Agenda Report
Fullerton City Council
MEETING DATE: OCTOBER 3, 2023
TO: CITY COUNCIL / SUCCESSOR AGENCY
SUBMITTED BY: Stephen Bise, Public works director
PREPARED BY: Jerome Joaquin, Administrative Manager
SUBJECT: ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM GRANT FUNDS BUDGET APPROPRIATION FOR NUTWOOD AVENUE BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN MOBILITY ENHANCEMENT PROJECT
SUMMARY
California Transportation Commission (CTC) awarded $7,140,000 State Active Transportation Program (ATP) Grant Funds to the City to support the Nutwood Avenue Bicycle and Pedestrian Mobility Enhancement Project. Staff requests City Council accept and appropriate $7,290,000 to secure ATP funds for the project.
RECOMMENDATION
1. Accept and appropriate $7,140,000 of 2022 ATP Grant Funds in the Capital Projects Fund (Fund 74) in Project No. 48008 Nutwood Avenue Bicycle and Pedestrian Mobility Enhancement Project (Fund 74).
2. Approve $150,000 budget transfer of available M2 Local Fair Share Funds (Fund 25) from Project No. 44589 Residential Street Program to Project No. 48008 Nutwood Avenue Bicycle and Pedestrian Mobility Enhancement Project (Fund 74) to fund ineligible expenditures under the ATP Funds.
CITY MANAGER REMARKS
The City Manager recommends acceptance of the Active Transportation program grant.
PRIORITY POLICY STATEMENT
This item matches the following Priority Policy Statement:
Infrastructure and City Assets.
FISCAL IMPACT
The CTC awarded $7,140,000 of State ATP Grant Funds to the City to fully fund development of this project. Staff estimates the Nutwood Avenue Bicycle and Pedestrian Mobility Enhancement Project at $7,140,000 including design engineering services, environmental studies, right-of-way, construction and construction management services. Staff foresees minor expenditures not eligible under the ATP Guidelines and requests transferring $150,000 of M2 Local Fair Share (Fund 25) Funds to the project budget.
Staff recommends $7,290,000 budget transfers and appropriations to Project 48008 to fund the total project cost.
DISCUSSION
The ATP, created by 2013 Senate Bill 99, includes a combination of state and federal funding to encourage active modes of transportation such as bicycling and walking and increase proportion of trips by active modes of transportation, increasing safety and mobility, enhancing public health and includes a broad spectrum of projects to benefit many types of active transportation users. This grant program is extremely competitive and heavily favors applications that would generate strong benefits to disadvantaged communities. The CTC released the ATP Call for Projects on March 16, 2022 for Cycle 6.
City of Fullerton completed and submitted the application to fund the design and construction of the City’s Nutwood Avenue Bicycle and Pedestrian Mobility Enhancement Project on June 15, 2022. The Orange County Transportation Authority reviewed and selected the project for award recommendation and the CTC awarded the Nutwood Avenue Bicycle and Pedestrian Mobility Enhancement Project for ATP Funds on June 16, 2023.
The Nutwood Avenue Bicycle and Pedestrian Mobility Enhancement Project aligns with the Fullerton Bike Connection Plan goals and visions. The plan facilitated this specific project and identified the need to widen the State Route 57 (SR-57) underpass to provide additional bicycle and pedestrian facilities on Nutwood Avenue.
The project would close the number one priority gap to increase connectivity on the Brea-CSUF-Santa Ana River Trail by implementing pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure along Nutwood Avenue to cross under SR-57. The SR-57 interchanges at Nutwood Avenue provide primary access to two universities with a combined 44,000 student, faculty and staff population. The project would connect several large residential developments with sizable student populations and commercial areas on the east side of SR-57 with the campuses, Downtown Fullerton and employment centers on the west side of SR-57.
This project would create nearly a mile of new Class 1 and Class 2 buffered bike lanes on both sides of Nutwood Avenue where only Class 3 bike routes currently exist. The Class 1 bike lane would provide the first two-way, off-street bike lane in Fullerton, allowing students, faculty and staff to safely travel along this portion of Nutwood Avenue and connect to the Campus bike path without crossing Nutwood Avenue. The project would also widen the SR-57 underpass by cutting into existing slopes and installing retaining walls, reduce lane widths while retaining existing lane configurations through pavement rehabilitation and striping, improve ADA ramps and add conflict zone markings at intersections and driveways.
The Nutwood Avenue Bicycle and Pedestrian Mobility Enhancement Project would reduce 118,000 vehicle miles traveled and 840 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually, provide environmental justice for nearby disadvantaged community, increase in the number of walking and bicycle trips, provide safety improvements for motorized and non-motorized users and improve physical and mental health though a safe, active transportation mode.
The project design would start in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-25, followed by construction phase in FY 2025-26.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 – Project Concept
Attachment 2 – CTC Award Memo
cc: City Manager Eric J. Levitt
ATP Grant Funds Budget Appropriation
October 3, 2023 - Page 2