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Discuss and Provide Comments on Transportation Projects to be Included in the Capital Budget for Fiscal Years 2023-2024 & 2024-2025 (Discussion)
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To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Transportation Commission
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As part of the City’s biannual budget process, a capital budget for Fiscal Years 2023-2024 & 2024-2025 is developed to fund infrastructure improvements in the City of Alameda. Transportation-related capital projects have historically represented approximately 50% of the capital budget. Staff are seeking feedback from the Transportation Commission on the transportation projects proposed for funding in the two-year capital budget. Staff will present the draft capital budget at the public City Council budget workshops in May. The operating and capital budgets for fiscal years 2023-2024 & 2024-2025 are expected to be adopted by City Council in June.
BACKGROUND
As part of the City’s biannual budget process, a capital budget for Fiscal Years 2023-2024 & 2024-2025 is developed to fund infrastructure improvements in the City of Alameda (City). Capital improvements generally are categorized as follows:
• Pavement, Lighting and Urban Forest
• Sanitary Sewer
• Stormwater, Lagoons and Shoreline
• Buildings and Facilities
• Parks
• Transportation System Enhancements
• Sea Level Rise and Climate Adaptation
Each of the categories have multiple projects and funding sources. City staff propose funding for capital improvement projects within each category. The City Council ultimately allocates funds for the projects through adoption of the bi-annual budget in June for the fiscal year that begins on July 1, 2023.
Capital Budget Process
The main components for the basis of the capital budget are:
1. Fund balances and expected revenues
2. Estimated operational expenses from each fund
3. Proposed projects by City departments with estimated costs
Funding for transportation projects comes from several different sources, notably Measure BB (Alameda County Transpiration Sales Tax), the State Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Program (SB1), and project-specific grants.
Operational expenses are proposed by each department and evaluated by the Finance Department. Several funds are shared between operating divisions and capital projects. For example, operating expenses include the cost of maintaining existing traffic signals, while the capital budget funds the purchase and installation of new traffic signal equipment. Operating and capital expenses are balanced throughout the budget process.
The transportation projects in the capital budget build from ongoing commitments for maintaining existing infrastructure and enhancing transportation infrastructure. The projects are drawn from adopted plans such as the Transportation Choices Plan (2018) and the Active Transportation Plan (2022). The projects are further summarized in the 2023 Transportation Capital Projects Work Plan, as presented to the Transportation Commission in February 2023. The proposed two-year capital budget allocates funds for the projects included in the work plan.
The draft capital budget is refined though budget meetings with the City Manager, Finance and City departments. The draft capital budget is presented and further refined with City Council budget workshops in May, which are open to the public. During this time, City staff develop a capital budget book that provides additional information and context for the proposed projects and funding. The Planning Board must also make a determination that the capital budget is consistent with the General Plan prior to final adoption. The final two-year operating and capital budgets are expected to be adopted by City Council in June.
DISCUSSION
While the draft capital budget for fiscal years 2023-2024 & 2024-2025 includes all types of city-owned infrastructure, this report and presentation focuses on transportation. Following are brief descriptions of the projects.
Pavement, Lighting and Urban Forest Projects
These projects are annual investments and funding needs are assessed through conditions-based asset management planning processes. This approach means that infrastructure is rehabilitated or replaced as it reaches the end of its useful life or before it becomes a potential hazard.
• Pavement management: This is the annual street resurfacing program. The recently completed project for the current fiscal year focused on the area west of (and including) Grand Street. The previous capital budget also included funds (including grant funds) for the Grand Street Pavement Rehabilitation and Safety Improvements project between Shore Line Drive and Encinal Avenue.
The next pavement management project will be focused on the area east of Grand Street to (and including) High Street. The following project will include the area east of High Street and all of Bay Farm Island. These projects implement improvements identified in the Active Transportation Plan and other safety enhancements, such as striping modifications, crosswalks and curb ramps. Certain types of pavement management projects also include green infrastructure.
• Signs, Pavement Markings, and Curb Painting: This annual project brings roadway striping, signage, crosswalks and other markings up to current standards. The past three fiscal years focused on high-priority intersections. The upcoming projects will replace, upgrade and install centerlines, bike lanes and other “long lines”.
• Traffic Signals and Systems: Existing traffic signal equipment requires upgrades to improve safety and performance and to reduce ongoing maintenance costs. This program replaces obsolete traffic signal cabinets and controllers, and installs video detection systems, transit signal priority equipment and battery backup systems (allowing signals to operate during power outages). It also includes traffic engineering studies and review of traffic signal timings at regular intervals.
• Park Pathway Repair & Replacement: Alameda Recreation & Parks has an ongoing project to repair/replace paths and trails within City parks. To address paved trails and paths that are in the City right-of-way but outside of parks, City staff are identifying, assessing and prioritizing trail segments for future projects. These projects are anticipated to be funded in future capital budgets.
• Sidewalks: This project removes tripping hazards and repairs uplift and damage to sidewalks and curbs caused by city-owned trees. It includes concrete cutting and replacing of existing sidewalks. The project also maintains sidewalks fronting city-owned properties.
• Street, Park and Parking Lot Lighting: Existing lighting systems require regular repair and replacement of lighting fixtures, poles and pull boxes. In addition, the City has aging underground conduits that will be replaced to ensure continued operations.
• Urban Forest and Landscape Maintenance: This includes care and preservation of street trees, landscaped medians and bioswales. The project is in the process of moving to an operational budget and will not be included in future capital budgets. Some funding sources are shared with capital projects, similar to other operating divisions.
