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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem B: STP-U Funding ECC UGENE ITY OUNCIL AIS GENDA TEM UMMARY Work Session: Federal Surface Transportation Program – Urban Funds Meeting Date: February 8, 2010 Agenda Item Number: B Department: Public Works Staff Contact: Mark Schoening www.ci.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 541-682-5243 ISSUE STATEMENT The City Council is requested to approve the following pavement preservation projects for submittal of applications for federal Surface Transportation Program – Urban (STP-U) funds for federal fiscal years (FFY) 2011- 2013: th ? Hilyard Street (Broadway to 13): $270,000 ? Martin Luther King Boulevard (Centennial Loop to I-5): $1,800,000 ? Coburg Road (Cal Young to Beltline): $700,000 BACKGROUND Over the course of its last several meetings, the Metropolitan Policy Committee (MPC) has been discussing the framework for allocating federal STP-U funds for federal fiscal years (FFY) 2011 - 2013. The MPC is scheduled to adopt a framework at its February 11, 2010, meeting. The recommendation of a subcommittee of the MPC is to maintain the existing framework that has been in place since 2006, and sets the following targets: ? 10% - Transportation options (transportation demand management, or TDM) activities carried out by point2point Solutions ? 25% - Planning activities carried out by the local member jurisdictions and the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) under the MPO’s Unified Planning Work Program ? 65% - Project Development, Preservation, and Modernization (PPM) activities across all transportation modes within the MPO. It is anticipated that a minimum of $3,180,000 and a maximum of $5,280,000 will be available to the MPO for Project Development, Preservation and Modernization over the next three federal fiscal years, FFY 2011 – FFY 2013. On April 11, 2005, the City Council passed a motion adopting a set of Capital Improvement Program policies that included: Flexible transportation funding available to the City from federal, state, county and local sources, that is eligible, will be used to fund operations, maintenance, and preservation of existing capital transportation infrastructure, unless a specific exception is directed by the council. Z:\CMO\2010 Council Agendas\M100208\S100208B.doc The context of this policy direction was the increasing backlog of pavement preservation projects and the desire to have a diverse set of funding sources for pavement preservation. At the time the policy was established, the estimated pavement preservation backlog was $94 million. In 2009, the backlog was estimated at over $170 million. Since 2005, the City has increased the local motor vehicle fuel tax from $.03 to $.05 per gallon, passed a $35.9 million pavement preservation bond measure and received $3 million in ARRA funds for pavement preservation. These funds represent a significant investment in the preservation of the City’s existing transportation infrastructure. However, there is still a significant pavement preservation backlog and the City has not met its goal of establishing a locally controlled and sustainable source of funding for pavement preservation. Therefore, the existing council policy is still relevant and important. One of the consequences of the existing policy is that other transportation capital funding needs are unmet. Attachment A outlines alternative projects that the council may wish to consider for the submittal of applications for STP-U funding. The timeline for the allocation of STP-U funds for FFY 2011 – FFY 2013 by the MPC follows: ? February 11, 2010 - MPC meeting to adopt funding framework ? February 12, 2010 – Begin solicitation for funding applications ? February 26, 2010 - Funding application deadline ? March 11, 2010 - Metropolitan Policy Committee public hearing ? March 18, 2010 - Citizen Advisory Committee recommendation ? February 25, 2010 - Transportation Planning Committee recommendation ? April 8, 2010 – Metropolitan Policy Committee decision on allocation of funds COUNCIL OPTIONS The City Council may: 1.Approve the submittal of STP-U funding applications for the Hilyard Street, Martin Luther King Boulevard and Coburg Road pavement preservation projects. 