Agenda Item #14.6
For Council Meeting of: February 25, 2025
CITY OF SANTA ROSA
CITY COUNCIL
TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: ROB SPRINKLE, DEPUTY DIRECTOR -TRAFFIC ENGINEERING
TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS
SUBJECT: REGIONAL MEASURE 3 GRANT ALLOCATION REQUEST FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025/2026 AGENDA ACTION: RESOLUTION
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended by the Transportation and Public Works Department that the Council, by resolution: 1) request that the Metropolitan Transportation Commission allocate $10,600,000 of Regional Measure 3 funds; 2) authorize the Director of Transportation and Public Works to file the allocation request and other required documents to construct the Highway 101 Bicycle and Pedestrian Overcrossing; and 3) authorize the Chief Finance Officer to increase appropriations by $10,600,000 upon approval.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Enhancing our transportation system to reduce vehicle miles traveled and promote multi modal transportation supports Council priorities related to implementing the Climate Action Plan, the General Plan, and the 2018 Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. The Highway 101 Bicycle and Pedestrian Overcrossing project establishes links in the bicycle and pedestrian network to serve the community’s residents who choose to bike and walk as a form of transportation. In addition, the project supports one of the Bicycle Friendly Community’s recommendations to further improve our community for bicyclists.
BACKGROUND
Regional Measure 3 (RM3) is a voter approved regional program to address the Bay Area’s growing congestion problems. It was established by a new toll schedule, formally approved by the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA), in collaboration with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). Voters ultimately approved RM3 in June 2018 to finance $4.45 billion in highway and transit improvements through an increase of tolls on the region’s seven state-owned toll bridges. BATA gathered the toll funds that make up RM3 while the MTC administers RM3 funds in conjunction with the Sonoma County Transportation Authority (SCTA).
The SCTA Board initiated a conversation with SCTA staff to review the projects that local jurisdictions had submitted for the SCTA funding program. SCTA requested that local jurisdictions confirm that projects programmed under the SCTA funding program were still in need of gap funding, which included the Highway 101 Bicycle and Pedestrian project. The SCTA Board ultimately approved the RM3 funds award to the Highway 101 Bicycle and Pedestrian Overcrossing project in April of 2024.
PRIOR CITY COUNCIL REVIEW
On June 15, 2016, the City Council, by Resolution No. 28801, approved the Budget for the City of Santa Rosa for Fiscal Year 2016-17, which included $500,000 for the preparation of US Highway 101 – Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge Project Approval and Environmental Documentation (PA&ED) phase.
On October 11, 2016, the City Council by motion authorized the Director of Transportation and Public Works to submit grant applications for the pavement rehabilitation project and the Highway 101 Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge design phase to the SCTA for consideration in the One Bay Area Grant (OBAG) 2 program.
On July 18, 2017, the City Council, by Resolution No. 2017-137, approved 1) the filing of applications for federal Surface Transportation Program (STP)/Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) grants through the MTC OBAG 2 program for the pavement rehabilitation of various streets and the design for the Highway 101 Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge; and 2) authorized the use of non-general funds (local utility impact fees, Capital Facilities Fees, Measure M funds, gas tax, and Transportation Development Act Article III funds) to match the federal funds being requested; and 3) provide assurances that the City will complete the projects and appropriate federal funds into the projects.
On August 17, 2021, the City Council, by Resolution No. 2021-146, adopted a Resolution of Local Support, which additionally authorized filing an application for Regional Discretionary grant funds through the MTC Active Transportation Program (ATP), the local match for the federally funded project and assured that the project will be delivered in accordance with MTC Resolution 3606 (regional project delivery milestones).
On September 14, 2021, the City Council, by Resolution No. 2021-158, approved the list of project priorities and authorized the Assistant City Manager to submit project applications consistent with that list, including all required documents and agreements (subject to approval as to form by the City Attorney), to the SCTA for consideration in the 2021 Funding Program Call for Projects (FY 23 through FY 27).
On April 26, 2022, the City Council, by Resolution No. 2022-075, authorized the allocation of FY 2022/2023 Transportation Development Act Article 3 funds from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) to the Highway 101 Bicycle and Pedestrian Overcrossing project.
On April 11, 2023, the City Council, by Resolution No. 2023-067, authorized the submittal of the Highway 101 Bicycle and Pedestrian Overcrossing project to the California Transportation Commission in order to receive FY 2023/2024 apportionment of SB1 Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account funding.
ANALYSIS
The Highway 101 Bicycle and Pedestrian Overcrossing will construct a Class I ADA accessible and mode-separated bicycle and pedestrian overcrossing over US Highway 101, north of College Avenue near Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa High School and Coddingtown Mall including new crosswalk, curb ramps and pedestrian lighting and ADA compliant ramps and touchdown landings on Elliott Avenue and Edwards Avenue.
The overcrossing will provide a safe alternative for bicyclists and pedestrians crossing US 101 in the vicinity of schools and transit and provide a continuous and ADA-compliant pedestrian and bicycle path to improve east-west connectivity across US 101 in the northern half of the City. The "pedestrian/bicycle facilities miles constructed" for the overcrossing's mode-separated Class I pathway includes a dedicated 5-foot wide walking lane and 8-foot wide two-way cycle track. Lack of bicycle and pedestrian connectivity in the northern half of the City of Santa Rosa between the residential and commercial areas west of US 101 and the academic, residential, commercial and recreational areas east of US 101. US 101 creates a barrier between the existing and proposed bikeways on both sides of the freeway. Steele Lane and College Avenue are approximately one mile apart and provide the only crossings of US 101 for approximately two miles. This distance exceeds the comfortable range for pedestrians and many cyclists.
The Highway 101 Bicycle and Pedestrian Overcrossing is identified as First Phase Project in the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan Update 2018.
MTC requires a local resolution authorizing the request for allocation of RM3 funds, which will be submitted to MTC upon completion of right-of-way activities.
FISCAL IMPACT
Approval of this action does not have a fiscal impact on the General Fund. Active Transportation Program (ATP) funds, Transportation Development Act (TDA) Article 3 funds, SB1 funds, and gas taxes are being leveraged to construct the overcrossing. Approval of this action will allow an increase in appropriations by $10,600,000 of Regional Measure 3 funds to JL Key 17684 upon allocation of the funds by MTC.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The Highway 101 Bicycle and Pedestrian Overcrossing Project has been reviewed in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and an Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) was prepared and distributed for the required 30-day public review period on June 22, 2020. The Project has also been reviewed pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and qualifies for a Categorical Exclusion. The Categorical Exclusion (CE) and the IS/MND for the project were certified in March 2021.
BOARD/COMMISSION/COMMITTEE REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Not applicable.
NOTIFICATION
Not applicable.
ATTACHMENTS
Resolution
PRESENTER
Torina Wilson, Transportation Planner
REGIONAL MEASURE 3 GRANT ALLOCATION REQUEST
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