Title
Recommendation to Approve the Draft Project List for the Alameda County Transportation Commission Call for Projects. (Transportation 287)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jill Keimach, City Manager
Re: Approve the Draft Project List for the Alameda County Transportation Commission Call for Projects
BACKGROUND
To provide more transportation options and to relieve congestion, staff would like to submit grant applications in response to the Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC) combined call for projects for its 2018 Comprehensive Investment Plan (2018 CIP), which is for fiscal years 2017-18 through 2021-22 and totals $161 million. The 2018 CIP represents a consolidated process for Alameda CTC to program not only local monies such as Measure B and BB, but also to program federal, state and regional transportation funding. CIP applications are due on Monday, October 31. For more information on Alameda CTC’s 2018 CIP, please refer to the following web page: <http://www.alamedactc.org/app_pages/view/19025>
Eligible projects are as follows:
• Eligible projects, programs and plans (“projects”) proposed for funding through the 2018 CIP must be included in the 2016 Countywide Transportation Plan (CTP).
• Eligible projects must meet the eligibility requirements of the funding sources and programs that are ultimately programmed by Alameda CTC.
• Eligible capital projects may include (but are not limited to):
o Local street and road improvements
o Bicycle and/or pedestrian infrastructure improvements, including new facilities, gap closure, and safety improvements
o Capital improvements near schools
o Highway capital investments
o Freight, ferry, rail and intermodal projects that facilitate the movement of goods, services and people
o Transit infrastructure enhancements and expansion
o Safety or modernization improvements to transit centers, stations or facilities
o Transportation improvements that provide greater transit access for residents of low-income and disadvantaged communities
o Technology improvements such as Intelligent Transportation System, signal timing, transit signal priority, innovative uses of technology as it pertains to improvement and maintain the transportation system
• Eligible non-capital projects may include (but are not limited to):
o Plans such as bicycle and pedestrian master plan updates
o Feasibility studies
o Safety education, training, enforcement and promotional programs
o Transportation demand or traffic management programs
o Travel Training and Mobility Management programs (programs typically targeted towards seniors and people with disabilities)
o Transit or shuttle operations
o Rideshare programs
Alameda CTC will be selecting projects based on project readiness, need/benefits, sustainability, matching funds, any fund source-specific criteria, ability to maximize investments, synergies between other improvements and developing “pipeline” of future investments. City projects that are not funded as part of this cycle of projects will be considered for future funding cycles.
DISCUSSION
Staff is seeking approval from the City Council to submit multiple grant applications for the latest Alameda CTC call for projects with the overall goal to sustain a high quality of life, especially during this time of growth throughout the Bay Area region. It is staff’s intention to complete as many of the grant applications in the priority order that is listed below depending on staff resources and ability to complete multiple applications by the October 31 deadline.
Recommended Grant Application Submittals (priority order)
1) New Ferry Terminal at Seaplane Lagoon in Alameda Point with 50 percent local match from the Alameda Point developer. With ferry ridership growth at 71 percent over the past three years, regional ferry service is a low-risk transbay alternative with proven high demand, especially for an island with limited crossings. The ferry terminal waterside improvements include pier, abutment, gangway and boarding float additions. The ferry terminal landside improvements include shoreline repairs, roadway paving and striping, parking facilities for 400 vehicles, passenger drop-off and pick-up, a public waterfront access path, bikeway access, bike parking and a bus stop at the ferry plaza entrance. Estimated project costs for construction total $18.2 million. The project has CEQA clearance and NEPA clearance is in progress;
2) Estuary Water Shuttle Feasibility Study for potential ferry service between Alameda and Oakland, which would improve access to transit, jobs and shopping for both cities and for the residents and employees, who will be living and working in the redeveloping areas along the estuary in Alameda and Oakland. The study would recommend an alignment, type of vehicles, frequency, stop locations, and schedule and estimated capital and operations costs for implementation. A key aspect will be guiding and developing public/private partnership opportunities. The bounds of the area to be explored for service would be between the Main Street ferry terminal area and the Park Street Bridge. This study would build on the extensive work done in the City’s 2009 Estuary Crossing Study, which determined that a water shuttle/taxi was one of the preferred alternatives for bicyclist and pedestrian crossings. The cost of the study is estimated at $100,000;
