Title
Recommendation to Authorize the City Manager to Execute All Necessary Documents with the United States Department of Transportation to Accept $16,000,000 in Federal Funding to Design and Construct the Lincoln Avenue/Marshall Way/Pacific Avenue Corridor Improvement Project; and
Adoption of Resolution Amending the Fiscal Year 2024-25 Grants Fund (Fund 222) and Capital Improvement Budgets Appropriations By $16,000,000 to Transfer Those Funds to the Capital Improvement Budget (Fund 310) for Capital Project C65700 (Lincoln Avenue/Marshall Way/Pacific Avenue Corridor Improvement Project).
In accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), this project is categorically exempt under CEQA Guidelines Section 15301(c) Existing Facilities (Minor alterations to existing facilities including bicycle facilities) and Section 15304(h) Minor Alterations to Land (creation of bicycle lanes on existing public rights of way). (Transportation 20962743)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jennifer Ott, City Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Alameda (City) has identified the Lincoln Avenue/Marshall Way/Pacific Avenue (Lincoln/Marshall/Pacific) corridor (Project) between Alameda Point at Main Street/Central Avenue/Pacific Avenue and Broadway in the east end of town as a high priority for safety and mobility improvements. In September 2024, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) awarded $16,000,000 in federal funds for the Project. Staff recommends that City Council advance the Project by:
• Authorizing the City Manager to execute all necessary documents with the USDOT to accept $16,000,000 in federal funding to design and construct the Project; and
• Adopting a resolution amending the Fiscal Year 2024-25 Grants Fund (Fund 222) budget appropriation by $16,000,000 to transfer funds to the CIP Budget (Fund 310) for Capital Project C65700 (Lincoln/Marshall/Pacific Corridor Improvement Project).
BACKGROUND
The Lincoln/Marshall/Pacific corridor is over three miles long, serves multiple destinations including schools, bus stops, commercial districts and parks, and is a Tier 1 high-injury corridor in some street sections. The Project goals include improving safety, mobility and pavement while reducing flooding and greenhouse gas emissions. The Project is the result of a multi-year collaborative effort directed by City Council as shown on the project webpage: www.alamedaca.gov/LincolnMarshallPacific <http://www.alamedaca.gov/LincolnMarshallPacific> and below with the following key actions:
• April 2023, City Council endorsed the design concept (Exhibits 1 and 2).
• June 2023, City staff submitted a Safe Routes for All (SS4A) grant application to the USDOT for $20,000,000 including local match, which was unsuccessful.
• May 2024, City staff re-submitted the same SS4A grant application after receiving USDOT encouragement to reapply for the grant.
• September 2024, the USDOT announced that the Project was selected for the SS4A grant funding totaling $16,000,000 with a 20 percent local match, which equals $4,000,000 and is expected to come from Measure BB’s Named Bus Transit Project.
• Late 2024, immediate action on the Project occurred on Lincoln Avenue at Walnut Street with the installation of flashing beacons and increased intersection visibility.
• Currently, City staff and the Parametrix consultant team are working on the Project design drawings, which are partially funded by a Measure BB grant, a state earmark, the Measure BB Local, Streets and Roads Fund and Developer Impact Fees.
In order to finalize the $16,000,000 grant award, USDOT requires the City to execute a grant agreement (Exhibit 3). Staff recommends the City Council authorize the City Manager to execute said grant agreement and all necessary documents that may be required for the City to accept such funds.
DISCUSSION
To improve multimodal safety, bicycling, walking, bus access, school access, equity, drainage and sustainability, the Project includes a road diet, a roundabout at Lincoln Avenue/Fifth Street/Marshall Way, pedestrian/bicycle signals, modernized traffic signals, crosswalk improvements, school frontage improvements, stormwater best practices, street trees, disabled parking, loading zones, improved lighting and bus stop enhancements. The estimated cost to complete the Project is approximately $20,000,000, based on an order-of-magnitude planning estimate. Staff recommends that City Council authorize the City Manager to execute all necessary documents with USDOT to accept $16,000,000 in federal funding to construct the Project (C65700), and to adopt a resolution amending the Fiscal Year 2024-25 Grants Fund (Fund 222) budget to appropriate these funds for use on the Project (Exhibit 3). The $4,000,000 local match is expected to come from Measure BB’s Named Bus Project, which Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC) is in the process of approving by mid-2025 and will need subsequent City Council approval. With this Measure BB local match, the Project would be fully funded except for a shortfall for design, which is expected to be under $1,000,000.
