City of Sacramento
City Council - 2PM Report
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File ID: 2022-02051 12/6/2022 Consent Item 11.
Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) Transportation Grant Applications File ID: 2022-02051
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Adopt a Resolution approving the submission of grant applications to the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) for state and federal funding in the Regional and Community Design funding programs.
Contact: William Shunk, Senior Engineer, (916) 808-2986, [email protected]; Jesse Gothan, Supervising Engineer, (916) 808-6897, [email protected]; Ofelia Avalos, Engineering Manager, (916) 808-5054, [email protected]; Department of Public Works Presenter: None
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Resolution
Additional Description/Analysis
Issue Detail: The City has a substantial unfunded need for transportation improvements, including maintenance/upgrades of existing facilities as well as construction of new facilities. Most of the City’s capital transportation projects are funded with state and federal grant funding. The majority are funded through the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) biennial funding rounds, whereby SACOG programs regional state and federal funding through competitive grant programs for the four-county region including Sacramento, Yolo, Yuba, and Sutter Counties.
On October 20, 2022, the SACOG Board of Directors approved the final guidelines and authorized about $130 million in funding for the 2023 Regional and Community Design funding programs for the four counties (Sacramento, Yolo, Yuba, and Sutter). The Regional Funding program has two subcategories: Transformative and Maintenance & Modernization projects. Staff is recommending submission of eight projects for a total grant request of approximately $50 million in state or federal funds to these programs.
SACOG is requesting submission and prioritization of the agency’s applications in the Regional program (Transformative and Maintenance & Modernization projects). Community Design applications are not required to be ranked. Staff has prepared preliminary rankings based on SACOG’s funding guidelines, the prioritization criteria of the City’s Transportation Priorities Plan
File ID: 2022-02051 12/6/2022 Consent Item 11.
approved with Resolution No. 2022-0079, and other factors (primarily to reduce local funding costs).
Due to limited local transportation funds required as local match, and to cover elements not covered by funding agencies, the rankings recommended by staff also take into consideration filling funding gaps and completing the next phase of existing projects.
Policy Considerations: The selection of projects for potential grant funding is consistent with the City General Plan goals of promoting safety and enhancing livability, sustainability, and economic vitality. Potential grant projects were selected based on consistency with the General Plan, Community and Specific Plans, Bikeway Master Plan, Vision Zero Action Plan, and other transportation planning documents, as well as those included the Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy. Resolution No. 2022-0079 established criteria for prioritizing transportation project funding, which has been applied to an initial prioritization of projects in the Transportation Priorities Plan.
Economic Impacts: None.
Environmental Considerations:
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA): The pursuit of grant funds is not subject to the provisions of the CEQA. Under CEQA general rule 15061- B-3, CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. These actions will have no effect on the environment and are therefore not subject to CEQA review.
Appropriate CEQA review for individual projects will take place as part of project development.
Sustainability: The projects are consistent with sustainability goals of promoting walking by developing a universally accessible, safe, convenient, integrated, and well-connected transportation system. Transportation is also responsible for 57% of Sacramento’s local greenhouse gas emissions, the single largest sector. Providing safe, walkable, and bikeable transportation alternatives helps to reduce single-occupant vehicle use and contribute towards Sacramento’s climate change goals.
Commission/Committee Action: The City’s Active Transportation Commission reviewed potential SACOG grant projects at its November 17, 2022, meeting. The Active Transportation Commission recommended approval of the submission of the grant applications and that the prioritization be based on equity and safety.
Rationale for Recommendation: The projects recommended for grant application are based on the following factors:
· SACOG program guidelines for the Community Design and Regional funding programs. · Transportation Priorities Plan initial project prioritization based on the criteria identified in Resolution No. 2022-0079
· Project status and ability to meet funding requirements in the prescribed year · Potential availability of local transportation funds to meet local funding match requirements and opportunities to reduce local operational costs
· Consultation with SACOG staff
Many other transportation projects are currently undergoing project development or other phases as part of existing grants and these projects as well as future phases of existing projects will likely be candidates for the next biennial funding round or other grant programs.
File ID: 2022-02051 12/6/2022 Consent Item 11.
Financial Considerations: Federal and State funding is the primary sources of funding for transportation projects in the City of Sacramento. Limited local funding is required to provide the required match to leverage state and federally funded projects and cover costs not eligible with grant funding. With 26 percent of the region’s four county population, the City typically receives about 13 to 16 percent of total funding, which would likely be about $20 million in total grant funding, leading to a local funding requirement of about $5 million over two to three years. This would be higher if the City were to get funding closer to the average per capita funding received by other agencies in the region.