2.Approve the submittal of STP-U funding applications for an alternative group of projects. CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION The City Manager recommends that the City Council approve the submittal of STP-U funding applications for the Hilyard Street, Martin Luther King Boulevard and Coburg Road pavement preservation projects. SUGGESTED MOTION Move to approve submittal of STP-U funding applications for the Hilyard Street, Martin Luther King Boulevard and Coburg Road pavement preservation projects. ATTACHMENTS A.Alternative Project List for STP-U Funding Z:\CMO\2010 Council Agendas\M100208\S100208B.doc FOR MORE INFORMATION Staff Contact: Mark Schoening Telephone: 682-5243 Staff E-Mail: mark.a.schoening@ci.eugene.or.us Z:\CMO\2010 Council Agendas\M100208\S100208B.doc ATTACHMENT A Alternative Projects for STP-U Funding Pedestrian and Bicycle Projects The soon to be launched Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan Update will identify and prioritize pedestrian and bicycle projects across the city. However, there are projects that could be implemented before completion of the plan, either to take advantage of efficiencies of coordinating with pavement preservation projects or to implement already identified needs in the community. ? Bicycle Boulevard Completion and Expansion ($200,000 - $300,000): Bicycle boulevards are low speed and low traffic neighborhood streets that have good connectivity for bicycling; they serve as good alternatives to busy streets with bike lanes. This project would bring existing bicycle boulevards up to standards and potentially create new bicycle boulevards. Standards include signage, markings, traffic calming, and safe crossings of major streets. Existing bicycle boulevards include Monroe-Friendly Bikeway, Alder Street, 15th Avenue, and parts of 10th Avenue, 12th Avenue, and Broadway. ? Coburg Road Corridor – safety improvements for pedestrians and cyclists coordinated with pavement preservation projects that would be funded by STP-U and street preservation bond. Could include visual countdown signals, access management where there are willing property owners, and bicycle wayfinding signage. ? Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Corridor – enhanced pedestrian crossings at east end of corridor coordinated with pavement preservation project that would be funded by STP-U. Traffic Signal System – Begin Implementation of Master Traffic Communications Plan The City maintains an aging twisted pair copper interconnect network that limits our ability to develop a modern traffic signal communications system. In 2008, the City completed a Master Traffic Communications Plan that contains a blueprint for replacing the copper network with a system of fiber optic trunk lines. The first phase of recommended deployment is the Coburg Fiber Trunkline. Trunk Line on Coburg Road Corridor – would be coordinated with pavement preservation projects funded by STP-U and street repair bond: ? RIS to I-105: $370,000 ? I-105 to Cal Young Road: $150,000 ? Cal Young Road to Crescent Avenue: $200,000 The trunk line as well as overall system upgrade would have the following benefits: ? Ability to support deployment of intelligent transportation system (ITS) devices (e.g. cameras, dynamic message signs) from the Regional ITS Plan. ? Video sharing capabilities within the City and with other agencies, the media, and the traveling public. ? Improved operations resulting from new capabilities to monitor system performance and make signal timing adjustments based on current conditions. ? Improved pedestrian and bicycle operations by enhancing and optimizing cycle lengths, pedestrian crossing timing, bicycle/pedestrian detection, and other pedestrian phasing and interval timing. ? Enhanced staff efficiency afforded by remote access to City traffic devices. West 11th Avenue Transportation Corridor Study Implementation The West 11th Avenue Transportation Corridor Study identified numerous recommendations for addressing safety and congestion issues in the West 11th corridor for multiple modes of transportation. These can be broken into the following categories: ? Pedestrian and Bicycle Facilities ? Safety Improvements ? Access Management ? Signal Timing ? Intersection Improvements Thus far, rough cost estimates have only been prepared for the two intersections recommended for improvement on city facilities: th ? West 11 Avenue/Bailey Hill Road – add northbound right-turn lane: $500,000 th ? West 11 Avenue/Seneca Road – add westbound right-turn lane: $1.1 million Because West 11th Avenue is under consideration as an alignment for the West Eugene EmX Extension it is not recommended that any improvements be constructed on West 11th within the next few years because they could torn up by EmX construction. Furthermore, the EmX project could present an opportunity to implement some of the recommendations of the corridor study such as access management and sidewalk infill. 2