CITY OF SPOKANE VALLEY Request for Council Action

Transcription

1 CITY OF SPOKANE VALLEY Request for Council Action Meeting Date: March 29, 2016 Department Director Approval: Check all that apply: consent old business new business public hearing information admin. report pending legislation executive session AGENDA ITEM TITLE: USDOT 2016 FASTLANE and TIGER VIII Call for Projects GOVERNING LEGISLATION: PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION TAKEN: Adoption of Six-Year TIP, Resolution No , June 23, 2015; Consensus to move ahead with these grant opportunities and with consultant assistance at the March 15 Council Workshop. BACKGROUND: The USDOT issued a 2016 Call for Projects for two grant programs; the FASTLANE (Fostering Advancements in Shipping and Transportation for the Long-term Achievement of National Efficiencies) and the TIGER VIII (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) competitive grant programs. Details for each grant program are listed below: TIGER VIII The USDOT issued a Call for Projects for the TIGER VIII grant program on February 23, The TIGER VIII program will fund $500M for transportation projects across the country. These capital funds will be for surface transportation infrastructure and will be awarded on a competitive basis for projects that will have a significant impact on the nation, a metropolitan area, or a region. The City applied for TIGER grant funds in 2014 and 2015 for the Bridging the Valley, Barker Road/BNSF Grade Separation Project without success.. Staff would like to pursue funding for this project again this year. Applications are due on April 29, FASTLANE On February 26, 2016, USDOT announced it is soliciting applications for $800 million in FASTLANE grants. The availability of the dedicated grants marks the first time in USDOT history that a program establishes broad, multiyear eligibilities for freight infrastructure, including intermodal projects across the country. FASTLANE grants will address many of the challenges outlined in the USDOT report Beyond Traffic, including increased congestion on the nation's highways and the need for a strong multimodal transportation system to support the expected growth in freight movement both by ton and value. It is also in line with the Department's draft National Freight Strategic Plan released in October 2015, which looks at challenges and identifies strategies to address impediments to the efficient flow of goods throughout the nation. Staff evaluated the FASTLANE grant criteria and recommends that the City pursue FASTLANE grant funding for both the Barker Road/BNSF Grade Separation and the Pines Road/BNSFGrade Separation Projects. Both projects improve truck and train operations, Page 1 of 4

2 enhance safety and emergency vehicle access, reduce noise, and are improvements to the City s overall quality of life. Applications are due on April 14, Need for Consultant Services TIGER and FASTLANE grant programs fund projects up to $100 M. Because these grants are specifically targeted to fund larger projects, the application process is much more complex. These grant applications require the submitting agency to quantify safety benefits, emissions and air quality analysis, and provide a detailed Benefit/Cost Analysis. For the City to be competitive in these types of grant applications, the City will need to hire a consultant who has the expertise and staff available to prepare these applications by the April deadlines. Staff Recommendations TIGER VIII Last year City staff reviewed our prior TIGER application with USDOT staff who stated that the project was a good project, it met the grant criteria, it scored high, and made the recommended funding short list. However, the project was not funded in either round because there were more project needs than funds available. Staff recommends that a TIGER VIII grant application be submitted for the Barker Road/BNSF Grade Separation Project again this year because USDOT review staff is familiar with the project and with an updated project application, with a little different presentation, may score well enough this round to receive funding. FASTLANE Because the FASTLANE grant program targets projects that address freight mobility, the City s Barker Road/BNSF Grade Separation and Pines Road/BNSF Grade Separation projects are strong candidates. These projects remove several at-grade railroad crossings. Removing the train conflicts increase the efficiency of the transportation system by significantly reducing or eliminating delay time of both trucks and trains, resulting in improved air quality and safety. Staff recommends that FASTLANE grant applications be submitted for both the Barker Road/BNSF Grade Separation and Pines Road/BNSF Grade Separation projects. For these grant programs, projects are categorized based on size: small projects are $5 - $25 million, large projects are $25 - $100 million. A minimum of 20% of the total available grant funds must go towards projects in the small category. Unfortunately, this makes this category much more competitive. Since the large project category will likely be less competitive (fewer projects competing for the available grant funds), staff considered the potential of combining both Barker and Pines projects into a single FASTLANE grant application but decided two separate applications would be in the best interest of the City. Page 2 of 4

