Title
Public Works 10-Year Capital Improvement Plan Draft Recommendations
Body
Executive Summary
The City of Alameda Public Works Department is undertaking the development of a 10-year capital improvement program for the 2021 to 2031 time period. The purpose of the program is to identify future needs and allocate projected revenues for all types of infrastructure that the city builds and maintains. The program will help with future planning for major projects such as transportation, sea level rise and climate adaptation. It recognizes the need for such transformative projects while maintaining existing infrastructure. The program also identifies unfunded priorities and considers limitations of available funding and staff capacity.
Staff is requesting feedback on transportation projects included in the 10-year capital improvement program and the potential prioritization process for currently unfunded projects.
Background
The 10-year capital improvement program includes all infrastructure that city will build and maintain between 2021 and 2031. Capital improvements are generally categorized as 1) maintenance and rehabilitation of existing infrastructure and 2) construction of new and enhanced infrastructure. Maintenance and rehabilitation of existing infrastructure includes:
• Transportation, Traffic, Sidewalks and Street Lighting
• Urban Forestry
• Sanitary Sewer
• Stormwater, Lagoons and Shoreline
• Buildings and Facilities
• Parks and Playgrounds
Construction of new and enhanced infrastructure includes:
• Transportation
• Sea Level Rise and Climate Adaptation
• Parks and Facilities
The 10-year capital improvement program serves as a bridge between existing long-range plans and policies and the 2-year capital budget. Inputs to the program are long-range plans, asset management plans, and revenue forecasts. The long-range plans, such as the Transportation Choices Plan (2018) and asset management plans, such as the Sewer Master Plan (2015) identify priorities and funding needs. As such, the 10-year capital improvement plan uses existing information and documents to the extent possible rather than creating new lists of projects. The plan is focused on infrastructure and capital assets that are typically funded through the 2-year capital budget. Non-capital programs, staffing and operations are not addressed in the 10-year capital improvement program.
Revenue forecasts identify the likely future funding from current sources, such as existing grant funding, Alameda County Measures B and BB, state gas taxes, general fund, developer fees and dedicated funds for sewer and stormwater maintenance and rehabilitation. Comparing the project needs with the expected revenues identifies funded and unfunded future needs.
The 10-year capital improvement program is also a series of 2-year draft budgets. The first 2-year cycle shows fewer unfunded needs, as major near-term projects will have already secured funding. Other types of projects have an ongoing backlog of deferred maintenance, such as street lighting, pavement maintenance and stormwater infrastructure. The backlog is shown as the difference between the available funding and the funding needed to achieve a state of good repair. In the longer term, there are more unfunded needs that can may be addressed through grants or new types of revenues. Long-range plans have identified a number of projects that require many years to plan, design and deliver, especially large transportation projects and infrastructure to address sea level rise and climate disruption
Discussion
While the 10-year capital improvement program includes all types of city-owned infrastructure, this report and presentation focus on transportation. As discussed in the background, capital improvements are generally categorized as 1) maintenance and rehabilitation of existing infrastructure and 2) construction of new and enhanced infrastructure. Transportation is addressed in both categories.
Maintenance and rehabilitation of existing transportation infrastructure includes:
• Pavement management (annual street resurfacing)
• Signs, Pavement Markings, and Curb Painting (replacement of missing signs and faded markings; bringing roadway striping, crosswalks and other markings up to current standards)
• Traffic Signals and Systems (updating existing traffic signal equipment to improve safety and performance and to reduce ongoing maintenance costs)
• Sidewalks (cutting and replacing of existing sidewalks to remove tripping hazards and repair uplift and damage caused by city-owned trees)
• Street, Park and Parking Lot Lighting (repair and replacement of lighting fixtures, poles and conduits)
Table 1 shows the estimated funding need for each category over 10 years and the current funding levels. The total 10-year need is approximately $102,450,000, while the current funding is approximately $56,500,000 over the 10 years.
