Title
Consider/Discuss/Act on a Resolution Authorizing the Deputy City Manager to Submit a Proposal in Response to the 2014 Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) Call for Projects and Accept Funding, if Awarded, from the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) for a State Highway 5 Urban Infrastructure Project
Summary
MEETING DATE: May 6, 2014
DEPARTMENT: Development Services - Planning Department
CONTACT: Jason Aprill, Planner I
Jennifer Arnold, Planning Manager
Gary Graham, P.E., P.T.O.E., Transportation and CIP Manager
RECOMMENDED CITY COUNCIL ACTION:
· Approval of the Resolution
ITEM SUMMARY:
· The Resolution authorizes the Deputy City Manager to submit a proposal in response to the 2014 Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) Call for Projects and accept funding, if awarded, from the NCTCOG for a State Highway 5 Urban Infrastructure Project.
· Per the 2014 TAP Call for Projects, the NCTCOG will accept project proposals for:
o Active Transportation Projects: which make non-motorized transport safe, convenient, and appealing.
o Urban Thoroughfares/Boulevards Projects: which must be for planning, designing, or constructing urban thoroughfares/boulevards. Roadways are typically located in urban environments with low traffic speeds, designed with multi-modes of transportation, and are context sensitive in design.
o Safety and Access to Schools Projects: which include infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects that improve safety and access to any public or private schools, including elementary, secondary, and high education institutions.
· Under the Urban Thoroughfares/Boulevards Project category, projects are defined as:
o Walkable, low-speed divided arterial thoroughfares in urban environments designed to carry both through traffic and local traffic, pedestrians, and bicycles.
o Boulevards may be long corridors, typically four lanes but sometimes wider, serve longer trips, and provide pedestrian access to land. Boulevards may be high-ridership transit corridors.
· Given the project categories and parameters, the segment of SH 5 between Eldorado Parkway and US 380 is considered an urban thoroughfare and is eligible for TAP funding under the Urban Thoroughfares/Boulevards Project category.
· With the anticipated completion of the SH 5 Corridor Context Sensitive Transportation Study in June 2014, City Staff is seeking Council approval to request up to $3 million in 2014 TAP funding (under the Urban Thoroughfares/Boulevards project category) in order to design and reconstruct State Highway 5 between Standifer Street and Watt Street through the urban core of McKinney.
· All project proposals are due May 30, 2014. NCTCOG staff anticipates announcing selected projects in late July 2014 with final project approval by the Regional Transportation Council (RTC) in August 2014.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
· The Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) was authorized under Section 1122 of Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) (the current funding and authorization bill) and provides funding for programs and projects defined as transportation alternatives.
· Approximately $28 million is anticipated to be available to fund TAP projects in the 12-county NCTCOG Metropolitan Planning Area (this includes all project categories).
· This is the first year that the TAP Call for Projects includes the Urban Thoroughfares/Boulevards Project category.
· An eligible Urban Thoroughfares/Boulevards Project should demonstrate some of the following elements:
o Traffic-calming measures
o Context-sensitive bicycle and pedestrian facilities
o Compliance with accessibility requirements and guidelines
o Promotion of transit corridor through additional protected stops and routes
o Environmentally efficient lighting and water-saving systems
· Urban Thoroughfares/Boulevards projects should also be context sensitive in design and consistent with the recommended practices set forth by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) that often include "walkable" streetscapes with pedestrian and transit user accommodations, on-street parking, and other amenities and design elements suitable for the adjoining land uses.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY:
· A 50% local match is required for all Urban Thoroughfares/Boulevards TAP projects.
· Urban Thoroughfares/Boulevards projects are eligible to receive a maximum project award of $3 million, which would require a local match of $3 million (total project cost = $6 million).
· In the FY 2014-2018 CIP Program, $5 million has been budgeted for SH 5 improvements (project ST1216). If awarded TAP funding, Staff would look to leverage the $5 million in CIP funds to satisfy the 50% minimum local match.
· Specifically, the project selection process will consider additional local funding overmatch in the scoring of projects. With this in mind, City Staff proposes to utilize the $5 million CIP funds as an over-match to the minimum 50% requirement.
BOARD OR COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION:
· N/A