3 GRANT Options Project funding under each of the two grant programs are outlined below: USDOT 2016 FASTLANE and TIGER VIII Call for Projects ($'s in millions) TIGER VIII GRANT Barker Rd/BNSF Grade Separation Project Total Estimated Project Cost $29.20 FMSIB Grant Award $5.84 Federal Earmark $0.72 Subtotal $22.64 TIGER GRANT ((80% of $29.2M)-Earmark -$22.64 Fully Funded $0 FASTLANE GRANT Barker Rd/BNSF Grade Separation Project Total Estimated Project Cost $29.20 FMSIB Grant Award -$5.84 Federal Earmark -$0.72 Remaining Balance $22.64 FASTLANE GRANT ((60% of $29.2M)-Earmark) -$17.52 Subtotal $5.12 City Funds -$2.90 Remaining Shortfall $2.22 Pines Rd Underpass, BNSF & Trent Total Estimated Project Cost $17.20 FASTLANE GRANT ((60% of $17.2M) -$10.32 Subtotal $6.88 City Funds -$0.50 Remaining Shortfall $6.38 OPTIONS: Discussion RECOMMENDED ACTION OR MOTION: Discussion Page 3 of 4

4 BUDGET/FINANCIAL IMPACTS: Consultant services to prepare these grants are estimated to be approximately $90,000. If the City is successful in obtaining these grant funds, the City would be responsible for the local match. The local match for TIGER VIII is 20% of the total project cost. For the FASTLANE grant, the local match is 40%. However, a combination of Federal grants can fund up to 80% of the project cost and a combination of State and local funds can count for towards the local match. Staff will continue to pursue other grant funding opportunities to provide the additional matching funds. STAFF CONTACT: Steve M. Worley, PE Senior Capital Projects Engineer Eric P. Guth, PE Public Works Director ATTACHMENTS: Project Summary Sheets Page 4 of 4

5 Barker Rd/BNSF Grade Separation Project Description: The Project builds an overpass for Barker Road over the BNSF tracks, adds on and off ramps from Barker Road to Trent Avenue (SR 290), incorporates a realignment of Wellesley Ave, and provides safe passage for bikes and pedestrians across both the BNSF rail line and SR 290. In addi on, the Project would eliminate train vehicle conflicts, remove automobile delays, and improve the level of service (LOS) ra ng for the intersec on from F to A. Benefits of Project: The Project would eliminate train vehicle conflicts, remove automobile delays, and improve the LOS for the intersec on from F to A. The realignment of Wellesley Avenue mi gates conges on on SR 290 by consolida ng access points for Barker and Wellesley into one interchange. The addi on of bike and ADA compliant pedestrian access on the overpass encourages alterna ve modes of transporta on to nearby businesses, residences and schools. Project Cost Estimate: Preliminary Engineering (PE) = $5,120,000 Right of Way (RW) = $1,800,000 Construc on (CN) = $22,280,000 Total Es mated Project Cost = $29,200,000

6 Pines Rd Underpass, BNSF & Trent Project Description: This project proposes to reconstruct Pines Road to pass under four BNSF tracks. To accommodate this Trent Avenue will also be lowered, similar to the Argonne Road underpass. This project will allow the City of Spokane Valley to request closure of the Uni versity Road railroad crossing one mile to the west, which would further improve public safety by reducing the possibility of rail/ vehicle collisions at this intersec on. This project is cri cal because of the projected increase in vehicular traffic in the area through 2040 and because of it s loca on, which is approximately half way between the two nearest crossings of the BNSF track (Argonne Rd to the West and Sullivan Rd to the East). The separa on of Pines Road and the BNSF tracks will provide a vital transporta on link to the businesses and residenc es north of Trent (SR 290), south along Pines (SR 27), I 90 and further south to the Palouse. Benefits of the Project: This project eliminates rail crossing crashes at both the Pines (SR 27) and University BNSF crossing. Crossing delay is eliminated along Pines Road and along Trent (SR 290) when accessing Pines (SR 27). Be er handling of road and train traffic reduces conges on and improves air quality. Project Cost Estimate: Preliminary Engineering = $ 3,096,000 Right of Way & Construc on = $14,104,000 Total Es mated Project Cost = $17,200,000