3) Clement Avenue Complete Street between Grand Street and Broadway including the removal of the abandoned railroad tracks. The Clement Avenue complete street project provides both recreational and commuter oriented bicycle and pedestrian improvements. This corridor provides a short-term alternative to a shoreline path along the estuary just north of Clement Avenue. Not all the current shoreline uses - such as a US Navy facility - are expected to change in the foreseeable future. The Clement Avenue project, which will include Class II bike lanes, also will provide a direct, commuter-oriented route linking central Alameda and the east end and beyond to Oakland and the Fruitvale BART station. The estimated project cost for design and construction is $5.7 million with a potential for a local match contribution from developers in Northern Waterfront;
4) Clement Avenue East Extension to Tilden Way and Right-of-Way Acquisition, including Tilden Way Improvements between Broadway and the Miller-Sweeney Bridge. This project extends Clement Avenue east towards Tilden Way to help achieve the ultimate goal of Clement Avenue as a future truck route to Sherman Street and as the continuous Cross Alameda Trail between Tilden Way and Alameda Point. The project includes the purchase of Union Pacific property at Broadway to extend Clement Avenue east to Tilden Way as well as the purchase of Union Pacific property on the northwest side of Tilden Way between Clement Avenue and the Miller Sweeney Bridge and then to fund complete street improvements in the newly acquired property. The right-of-way purchase from Union Pacific is estimated at $1.24 million according to a 2015 appraisal; placeholder costs for outreach, design and construction total $6.26 million with a total estimated project cost at $7.5 million;
5) Alameda Point Bay Trail constructing the proposed sections of San Francisco Bay Trail in Alameda Point and using a significant potential local match from East Bay Regional Park District’s (EBRPD) Measure WW. The construction of this perimeter path will enhance the recreational bicycle and pedestrian opportunities for the entire Alameda community. In May 2016, the San Francisco Bay Trail Board officially adopted the Alameda Point perimeter trail as existing and proposed segments of the San Francisco Bay Trail. The estimated project cost is $10 million, but staff will be working closely with EBRPD to propose a phase 1 of the perimeter loop using existing Measure WW funds as the match;
6) Central Avenue Complete Street between Pacific Avenue/Main Street and Sherman Street/Encinal Avenue. The project creates a multimodal complete street with protected and physically separated bikeways, Class II bike lanes, safer pedestrian crossings with rectangular rapid flashing beacons, bus stop islands and rain gardens. The project also includes modifying the complicated intersection at Main Street, Central Avenue and Pacific Avenue to eliminate the dog-leg configuration and a new traffic signal at the Third Street/Taylor Avenue intersection. The estimated project cost is $12 million, which could be partially covered by an outstanding Active Transportation Program grant application; and
7) Willie Stargell Avenue Complete Street between Main Street and Fifth Street providing Class I bicycle and pedestrian trails along the northern edge of the street and bus queue jump lanes to be installed for eastbound bus traffic at Main Street and Fifth Street, prioritizing expedited Webster/ Posey Tube access for transit riders. This project will improve multimodal access to/from the Main Street ferry terminal, Alameda Point, Alameda Landing and the Webster/Posey Tubes. The estimated project cost for outreach, design and construction totals $3.2 million.
Measure BB - Named Project:
Alameda Point Bus Rapid Transit constructing dedicated bus lanes between Main Street and Webster Street, which is a named project in Measure BB for $9 million. The purpose of this grant application is to allow this project to move forward with the design phase starting in fiscal year 2017/18. The rebuilt Appezzato Parkway will feature dedicated BRT lanes, which will allow for more frequent and reliable bus service providing “last mile” connections between the Alameda Naval Air Station (NAS), which is a PDA, and BART in downtown Oakland. Signalization improvements at the intersections of Appezzato Parkway/Main Street and Appezzato Parkway/Webster Street will give travel priority to bus service. The intersection of Appezzato Parkway/Main Street also will be reconfigured.
Measure BB - AC Transit Lead:
Cross Island BART to Ferry Express Bus providing feeder bus service to/from the Main Street ferry terminal and using local match from proposed parking charges at the Main Street ferry terminal. This additional bus route in Alameda was one of the three potential alternatives for AC Transit’s Service Expansion Plan, which was possible due to Measure BB of 2014. The City Council recommended restoring Line 19 in the Northern Waterfront; however, requested staff to prioritize seeking alternate funding sources for service to/from the Main Street ferry terminal and also for improved bus service to schools on the west end of the City. The estimated project cost is about $2 million, and will depend on the ultimate route, alignment and provider. AC Transit staff has agreed to submit this project for funding.