Transportation System Enhancement Projects
Transportation System Enhancements are typically one-time projects or ongoing annual projects that address mobility, safety, sustainability, and equity. The projects are identified in the Transportation Choices Plan, Climate Action and Resiliency Plan, Vision Zero Action Plan, and Active Transportation Plan. The City website also has detailed information for these projects.
• Street Safety: This project continues daylighting at intersections to improve visibility. The City recently completed daylighting the Tier 1 & 2 High Injury Corridors, as identified in the Vision Zero Action Plan. The next project will address the Tier 3 High Injury Corridors. In addition, the project funds the rapid response program to address locations where traffic fatalities have occurred on City streets.
• Safe Routes to School Infrastructure: The City partners with the Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools Program to conduct school safety assessments at K-12 schools. This project designs and implements the recommendations for infrastructure changes, which may be phased over time and/or included in larger corridor improvement projects.
• Transit Stop Enhancements: This project is in development. Investments in bus stops and other areas outside of corridor improvement projects may include installation of benches and shelters, sidewalk reconstruction, red curb painting, bus stop relocations or other bus stop amenities. Improvements are coordinated with AC Transit and other stakeholders.
• Active Transportation Plan Implementation (ATP) Projects: The ATP outlines a 2030 Infrastructure Plan and a 2030 Low Stress Backbone Network. To expand on the planned corridor improvement projects, this project will begin to design and implement the ATP projects, including conversion of Slow Streets to Neighborhood Greenways.
• Central Ave Safety Improvements: Previous capital budgets provided funding for planning, design, and construction of this major corridor improvement project between Central/Main/Pacific and Central/Sherman/Encinal. The draft capital budget incorporates grant funds and provides local matching funds for an additional roundabout at Central/Ballena/Fourth and for green infrastructure at several locations along the corridor.
• Clement Ave Safety Improvements: Previous capital budgets provided funding for planning, design, and construction of this major corridor improvement project between Grand Street and Broadway. The draft capital budget includes additional funds for construction due to escalated construction costs. If the funds are unused, they may be reallocated to other projects.
• Clement Ave and Tilden Way Complete Street: The project is currently in the design phase and extends the Cross Alameda Trail from Broadway to the Miller Sweeney Bridge. The project implements safety improvements on Tilden Way between Broadway and the bridge, including at the complex intersection of Tilden Way, Blanding Avenue and Fernside Boulevard. The draft capital budget incorporates grant funds for construction and provides local matching funds.
• Lincoln/Marshall/Pacific Safety Improvements: The project is currently in the early design phase, and the draft capital budget provides funding to advance the design, perform additional traffic engineering analysis, cost estimating and continued community outreach. Further design will better position the project for grant funding and identify phased improvements that may be implemented with paving projects and/or traffic signal upgrades and other intersection enhancements.
Next Steps
City staff will incorporate feedback from the Transportation Commission, City departments and the City Manager’s office, and refine the projects, cost estimates and revenue projections. Staff will present the draft capital budget for fiscal years 2023-2024 & 2024-2025 at the public City Council budget workshops in May.
Staff will develop a capital budget book that provides additional information and context for the proposed projects and funding. The Planning Board must also make a determination that the capital budget is consistent with the General Plan prior to final adoption. The final budget is expected to be adopted by City Council in June.
ALTERNATIVES
The Transportation Commission can:
• Provide comments on the transportation projects included in the draft two-year capital budget
• Recommend revisions to the transportation projects to be included in the capital budget
• Decline to provide comments on the draft two-year capital budget
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Transportation projects in the capital budget are typically funded from one or more of the following sources:
• Measure BB, which is the countywide one-cent sales tax dedicated to transportation, including local streets and roads, bicycle and pedestrian, transit and paratransit;
• Vehicle Registration Fees, which are annual fees on vehicles in Alameda County and distributed to local jurisdictions for transportation uses;
• State Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Program (SB1), state funding for maintenance, rehabilitation and safety improvements on roadways;
• Gas Tax, which is collected at the pump and distributed to local jurisdictions for transportation uses;
• Development Impact Fees, through which developers contribute to the City’s transportation and other facility costs attributable to new development; and
• Federal, state, regional and county grants.
The Transportation Commission’s review and comment on the capital budget for Fiscal Years 2023-2024 & 2024-2025 is advisory only; no funding allocations are made as a result of this action.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
The transportation projects included in the two-year capital budget are consistent with the General Plan Mobility Element (2021), Active Transportation Plan (2022), Vision Zero Action Plan (2021), and Transportation Choices Plan (2018).
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This action does not constitute a “project” as defined in California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378 and therefore no further CEQA analysis is required. Any future projects with physical changes to the environment or roadway network that requires discretionary action by the City Council or Transportation Commission will be subject to future environmental review.
CLIMATE IMPACT
Since vehicle miles traveled in Alameda is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Alameda, investments in transportation included in the draft capital budget would have a positive climate impact. The proposed projects will improve transportation operations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and also will improve the resiliency to the impacts of climate change.
RECOMMENDATION
Provide feedback on the transportation projects to be included in the capital budget for Fiscal Years 2023-2024 & 2024-2025.
Respectfully submitted,
Robert Vance, Deputy Director, Public Works Department
Exhibits:
1. 2023 Transportation Capital Projects Work Plan
2. Presentation