Unless other funding sources are identified and included in CIPs, future match requirements are anticipated to come from future local transportation revenues or state, or other grants will be pursued to cover match costs. If sufficient local revenues are not available to meet all funding needs of projects that have been awarded grant funding, then projects will be postponed, reduced in scope, or cancelled. Funding for individual projects will be identified when setting up new CIPs and/or accepting grant funds. Staff will return to Council with the necessary budget adjustments for local funding requirements if grants are awarded.
Grant applications to SACOG typically cost about $20,000 to $40,000 in staff or consultant costs. These costs for this year are budgeted in the Capital Improvement Program. In order to contain costs, the number of applications are limited based on past experience in receiving funding through SACOG.
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.
Background: SACOG is requesting submission and prioritization of the agency’s Transformative and Maintenance & Modernization applications. Typically, grants require a minimum local contribution of 11.47% of total grant costs, although higher levels of local funding often provide advantages for grant success. State and Federal grants do not cover all necessary aspects of funding, so typically, grants require a minimum of 20 to 30 percent local funding to complete the project. Often, that amount may be greater when SACOG partially funds a grant request, because construction costs escalate more than predicted, or due to unanticipated project delays or unexpected project conditions.
The majority of local transportation funding used for transportation improvement projects includes sources derived from development (construction excise tax on building permits and citywide development impact fees) as well as two limited Measure A programs. Typically, a maximum of $5 to $6 million is available annually. This funding also needs to be used to support local programs such as the Vision Zero Program, the Active Transportation Program, and the ADA program. This funding must also support other state grant programs (The Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) and the Highway Bridge Program (HBP)). Ultimately only approximately $2 to $3 million annually in local funds is available to leverage SACOG grants, depending on the level of development activity and other commitments. As a result, the list of potential grant applications recommended below focus on filling funding gaps in existing projects, completing the next phase of existing projects, and introduces some new projects. For smaller projects, SACOG does allow for reductions in match requirements for certain projects serving disadvantaged neighborhoods.
SACOG 2023 Funding Programs
Regional Program: The SACOG Board of Directors approved a funding target of $115 million for the 2023 Regional Program, which includes two primary program categories: Transformative and Maintenance & Modernization projects. This program provides for the following performance objectives:
1. Reduce regional vehicle miles travelled (VMT) and/or greenhouse gases (GHG) per
File ID: 2022-02051 12/6/2022 Consent Item 11.
capita.
2. Reduce regional congested VMT per capital.
3. Increase multi-modal travel/alternative travel/choice of transportation options.
4. Provide long-term economic benefit within the region, recognizing the importance of sustaining urban and rural economies.
5. Improve goods movement, including farm-to-market travel, in and through the region.
6. Significantly improve safety and security.
7. Demonstrate “state of good repair” benefits that maintain and improve the existing transportation system.
The Transformative category is for all system expansion project requests and for larger (above $5 million) non-expansion projects that can demonstrate significant regional benefit.
The Maintenance & Modernization category is for non-expansion project requests of $5 million or less that improve the management and condition of existing transportation assets. SACOG is requesting project sponsors to prioritize both Transformative and Maintenance & Modernization applications.
Community Design Program: The SACOG Board of Directors approved a funding target of $15 million for the 2023 Community Design program. The Community Design program is intended to fund projects that promote placemaking (i.e., improve or enhance the livability of a community and create places that people desire to spend time or live in). Projects must also conform to some of the seven Blueprint Principles:
· Transportation Choices
· Housing Diversity
· Compact Development
· Mixed Land Use
· Use of Existing Assets
· Natural Resource Protection
· Quality Design
Normally, there is substantial overlap in the types of projects between the two programs so City staff submits primarily based on the level of funding requests and sometimes submits in multiple programs.
There is a non-competitive program that is more suited to smaller agencies and a competitive
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program in which the City of Sacramento participates. The maximum project cost for Community Design projects is $4 million; however, SACOG staff recommends that projects focus on the $1 to $3 million total.
Project Ranking: City staff analyzed potential projects against those identified in Resolution No. 2022-0079 and the criteria in SACOG’s guidelines. In addition to those criteria staff also considered regional benefits, as regional improvements are a significant consideration in the four-county regional funding program, and project readiness, as defined as projects being defined and ready to obligate federal construction funding. Project ranking is only required for the Transformative and Maintenance and Modernization programs. In addition, staff prioritized opportunities to upgrade existing outdated traffic equipment in order to save local operating funding needed to address emergency repairs and to allow for remote traffic control and monitoring. This will allow the save funding in overtime costs and need for additional staff.
