REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL FROM: SCOTT L. MOZIER, PE, Director Public Works Department AARON A. AGUIRRE, Director Parks, After School, Recreation, and Community Services Department BY: RANDALL W. MORRISON, PE, Assistant Director Public Works Department, Engineering Division MARY C. CHURCH, Grants Administrator Public Works Department, Administration Division SUBJECT ..Title RESOLUTION - Authorizing the Submission of Grant Applications to the California Department of Transportation's Active Transportation Program (ATP) Cycle 6 Call for Projects Totaling up to $24 Million in Requests for Funding; and Authorizing the Execution of Grant Application and Grant Agreement Documents by the Public Works Director or Designee (Council Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7) ..Body RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution authorizing the submission of grant applications to the California Department of Transportation's ATP Cycle 6 call for projects totaling up to $24 million in requests for funding; and authorize the execution of all grant application and grant agreement documents by the Public Works Director or designee. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The ATP Grant Cycle 6 call for projects was released in March 2022. The ATP encourages the use of active modes of transportation, such as biking and walking, by funding education and infrastructure projects which support active travel. The grant program is competitive, with a minimum requirement of 25 percent of funds distributed to disadvantaged communities. The call for projects occurs at both the State and Regional (Fresno County) level. Traditional applications for the Statewide call are due on June 15, 2022, and applications to the Regional call are due on November 18, 2022. Projects not funded at the State level will be repackaged and submitted for Regional consideration. All proposed projects have been evaluated using the Active Transportation Prioritization Tool and have been grouped to maximize the competitiveness of the grant proposals. BACKGROUND The ATP was created by Senate Bill 99 (Chapter 359, Statutes of 2013) and Assembly Bill 101 (Chapter 354, Statutes of 2013) to encourage increased use of active modes of transportation, such as biking and walking. Funding for the program comes from a variety of Federal and State sources including Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account (SB1), State Highway Account, Federal Highway Safety Improvement Program, and Surface Transportation Block Grant set-aside for Federal Transportation Alternative Program. The Cycle 6 call for projects is projected to have an estimated $651 million dollars available to be awarded. Of that total, the City of Fresno is eligible to compete for approximately $325 million in funding at the State level and approximately $7.1 million at the Regional level. Infrastructure projects submitted can be small (less than $3.5 million), medium (between $3.5 million and $10 million), or large ($10 million or more). ATP also funds non-infrastructure projects, which include educational programs, and the development of active transportation plans. The program is administered by the California Transportation Commission, Caltrans, and Fresno Council of Governments. Project funding can be programmed for use in Fiscal Years 2023/24, 2024/25, 2025/26, and 2026/27. The minimum project size at the State application level is $250,000. There is no minimum at the Regional level, but applicants are encouraged to request less than $3.5 million per project. On March 2, 2017, the City Council adopted the City's Active Transportation Plan (the Plan) and a complementary Active Transportation Project Prioritization Tool (the Tool). The Plan has been referenced to identify potential projects based on community requests and the Tool has been used to calculate each project's priority score. Many of the projects included in this cycle have been directly identified through constituent requests. A copy of the completed Project Prioritization Tool is included in this report. Improvements have been ranked on 16 inputs including access and equity, connectivity and traffic control, mode shift, and user comfort. For the Statewide call for projects, the Public Works Department plans to submit five grant proposals: four small infrastructure applications and one medium infrastructure application. All five of the proposals will include non-infrastructure educational elements which will be implemented in partnership with the Parks, After School, Recreation and Community Services (PARCS) Department. Proposed programming will occur at City of Fresno community centers located at various parks near the proposed infrastructure projects and at Fresno Unified Schools as part of existing afterschool programming provided by the City at those locations. Application 1 - Williams Elementary Safe Routes to School will be submitted to the small project category. This project consists of the construction of sidewalk gap fill and accessibility improvements along the northeast corner of Dakota and Thorne Avenues. This project is located 0.25 miles east of Williams Elementary School and Quigley Park and would create improved connectivity for students walking and biking to and from school. Funding for pedestrian safety education will be incorporated for youth at Quigley Park. This project is located in Council District 1. Application 2 - Palm Bikeway to the San Joaquin River Parkway will be submitted to the small project category. This project consists of approximately 1 mile of Class IV bike facilities. The proposed limits are along Palm Avenue from Herndon Avenue to Nees Avenue. The project would also provide an improved connection to Audubon Drive for bicyclists heading north on Palm Avenue. Funding for bicycle safety education will be incorporated for youth and seniors at Pinedale Community Center. This project is located in Council District 2. Application 3 - Downtown Neighborhood Safe Schools Crossing will be submitted to the small project category. This project would construct three high-intensity activated crosswalk (HAWK) signals at the intersections of Abby Street and Clay Avenue, Abby Street and Harvey Avenue, and Blackstone Avenue and Illinois Avenue. Funding for pedestrian safety and HAWK education will be incorporated for youth at Ted C. Wills and Dickey Youth Center. This project is located in Council District 3. Application 4 - First Street Phase 3 Protected Bikeway will be submitted to the small project category. This project consists of approximately 1.5 miles of Class IV bike facilities. The proposed limits are along First Street from Olive Avenue to Shields Avenue, which would provide a tie into the Midtown Trail. This would be the third segment of Class IV facilities along First Street which was ranked a high priority in the 2017 Fresno Council of Governments' Class IV Bikeway Feasibility Study. Funding for bicycle safety education will be incorporated for youth and seniors at Romain Park and Lafayette Park. This project is located in Council Districts 4 and 7. Application 5 - Midtown Trail Tunnel and Regional Connectivity Project will be submitted to the medium project category. This project would construct a pedestrian and bicycle undercrossing (tunnel) along Clovis Avenue at Dayton Avenue. This tunnel would provide connectivity from the Midtown Trail to the Clovis Old Town Trail. Now under construction, the Midtown Trail will end on the west side of Clovis Avenue at Shields Avenue, with no pedestrian facilities leading further north on either side of Clovis Avenue, and no safe crossing or connection to the Clovis Old Town Trail, which begins on the east side of Clovis Avenue at Dayton Avenue. This would create an important regional trail connection between Fresno and Clovis. The project would also include the installation of wayfinding signs throughout the Midtown Trail, as identified in the Travel by Trail, Fresno! Trail Network Wayfinding, Promotion and Connectivity Plan adopted by Council in April 2022. Additionally, funding for bicycle and pedestrian safety programming will be incorporated for youth and seniors at Norseman Elementary, Ericson Elementary, Ewing Elementary, Einstein Park, Lafayette Park, and Lafayette Senior Program along the Midtown Trail. This project is located in Council Districts 4 and 7. Notification of grant awards for the State application is expected by October 21, 2022, and notification for the Regional application is expected in February 2023. The City Attorney's office has reviewed and approved the staff report and resolution as to form. ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS This item is not a project for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). LOCAL PREFERENCE Local preference is not included because this resolution does not include a bid or award of a construction or services contract. FISCAL IMPACT This resolution will have no impact on the General Fund. Matching funds of 11.47 percent may be required if ATP funding is Federal but is generally not required if awarded funds come from State sources. Should grant funds be awarded, local matching funds will be identified through future fiscal year capital budgets. Attachments: Resolution Proposed Project List ATP Prioritization Results Project Area Map