BACKGROUND:
The Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) is a core federal-aid program to achieve significant reduction in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads, including non-State-owned public roads and roads on tribal land. The HSIP is one of the core federal-aid programs in the new federal surface transportation act, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which was signed into law on November 6, 2021.
The California local HSIP program funds local highway safety improvement projects on a two-year Call-for-Projects cycle. The timing and size of the call is determined by the program apportionments, HSIP Federal Transportation Improvement Program (FTIP) capacity and the delivery of the existing HSIP Projects.
The Division of Local Assistance (DLA) manages California’s local agency share of HSIP funds. California’s Local HSIP prioritizes infrastructure projects with nationally recognized crash reduction factors (CRF). Local HSIP projects are ranked on the basis of crash severity, crash potential, crash rate, or other data-supported means.
On June 25, 2021, the City completed the final Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP) which provides a framework for identifying, analyzing, and prioritizing roadway safety improvements on local roads (copy attached to this Staff Report). The LRSP is required for upcoming HSIP Cycle 11 Grant and will be the basis for current and future HSIP grant application requests.
Further background, the City has been very successful in securing HSIP grants in the past. The following is a list of HSIP Cycle awards:
•HSIP Cycle 8: 20 Intersection Upgrades (completed)
oGrant award amount: $1,674,000.00
•HSIP Cycle 9A: 12 Intersection Upgrades (in design)
oGrant award amount: $1,302,500
•HSIP Cycle 9B: Date Palm Drive – Varner Road Safety Improvements (in design) oGrant award amount: $1,089,700
•HSIP Cycle 10: Pedestrian Crossing at Ramon Road and Candlewood Drive (in design)
oGrant award amount: $776,600
Note: These grants represent 100% funding. The latest call for grants under the HSIP Cycle 11 Program has variable grant participation amounts based on a “maximum reimbursement ratio” of either 100%, 90% and 50% depending on the project’s safety countermeasure utilized. Under this new requirement, the Projects outlined in the discussion below will require a 10% or a 0% participation amount with a 90% and 100% “reimbursement ratio”, respectively.
DISCUSSION:
For the HSIP Cycle 11 Call-For-Projects, City Staff and STC Traffic, Inc. (STC) identified four potential projects to submit for funding:
1. Citywide Pedestrian Crosswalk Upgrades (10% participation)
2. Pedestrian Signals/Hybrid Beacons (High Intensity Activated CrossWalk Beacon (HAWK)) (10% participation)
3. Citywide Traffic Signal Hardware Improvements (10% participation)
4. Pedestrian School Crossing Upgrades (0% participation) The Citywide Pedestrian Crosswalk Upgrades, Pedestrian Signals/HAWK, Citywide Traffic Signal Hardware Improvements Projects were identified in the Cathedral City LRSP as priority projects. The Pedestrian School Crossing Upgrades Project was not listed in the LRSP, and with further evaluation it was still determined to be able to score competitively. STC conducted a feasibility analysis based on latest crash data to validate the above HSIP Cycle 11 grant Projects’ competitiveness. The scope of the Project and results of the feasibility analysis are discussed below.
Citywide Pedestrian Crosswalk Upgrades
The Project includes providing pedestrian upgrades such as light emitting diode (LED) street lighting, curb extensions, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ramps, flashing stop signs, high visibility crosswalk striping, and advanced warning pavement markings and signs at 10 unsignalized intersections in the City.
The results of the feasibility analysis indicate that the scope of the Project improvements could be expanded while maintaining a competitive Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) range. Up to five additional pedestrian crossings near schools may be added to the Project depending on the scope of the improvements and impacts to the BCR calculations.
Pedestrian Signals/Hybrid Beacons (HAWK)
The Project includes providing pedestrian signals/hybrid beacons (HAWK) at the following locations:
•Cathedral Canyon Drive and Ortega Drive
•30 th Ave and Avenida La Paz
The results of the feasibility analysis indicate the Project would be competitive based on the projected BCR. STC will review the Project costs identified in the LRSP to ensure estimates are conservative and account for recent inflation.
Citywide Traffic Signal Hardware Improvements
The Project includes providing LED safety lighting, LED internally illuminated street name signs, retro-reflective backplates, and new signal heads at 47 traffic signals citywide.
The results of the feasibility study indicate that the scope of the Project could be expanded while maintaining a competitive BCR range. Additional improvements to consider include cabinet and controller upgrades, replacing deficient signal heads due to missing or fading backplates, and retroreflective backplates at existing HAWK signals.
Pedestrian School Crossing Upgrades
The Project includes pedestrian crossing safety enhancements for an existing unsignalized intersection near a local school. Improvements may include curb extensions, rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFB), LED lighting, high visibility crosswalk striping, and advanced pavement markings and signs. The Project location and scope of improvements will be coordinated with the City.
HSIP Cycle 11 Call-for-Projects was announced on May 9, 2022. The Application deadline is September 12, 2022. The submittal process for the HSIP Call-for-Projects is getting increasingly sophisticated and requires the specialized skills of a traffic engineering firm, especially with the short time window Caltrans has given in which to propose, evaluate, complete and submit the four (4) Applications (with attachments) for each Project. Thus, Staff has solicited a task order proposal from the City’s On-Call Traffic Engineering Consultant, STC Traffic Inc., to assist Staff and prepare the four HSIP Cycle 11 applications for a not-to-exceed cost of $25,000.
The scope of STC’s services will include project description and information, safety countermeasures, responses to narrative questions, LRSP Certification, engineer’s checklist, vicinity/location Maps, project maps, pictures of existing conditions, benefit cost ratio (BCR) HSIP Analyzer calculations, crash data analysis, project schedule, detailed cost estimate, collision diagrams, collision summary reports, and additional narration, documentation and letters of support.
Further, STC has a proven track record with over $40 million in successful grant awards, most of which were HSIP and Active Transportation Program funding. STC’s extensive experience with local, State, and Federal requirements for grant funded projects will give the City the best opportunity for success in developing these competitive Applications.
The proposed cost will include STC guiding the initial evaluation and compiling the necessary data for each Project. When all the information is collected, STC will assist the City on the submittal of the formal project applications.
Staff requests that the City Council Authorize the Director of Engineering/Public Works to execute Task Order No. 1, in the not to exceed amount of $25,000, with City On-Call Traffic Engineering Consultant STC to provide engineering assistance and complete the four (4) grant applications for the HSIP Cycle 11 Call-for-Projects Funding Program; and, once completed authorize the Director of Engineering/Public Works to submit the HSIP Cycle 11 grant application packages to Caltrans.
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FISCAL IMPACT:
The $25,000 cost to prepare the application will be paid out of the Engineering Professional and Technical Services fund 100-8601.
Historically, there was no local match required to receive HSIP grant funding. However, per the April 2022 Caltrans Local Roadway Safety Manual (LRSM), the Citywide Pedestrian Crosswalk Upgrades, Pedestrian Signals/HAWK, Citywide Traffic Signal Hardware Improvements Projects will require a 10% local match. As the total cost and benefit of the proposed Projects have not been completely analyzed at this time, a budgeted percentage participation amount has not been determined.
The Pedestrian School Crossing Upgrades Project, which will be classified as a Pedestrian Crossing Enhancements Set-Aside (SA) Project, does not require a local match.
Upon success of an award of a grant and/or grants under this program, the required local match requirements will be programmed into the upcoming FY 2023-24 and 2024- 25 Capital Improvement Project Program.