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CONSENT CALENDAR
City of San Bernardino
Request for Council Action
Date: July 2, 2025
To: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
From: Bill Gallardo, Interim City Manager;
Lynn Merrill, Director of Public Works
Department: Public Works
Subject: Accept Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Cycle 12 Grant – E Street Median in the amount of
$3,152,700 (Ward 1 & 3)
Recommendation:
It is recommended that the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California adopt Resolution No. 2025-322:
1. Approving the Acceptance of the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Cycle 12 Grant in the amount of $3,152,700; and
2. Authorizing the City Manager or designee to approve grant matching funds in the amount of $100,300 from the Traffic Safety Fund; and
3. Designating the City Manager, or designee, as a responsible agency official authorized to sign project agreements and certifications for the preparation of the HSIP Cycle 12 Project; and
4. Authorizing the Director of Finance and Management Services to amend the FY 2025/26 CIP budget with an additional $100,300 from the Traffic Safety Fund to bring the total project budget to $3,503,000; and
5. Authorizing the Director of Finance and Management Services to amend the FY 2025/26 CIP budget with an additional $3,503,000 in HSIP Cycle 12 grant funding.
Executive Summary
The Public Works Department recommends that City Council approve the acceptance of Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) grant funds for the design and construction of the E Street Median Improvement Project. The project will enhance 2 6
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traffic and pedestrian safety along E Street through the installation of raised medians, upgraded signage, and other roadway safety features consistent with the goals of the HSIP. The proposed improvements are aimed at enhancing access control, particularly in high-incident areas. The City has been awarded HSIP funds in the amount of $3,152,700 to support both the design and construction phases. These funds will cover 90% of the total estimated project cost, with the remaining funds to be provided through the Traffic Safety Fund.
Background
The Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) is a core Federal-aid program with the purpose of achieving a significant reduction in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads, including non-State-owned roads and roads on tribal land. The HSIP requires a data-driven, strategic approach to improving highway safety on all public roads with a focus on performance.
The HSIP is legislated under Section 148 of Title 23, United States Code (23 U.S.C. 148) and regulated under Part 924 of Title 23, Code of Federal Regulations (23 CFR Part 924). The HSIP consists of three main components, the Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP), State HSIP or program of highway safety improvement projects and the Railway-Highway Crossing Program (RHCP), In addition, some states also have a High Risk Rural Roads (HRRR) program if they had increasing fatality rate on rural roads.
The E- Street corridor is one of the major thoroughfares in San Bernardino, it was selected as a route for the sbX BRT system due to its high traffic volume and the need for efficient public transportation options. Bus lanes, which are lanes designated exclusively for buses, are a key component of BRT systems like sbX. These lanes help buses bypass traffic congestion, allowing them to move more quickly and adhere to schedules more reliably.
The sbX Line operates in a center-running dedicated transit lane along “E” Street between 10th Street and Hospitality Lane, and along Hospitality Lane between “E” Street and Tippecanoe Avenue. The City owns and maintains the street right-of-way, including dedicated bus lanes, pursuant to the Master Cooperative Agreement between Omnitrans and the City of San Bernardino for the “E” Street Corridor sbX Bus Rapid Transit Project, executed September 21, 2009.The City and Omnitrans have determined that a safety concern exists where vehicles make left turns out of business driveways across the dedicated bus lane. The temporary delineators installed by Omnitrans to stop vehicles from crossing the dedicated bus lane have not been effective because they are easily removed/destroyed and need frequent replacement.
Since the opening of the sbX line in 2014, the City has found the maintenance and replacement of the missing and destroyed delineators to be cost prohibitive. In 2019, the City constructed a median on Hospitality Lane between “E Street and Waterman Avenue in which collisions between buses and vehicles reduced significantly.
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Discussion
The City and Omnitrans have decided to collaborate on addressing the escalating collisions involving buses and vehicles along the sbX line on “E” Street, spanning from Fairway Drive to 10 th St. Under this agreement, they will jointly undertake the design, pursue environmental clearance (CEQA or NEPA in case of federal funding), and oversee construction for the project aimed at achieving the final development of Plans, Specifications, and Estimates (PS&E).
During the initial submission of the HSIP Cycle 12 application, the Plans, Specifications, and Estimates (PS&E) phase was inadvertently omitted from the project scope and funding request. To address this oversight, staff submitted a revised request to include the PS&E phase at a cost of $229,500. Caltrans is currently in the process of updating the award letter to reflect the revised grant funding amount awarded to the City. This phase is essential to the successful development and delivery of the project.
The City intends to proceed in full compliance with all applicable federal and state requirements.
This staff report reflects that the revised estimated total cost for the Project is $3,503,000, which includes design, environmental clearance, preparing of Plans and Specification, construction management service, and construction. The cost of the local match in the amount of $350,300 will be split equally, 50/50 with Omnitrans which will result in $175,150 for Omnitrans contribution to the project with the remaining balance covered by the HSIP grant.
It is important to note that Omnitrans will reimburse the City of San Bernardino for its share of the local match, $175,150, once the applicable project expenditures have been incurred. This reimbursement pertains solely to Omnitrans’ 50% share of the required local match and does not apply to any other project costs outside of the $350,300 match obligation.
On June 4, 2025, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 2025-298, approving the City of San Bernardino’s Fiscal Year 2025/26 Operating Budget and the Fiscal Years 2025/26–2029/30 Capital Improvement Plan. As part of this action, the Council approved CIP Project SS25-011 for the E Street Median Improvements and established a budget of $250,000 in the Traffic Safety Fund to support the project. 2021-2025 Strategic Targets and Goals
This Project consists of Goal No. 4: Improve Quality of Life – Evaluate and enhance the quality of public safety services. The median on “E” Street along the proposed segment will enhance roadway safety for both the buses and the vehicles.
Fiscal Impact
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There will be no fiscal impact to the General Fund associated with this item. There is grant match funding in the amount of $350,300. HSIP Federal funding in the amount of $3,152,700 has been approved for the “E” Street median and is available for this project.
Conclusion
It is recommended that the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California adopt Resolution No. 2025-322:
1. Approving the Acceptance of the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Cycle 12 Grant in the amount of $3,152,700; and
2. Authorizing the City Manager or designee to approve grant matching funds in the amount of $100,300 from the Traffic Safety Fund; and
3. Designating the City Manager, or designee, as a responsible agency official authorized to sign project agreements and certifications for the preparation of the HSIP Cycle 12 Project; and
4. Authorizing the Director of Finance and Management Services to amend the FY 2025/26 CIP budget with an additional $100,300 from the Traffic Safety Fund to bring the total budget to $3,503,000; and
5. Authorizing the Director of Finance and Management Services to amend the FY 2025/26 CIP budget with an additional $3,503,000 in HSIP Cycle 12 grant funding.
Attachments
Attachment 1 Resolution No. 2025-322
Attachment 2 Location Map
Attachment 3 Grant Award Letter
Ward:
First and Third Ward
Synopsis of Previous Council Actions:
March 20, 2024 Resolution No. 2024-057 Approving Cooperative Agreement with Omnitrans for the E Street Median Project (Wards 1 & 3)