Community Design applications are not required to be ranked, and are shown alphabetically in the table below:
Regional Program (Transformative and Maintenance & Modernization Projects) Project Title (Ranked) Funding
Request
Funding
Phase(1)
TPP Rating Funding
Program(2)
Existing
Project
1. Sacramento River Parkway $10M CON High T X
2. Fruitridge Road
Improvements
$4M CON High M&M X
3. ITS Signal Improvements $5M PA&ED/
PS&E/ CON
N/A M&M
4. Stockton Boulevard
Corridor Improvements
$14M PA&ED/
PS&E
High T
5. Richards I-5 Interchange $10M PS&E Regionally
Significant
T X
(1) PA&ED = Project Approval and Environmental Document; PS&E = Plans, Specifications, and Estimate; CON = Construction (2) T = Transformative; M&M = Maintenance & Modernization; CD = Community Design Community Design Program
Project Title (Alphabetical) Funding
Request
Funding
Phase (1)
TPP Rating Funding
Program(2)
Existing
Project
Broadway Phase Three $3M CON Medium CD X
El Camino Avenue Vision Zero $1M PA&ED High CD
Setzer Tunnel $3M PA&ED/PS
&E/ CON
Lower CD
(1) PA&ED = Project Approval and Environmental Document; PS&E = Plans, Specifications, and Estimate; CON = Construction (2) T = Transformative; M&M = Maintenance & Modernization; CD = Community Design Project Descriptions
The following includes more complete project descriptions in alphabetical order:
File ID: 2022-02051 12/6/2022 Consent Item 11.
Broadway Phase Three: The Broadway Complete Streets project, which is planned for the limits between 3rd Street and Franklin Boulevard, is intended to improve access for all modes through implementation of a four lane to three lane road diet, installation of new buffered bicycle lanes, and improved pedestrian crossings. Phases 1 and 2 will begin in 2023 and will construct the improvements between 3rd Street and 24th Street. Phase Three will complete the corridor improvements by constructing the limits between 24th Street and Franklin Boulevard. Phase Three will also include the improvements between 19th Street and 21st Street, which include improvements in the vicinity of the Union Pacific Railroad and light rail tracks. Staff recommends an application for construction funding in the Community Design program.
El Camino Avenue Vision Zero: El Camino Avenue, from Del Paso Boulevard to the Steelhead Creek trail crossing, was identified in the City’s Vision Zero Action Plan as one of the top 5 corridors with the highest numbers of fatal and serious crashes involving pedestrian, bicyclists, and motor vehicles in the City of Sacramento. It was further studied in the Vision Zero Top 5 Corridors Study, with proposed improvement that include pedestrian scale lighting, narrowing automobile lanes, signal improvements, and high visibility crosswalks. The proposed project will fund the preliminary engineering to implement the Vision Zero recommendations for this corridor. Staff recommends an application for preliminary engineering in the Community Design program.
Fruitridge Road Improvements: The Fruitridge Road Improvements Project will improve safety and connectivity for bicyclists and pedestrians, as well as a rehabilitated pavement surface for drivers, on Fruitridge Road between 65th Street Expressway and Power Inn Road. Proposed improvements include roadway rehabilitation, signing and striping, reconstructing curb ramps, upgrading signal equipment, and other improvements along the corridor. Staff recommends an application for construction funding in the Maintenance & Modernization program.
ITS Signal Improvements: The intelligent transportation system (ITS) signalize corridor improvement project will replace and update signal equipment on Norwood Avenue and on 24th street.
Additionally, the project will touch El Camino Avenue at Grove Avenue, Main Avenue at Kelton Way, Pell Drive, Northgate Boulevard and Sutterville Road and 23rd Street. This project will meet the goals for project 20 and 21 that were identified in the City of Sacramento ITS Master Plan. The City ITS Master Plan was completed in conjunction with SACOG regional ITS master plan. Project includes enhanced communication infrastructure through installation of new fiber-optic cable, network switches; new cabinets and controllers, new modern vehicle and bicycle detection; yellow reflective border signal heads, installation of traffic surveillance cameras, and updated signal timing.
The project will also replace several traffic signal poles. This improvement will improve safety, efficiency and reduce ongoing maintenance cost on the corridors. Staff recommends an application for preliminary engineering, design, and construction funding in the Maintenance & Modernization program.
Richards I-5 Interchange: The Richards Boulevard I-5 Interchange provides primary access to the Railyards and River District redevelopment areas from Interstate 5. Full build-out of these locations will add numerous residences and businesses, resulting in a substantial increase of traffic in the area. Operation of the Richards Boulevard I-5 interchange ramps is currently deficient as indicated by lengthy traffic queues onto mainline Interstate 5 and Richards Boulevard during peak hours. The situation will continue to degrade as redevelopment occurs in the area unless improvements are made to the interchange. Improvements are necessary to support continued infill and transit-
File ID: 2022-02051 12/6/2022 Consent Item 11.
oriented development in the Railyards and River District. The City is in the process of preparing an environmental document for modifications to the existing interchange. The proposed application will fund the final design, right of way acquisitions, and prepare the construction advertising documents.
Staff recommends an application for design funding in the Transformative program.
