STAFF REPORT
City of Lancaster
NB 2
8/25/2026
TN
Date: August 25, 2026
To: Mayor Parris and City Council Members
From: Marissa Diaz, Director – Public Works
Nicholas Godin, Assistant Director – PW City Engineering Subject: Grant Agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation for Fiscal Year 2023 Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Program
Recommendations:
1. Approve a Grant Agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation for Fiscal Year 2023 Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program for the Equitable Complete Streets for Challenger Way Corridor project (Public Works Construction Project 27-002); and authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to sign all documents.
2. Recognize revenues and approve the appropriation of $19,652,736.00 in SS4A grant funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the project.
G.C. Section 84308: No
Fiscal Impact:
$19,652,736.00 in SS4A grant funding. With this appropriation, sufficient funds will be available in the Capital Improvement Budget in project string CP16ST038, GL Account 30049900.8000.
Background:
In 2021, the City secured a grant from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to prepare a Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) and establish a Vision Zero program. The LRSP was intended to identify priority safety emphasis areas and guide future evaluation and investment in the City's transportation network.
The LRSP analyzed citywide crash data from 2015 through 2019, and identified infrastructure and programmatic strategies to improve roadway safety. Recommended engineering countermeasures included roadway and intersection improvements. Non-engineering strategies focused on 2 4
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education, coordination with law enforcement and emergency response agencies, and the use of emerging transportation safety technologies. In 2022, the City Council adopted the LRSP, the Vision Zero Resolution, and the City's High-Injury and Fatality Networks.
The planning effort identified Challenger Way between Avenue I and Avenue K-12 as a priority corridor for Complete Streets improvements. Recommended improvements include bicycle lanes, wider sidewalks, additional crosswalks, and other active transportation infrastructure to improve safety and mobility for all roadway users. Based on these recommendations, City staff developed the project scope, submitted an application to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program, and was awarded funding in 2023.
Since receiving the award, City staff have worked to secure the required local matching funds and negotiate the grant agreement in coordination with the City Attorney's Office and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The U.S. Department of Transportation approved a tapered match agreement, allowing the City to utilize 100 percent Federal funding during the Base Phase (Supplemental Planning, Preliminary Engineering, and National Environmental Policy Act [NEPA] Clearance) and Phase 1 (Final Design, Right-of-Way, and Utility Relocation). When the Fiscal Year 2028-2029 Measure M MSP funds become available, the City will execute a funding agreement for the local match and return to City Council through a future staff report to appropriate the required funds. The programmed Measure M MSP funds will provide the local match during Phase 2 (Construction), resulting in the required overall 80/20 Federal-Local funding split for the project.
NG/cvh
Attachment:
SS4A Grant Agreement