ALTERNATIVES
City Council may consider a range of alternatives:
• Authorize the City Manager to execute all necessary documents and the budget amendment.
• Authorize the City Manager to execute all necessary documents and the budget amendment with revisions determined necessary by City Council.
• Direct staff to pursue a different approach and return at a future date with a revised agreement and budget amendment. Nevertheless, City staff is concerned that delay could risk the Project not receiving these federal funds that are being awarded from USDOT.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no financial impact to the General Fund for authorizing the City Manager to execute all necessary documents and for the budget amendment. In June 2021, City Council appropriated $200,000 in Measure BB Local Streets and Roads (LSR) funds as part of the Fiscal Years 2021-23 Capital Improvement Projects Budget. In June 2023, City Council appropriated Development Impact Fee revenues of $500,000, Measure BB LSR funds of $500,000 and Measure BB grant funding of $567,000 as part of the Fiscal Years 2023-25 CIP. In September 2024, City Council accepted $375,000 in State funding, which increased the total appropriated funding to $2,142,000 (Table 1). Acceptance of the $16,000,000 in federal funding, adoption of a resolution amending the Fiscal Year 2024-25 Grants Fund (Fund 222) budget and appropriating these monies to Capital Project C65700 (Lincoln/Marshall/Pacific Corridor Improvement Project), will provide sufficient available funds to complete the project except for a design shortfall and the required local match. The additional design funds are expected to be less than $1,000,000 and are needed to achieve 100 percent design, which will be requested in the next two-year budget. The $4,000,000 local match is expected to come from a Named Bus Transit Project in the Measure BB Transportation Expenditure Plan, which the Alameda CTC plans to amend in spring 2025 to include the Project. This reallocation of the $4,000,000 local match, pending approval by Alameda CTC, will also be included in the upcoming biennial budget.
Table 1: Lincoln/Marshall/Pacific Project Budget
|
Funding Source |
Budget |
|
Measure BB LSR (2021) |
$200,000 |
|
Developer Impact Fee (2023) |
$500,000 |
|
Measure BB LSR (2023) |
$500,000 |
|
Measure BB - grant (2023) |
$567,000 |
|
State Earmark (2024) |
$375,000 |
|
Total Approved to Date |
$2,142,000 |
|
Federal SS4A Grant (Request) |
$16,000,000 |
|
New Potential Total Secured |
$18,142,000 |
|
Local Match (not secured) |
$4,000,000 |
|
Design Shortfall (not secured) |
$1,000,000 |
|
Total Project Budget |
$23,142,000 |
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
The Lincoln/Marshall/Pacific Corridor Improvement Project is consistent with the Alameda 2040 General Plan (adopted 2021) and makes progress towards meeting the four goals of the Mobility Element, which are equity, safety, choices and sustainability. The Project is identified as part of the City’s Active Transportation Plan and listed in the Strategic Plan in the Priority to Invest in Transportation, Infrastructure, Economic Opportunities & Historic Resources, Project #TIE5 to secure funding and detailed design for the Lincoln/Marshall/Pacific corridor project. This action is subject to the Levine Act.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
For purposes of CEQA, the Project is categorically exempt pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301(c) Existing Facilities (Minor alterations to existing facilities including bicycle facilities) and Section 15304(h) Minor Alterations to Land (creation of bicycle lanes on existing public rights-of-way). None of the exceptions to the exemptions apply. These findings confirm and accord with the environmental findings in prior City Council actions taken on the Project. For the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) determination, USDOT has determined that this project is a FHWA categorical exclusion under Title 23 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 771.117(c): activities (c)(3), (c)(7), (c)(8) and (c)(15).
CLIMATE IMPACT
Since vehicle miles traveled in Alameda is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Alameda, City staff is expecting that the Project would have a positive climate impact. The Project is being developed to make it safer and more convenient to bicycle, ride the bus, and walk, and to reduce congestion and idling motor vehicles.
RECOMMENDATION
Authorize the City Manager to execute all necessary documents with USDOT to accept $16,000,000 in federal funding to design and construct the Project; and
Adopt a resolution amending the Fiscal Year 2024-25 Grants Fund (Fund 222) budget appropriation by $16,000,000 to transfer funds to the CIP Budget (Fund 310) for Capital Project C65700 (Lincoln/Marshall/Pacific Corridor Improvement Project).
Respectfully submitted,
Allen Tai, Director of Planning, Building and Transportation
By,
Gail Payne, Project Manager
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Margaret O’Brien, Finance Director
Exhibits:
1. Concept Design Vision
2. Project Overview
3. Draft SS4A Grant Agreement