Sacramento River Parkway: The Sacramento River Parkway project will create a bicycle and pedestrian trail atop the levee through the Greenhaven-Pocket neighborhood. This will advance the implementation of the American & Sacramento River Parkway Plans Implementation Program, which envisions an interconnected trail system adjacent to the region’s defining rivers. Like the American River Parkway, construction of this parkway trail would support regional use and tourism and will provide equitable access to Sacramento’s river and open space resources to residents of the Pocket and to nearby South Sacramento neighborhoods. Staff recommends an application for construction funding in the Transformative program.
Setzer Tunnel: The Setzer Tunnel Project will repurpose a former rail tunnel under Interstate 5 to provide a convenient bike and pedestrian connection for residents living east of I-5 to Miller Regional Park and the Sacramento River Parkway. This facility will require major upgrades to support neighborhood access including paving, lighting, and other improvements to activate the tunnel. The proposed project will provide direct access to the Sacramento River Parkway with connections to the Crocker Art Museum, California Automobile Museum, Old Sacramento, California State Railroad Museum, Sacramento History Museum, Matsui Waterfront Park, and Powerhouse Science Center. Staff recommends an application for preliminary engineering, design, and construction funding in the Community Design program as the City entered into an agreement to pursue grant funding for this projects as part of a Development Agreement. Note that submittal of this project is contingent upon the applicant preparing the application for City approval and the applicant committing to cover required local funding needed for the project if funded.
Stockton Boulevard Corridor Improvements: In collaboration with Sacramento County and Regional Transit, the City of Sacramento seeks to apply for funding to expand and advance the City’s Stockton Boulevard Corridor Plan to include a bus only lane as well as bicycling and walking improvements. Within the City’s jurisdiction improvements would be on Stockton Blvd from Alhambra to 47th Avenue. Sacramento County’s improvements would be from 47th Avenue to Florin Rd. Stockton Blvd improvements are identified as high priority in the City’s Transportation Priorities Plan. The grant would fund preliminary design and environmental clearance. Staff recommends an application for the preliminary engineering and design funding in the Transformative program.
RESOLUTION NO.
Adopted by the Sacramento City Council
SACRAMENTO AREA COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS (SACOG) APPLICATIONS
FOR TRANSPORTATION FUNDING
BACKGROUND
A. The Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) has announced a call for projects for SACOG-administered state and federal transportation funding for capital projects in Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba Counties.
SACOG has issued a call for projects in two separate program areas: the Community Design program and the Regional program. There are two subcategories to the Regional Program: Transformative projects and Maintenance & Modernization projects.
B. Staff has reviewed the guidelines for these programs and prepared a recommended list of projects that would be most competitive for these funding sources.
C. The City’s unmet transportation funding needs far exceeds available resources. As a result, the City seeks to maximize use of anticipated local transportation funds to leverage state and federal grant funds.
D. SACOG is requesting submission and prioritization of the agency’s applications in the Transformative and Maintenance & Modernization programs. Staff has prepared preliminary rankings based on SACOG’s funding guidelines and the prioritization criteria of the City’s Transportation Priorities Plan approved with Resolution No. 2022-0079 as well as other factors to limit local costs
E. Community Design applications are not required to be ranked.
BASED ON THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE BACKGROUND, THE CITY COUNCIL RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The City Manager or the City Manager’s designee is approved to submit applications for the following list of projects to the SACOG Regional and Community Design programs. Cost estimates may change.
Regional Program (Transformative and Maintenance & Modernization Projects) Project Title
(Ranked)
Funding
Request
Funding
Phase(1) TPP Rating Funding
Program(2)
Existing
Project
1. Sacramento
River Parkway $10M CON High T X
2. Fruitridge Road
Improvements $4M CON High M&M X
3. ITS Signal
Corridor
Improvements
$5M
PA&ED/
PS&E/
CON
N/A M&M
4. Stockton
Boulevard Corridor
Improvements
$14M PA&ED/
PS&E High T
5. Richards I-5
Interchange $10M PS&E Regionally
Significant T X
(1) PA&ED = Project Approval and Environmental Document; PS&E = Plans, Specifications, and Estimate; CON = Construction
(2) T = Transformative; M&M = Maintenance & Modernization; CD = Community Design Community Design Program
Project Title
(Alphabetical)
Funding
Request
Funding
Phase (1) TPP Rating Funding
Program(2)
Existing
Project
Broadway Phase 3 $3M CON Medium CD X
El Camino Avenue
Vision Zero $1M PA&ED/
PS&E High CD
Setzer Tunnel $3M
PA&ED/
PS&E/
CON
Lower CD
(1) PA&ED = Project Approval and Environmental Document; PS&E = Plans, Specifications, and Estimate; CON = Construction
(2) T = Transformative; M&M = Maintenance & Modernization; CD = Community Design