill 101 (Chapter 354, Statutes of 2013) to encourage increased use of active modes of transportation, such as biking and walking. Funding for the program comes from a variety of Federal and State sources including: the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account, the State Highway Account, the State Transportation Block Grant Set Aside for Transportation Alternatives, Recreational Trail funds and other Federal sources. SB1 stipulates that $100,000,000 of revenues from the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account will be available annually to the ATP. Based on this augmented level of funding, the Cycle Five Call for Projects is projected to have an estimated $440 million dollars available to be awarded. Of that total, the City of Fresno is eligible to compete for approximately $220 million in funding at the state level, and approximately $4.815 million at the regional level. Projects submitted can be small (less than $2 million), medium (between $2 million and $7 million) or large ($7 million or more).The program is administered by the California Transportation Commission, Caltrans and the Fresno Council of Governments. Project funding can be programmed for use in Fiscal Years 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25. The minimum project size in the state competition is $250,000. There is no minimum at the regional level, but projects are encouraged to request less than $2 million per project.
This year, a ‘Quick Build’ category has been added to the program. The intent of the Quick Build category is to rapidly install semi-permanent bicycle or pedestrian improvements that are designed for demonstration, while working with the community to troubleshoot any unanticipated challenges during and after the install (such as impacts to parking or maintenance). A total of $7 million has been set aside by the state for projects of this type. Unlike traditional demonstration/tactical urbanism projects which last days to months, Quick Build improvements are expected to last one to five years. Another notable difference is the project delivery timeline and flexibility for changes during installation. Traditional capital projects can take two to five years to design, acquire right of way and construct. Quick Build projects must be constructed in FY21/22.
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 constituent requests. A copy of the completed Project Prioritization Tool is included in this report. Improvements have been ranked on 16 inputs including access and equity, connectivity and traffic control, mode shift and user comfort.
For the statewide call for projects, the Department plans to submit three grant proposals: one quick build application, one small application and one medium application. All three proposals will compete in a separate funding categories.
Application 1 - A Class IV Protected Bikeway will be submitted as a quick build project. The proposed limits are on Palm from the City/County limits at Dakota to H Street, and on Belmont from Palm to Blackstone, including pedestrian friendly signal modifications at Belmont and San Pablo. It is expected that this project will cost less than $2 million dollars. This project is located in Council Districts 1 and 3.
Application 2 - Kids Crossing: Safe Routes to School in South Fresno will be submitted to the small project category. This project will install traffic signals at the intersections of Church and Waldby and Amador and Trinity to serve Storey and Columbia elementary schools. Funding for safety education will be incorporated for both school sites. The estimated total project cost will be under $2 million. This project is located in Council Districts 3 and 5.
Application 3 - Cross, Walk & Roll! Safe Routes to School in Central Fresno will be submitted to the medium project category. It will include three traffic signals at the intersections of Chestnut and Weldon, Princeton and West, and Barstow and Bond, one high-intensity activated crosswalk (HAWK) signal at the intersection of First and Home, sidewalk gap fill along the south side of Dakota between Hughes and Marks, and a protected bikeway (Class IV) on Clinton from First to Cedar with an Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) near the Millbrook crossing of the Midtown Trail. This project will include walk to school safety education at school sites as well as funding for a citywide educational campaign on how to use a HAWK. Proposed improvements are located in Council Districts 1, 4, and 7. Please see the proposed project list attached to this item for additional details. This project is estimated to cost up to $7 million dollars.
For the regional call, the small proposal will be submitted, along with two projects that are part of the medium proposal and which scored the highest in the attached prioritization analysis. Notification of grant awards is expected on September 15, 2020 for quick build projects and in early 2021 for small and medium applications. The City Attorney has reviewed the staff report and resolution as to form.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
A resolution applying for grant funding is not a project for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference is not applicable 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. Matching funds of 11.47% may be required if ATP funding is Federal, but is generally not required if awarded funds come from state sources. Should grant funds be awarded, local matching funds will be identified through future fiscal year capital budgets.
Attachments:
Resolution
Proposed Project List
ATP Prioritization Results
Project Area Map