Measure B/BB Funding for Maintenance Projects:
Public Works staff will be leading the following maintenance projects: traffic signal upgrades ($515,000), Webster Street/Park Street Smart Corridor projects ($500,000) and traffic calming ($300,000).
When considering projects to select for grant applications, staff consulted the short- and long-term projects listed in the City’s Capital Budget for Fiscal Years 2015-17, which identified the most important transportation projects for the City (Exhibit 1), as well as project readiness within the timeframe for this call for projects, such as matching funds and planning and approval status. Staff also consulted the most recent input received from stakeholders and the community during the Citywide Transit and Transportation Demand Management Plan outreach process (Exhibit 2). The projects submitted for Alameda CTC’s 2018 CIP strive to make it easier to walk, bicycle or take transit to destinations rather than relying on a car, which is consistent with 70 percent of web survey respondents as of mid-September who “strongly agree” with this approach.
This project list was approved by the Transportation Commission (TC) on September 28, 2016. While Bike Walk Alameda and other community members submitted correspondence to the TC requesting that it direct staff to send a letter to Caltrans requesting their submittal of a planning grant for a bike/pedestrian bridge (Exhibit 3), the TC rejected this proposal due to the practical infeasibility of the bike/pedestrian bridge. The TC did direct staff to send a letter to Caltrans requesting enhanced multi-modal access across the estuary, including the evaluation of a new tube that would incorporate dedicated transit, bicycle, and pedestrian walkways, and to send a letter to the County of Alameda regarding submitting a grant for retrofitting the Miller-Sweeney Bridge as a multi-modal lifeline bridge.
Staff is not recommending applying to Alameda CTC for a planning grant to re-evaluate the feasibility of a bicycle and pedestrian bridge given the reasons stated in the attached “white paper” prepared by City staff (Exhibit 4). The bike/ped bridge was deemed not feasible because of the navigational clearances dictated by the Coast Guard. Staff has recently confirmed with the Coast Guard that these clearances have not changed. Staff does not recommend expending limited City staff and financial resources preparing a new technical study to evaluate the feasibility of a bike/ped bridge at this time. After close consultation with Bike Walk Alameda, staff recommends the following approach to the bike/ped bridge:
1. Continue to work collaboratively with Caltrans on their taking the lead to further evaluate feasibility of bike/ped bridge crossing;
2. Engage a consulting bridge engineer to conduct a peer review of 2009 Estuary Crossing Study;
3. Continue to engage the Coast Guard on a political level, including by working with our congressional delegation (see Exhibit 5, letter to Senator Boxer); and
4. Develop a “next steps” document for improved estuary crossing, including bike/ped bridge, for Transportation Commission and Council approval.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The estimated total cost for the proposed projects is being determined, and will depend on the final proposed project list. The required local match is 11.47 percent for capital projects and program operations, and is 50 percent for transit operations, plans and studies. The maximum awards for feasibility studies, plans and other studies total $100,000 and for shuttle/transit operations total $500,000 per year. Potential sources of funds for the local match include the Transportation Development Act Bicycle/Pedestrian funds, Measure B/BB pass-through monies or Vehicle Registration Fee pass-through monies.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
This action implements the City’s approved 2015-2017 Capital Budget, Master Infrastructure Plan for Alameda Point, and the Central Avenue Complete Streets Plan. These projects will assist in meeting the goals of the City of Alameda's Local Action Plan for Climate Protection.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
No environmental review required for submittal of grant applications.
RECOMMENDATION
Approve the draft project list for the Alameda County Transportation Commission Call for Projects
Respectfully submitted,
Jennifer Ott, Base Reuse and Transportation Planning Director
By,
Gail Payne, Transportation Coordinator
Rochelle Wheeler, Transportation Planner
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Elena Adair, Finance Director
Exhibits:
1. City’s Capital Budget for Fiscal Years 2015-17
2. Input from Stakeholders and the Community during the Citywide Transit and Transportation Demand Management Plan Outreach Process
3. Correspondence to Transportation Commission (September 2016)
4. White Paper on “Improving Bicycle and Pedestrian Access across the Estuary” (September 2016)
5. Letter to Senator Barbara Boxer regarding Coast Guard (dated September 22, 2016)