Title
Staff Report for a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to File an Application for One Bay Area Grant Funding Through the Metropolitan Transportation Commission for the Washington Avenue Reconstruction Project, Committing any Necessary Matching Funds, and Stating the Assurance to Complete the Project
Staffreport
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
It is recommended that the City Council authorize the City Manager to file an application with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission for One Bay Area Grant Local Streets and Roads (LSR) funding. This grant will partially fund the reconstruction of Washington Ave from West Juana Ave to Castro Street.
BACKGROUND
The Federal One Bay Area Grant (OBAG) funding is intended to support Alameda County Transportation Commission’s (Alameda CTC) Sustainable Communities Strategy by linking transportation dollars to land-use decisions and targeting transportation investments to support priority development areas (PDAs). The OBAG program is funded with the Surface Transportation Program and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality federal funding sources.
The OBAG program supports California’s climate law, Senate Bill 375, which requires a Sustainable Communities Strategy to integrate land use and transportation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Per the OBAG requirements, 70 percent of the funds must be used toward transportation projects within PDAs. Additionally, this funding may only be used for streets on the National Highway System (NHS).
Alameda CTC is responsible for selecting and programming the Alameda County share of OBAG funds provided by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) requires a Resolution of Local Support from agencies seeking grant funds.
Analysis
San Leandro has three PDAs, the Downtown Transit Oriented Development Area, East 14th Street, and the Bayfair BART Transit Village. Within these PDAs Washington Ave, Hesperian Blvd, and San Leandro Blvd are the three streets on the NHS with the worst pavement condition index. San Leandro Boulevard is already scheduled to receive pavement in 2017. Hesperian Boulevard and Washington Ave have pavement in similar condition but Washington Ave is proposed for this grant because it has a high crown and steep cross slopes that make it challenging for wheelchairs to cross the street. The high crown can only be changed by reconstructing the road and rebuilding from the ground up.
The required resolution of local support contains a commitment to fund and complete the project. San Leandro has made similar commitments for past OBAG funding, most recently for a project on San Leandro Boulevard between Williams and Hudson. The City can fulfill the commitments contained within the resolution without hardship.
Current Agency Policies
Maintain and enhance San Leandro’s infrastructure.
Applicable General Plan Policies
Policy T-5.3: Regularly maintain City streets and traffic control devices to ensure that streets operate safely and efficiently. The City will strive for an overall Pavement Condition Index of 76, which is the lower limit of industry best practices.
Environmental Review
Environmental clearance will be filed for this project upon receipt of funding and before construction is scheduled to commence.
Fiscal Impacts
The estimated project cost is $1,598,000. The target share of OBAG funding for San Leandro is $1,048,000, based on the City’s population and housing data.
The local share of the project is $550,000 which is more than the minimum local funding match in the amount of $120,206 (11.47%).
Budget Authority
The proposed fiscal year 2017-18 budget contains $8,635,000 for street overlay and rehabilitation made up of Measure BB local streets and roads, Gas Tax section 2103, Vehicle Registration Fees, and Measure BB grant funds. A portion of this money will be used for the local share of this project.
PREPARED BY: Nick Thom, City Engineer, Engineering and Transportation Department