New and enhanced transportation infrastructure includes projects that were identified in the Transportation Choices Plan, the Active Transportation Plan and the Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Plan. These are typically one-time projects or ongoing annual projects that address mobility, safety, sustainability and equity. Table 2 shows the transportation projects that are currently funded, their estimated cost and the approximate timeline for implementation. These projects total approximately $38,983,000. Approximately $33 million of the total cost is grant-funded, with the remainder covered by local funds. Table 3 shows the transportation projects that are currently unfunded and their approximate cost. These projects total approximately $46,910,000. The Active Transportation Plan Implementation Projects, Safe Routes to School Infrastructure and other projects are programmatic. The timelines for the specific projects under these programs will be determined based on prioritization and available resources.
Project identification process
Maintenance and rehabilitation of existing transportation infrastructure requires annual investments, and the specific projects are not identified in the 10-year capital improvement program. The funding needs are developed through asset management planning processes. For example, the City of Alameda participates in the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Pavement Technical Assistance Program, which evaluates the pavement condition index (PCI) for each street segment in Alameda. A consultant produces a report that presents funding scenarios to maintain the existing PCI, increase the PCI or meet a defined budget. The analysis for the 10-year capital improvement program assumes the level of funded needed to maintain the current PCI. Similarly, the funding needs for the other categories are based on asset inventories, estimated useful life and replacement cost.
New and enhanced transportation infrastructure project selected for the 10-year capital met the following conditions:
• Partially or fully funded
• Included in the Transportation Choices Plan, Active Transportation Plan or the Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Plan (transportation projects only)
• City of Alameda funded/lead capital project (exclude programs or projects expected to be delivered by other agencies, such as Caltrans or Alameda County)
• Expected to be completed in the 2021-2031 horizon
Transportation projects that are not included in the 10-year capital improvement program include long-range multi-jurisdictional projects that are currently undergoing planning and may be constructed and maintained by another agency. Examples include:
• West End Bicycle/Pedestrian Crossing
• Oakland Alameda Access Project
• New Transbay Rail Crossing
Portions of these projects may be added to the 10-year capital improvement program when City of Alameda contributions have been more fully defined.
Estimating Transportation Project Funding Needs, Prioritization and Timeframe
Projects that are fully funded have established budgets that are anticipated to meet the project need and estimated timeframes for completion. Examples include the Central Avenue Safety Improvements and the Clement Avenue Safety Improvements between Grand and Broadway. The funded transportation project category also includes Vision Zero Safety Improvements and Traffic Calming, which is an ongoing program. Additional funding can be added to the program in future capital budgets as needed when specific projects are identified.
For unfunded transportation projects, the Transportation Choices Plan provides cost estimates for many of the projects and programs included in the 10-year capital improvement. In addition, the Active Transportation Plan Implementation Projects, Safe Routes to School Infrastructure and other projects are programmatic, and the specific projects within the program will need to be identified to further refine the funding needs.
Due to the significant resources needed to plan, design and deliver transportation projects, and given the limited local funding available, the unfunded transportation projects will need to be prioritized. The priorities are expected to be based on the goals of the Mobility Element of the Alameda General Plan 2040 update:
• Mobility
• Safety
• Sustainability
• Equity
In addition, the ability to obtain and leverage outside funding and grants will likely influence the project priorities and timelines. Projects that use grant funding will likely require a local match through anticipated future revenues, such as Measure B/BB Local Streets and Roads funds. The 10-year capital improvement program will assist with identifying local match funding needs over time for competitive grants and allow for strategic investments in early project development and conceptual planning. As an iterative process, it has flexibility for projects timelines to move depending on priorities and funding availability.
Determining Unfunded Needs
The 10-year capital improvement program will include a matrix of the various projects/programs, their anticipated costs, and the funding sources, broken down into five 2-year periods. The available funding will be estimated for each fund and time period, based on financial forecasts of each fund source. These estimated funds are allotted to projects within a time period. The unfunded needs are the difference of the project cost from available funding. The matrix will help show when additional funding would need to be secured to meet the desired project timeline.
Timeline and Next Steps
For the remainder of 2020 to early 2021, Public Works staff, in consultation with other city departments and the City Manager’s office, will refine project lists and cost estimates and update revenue projections. Public Works staff anticipate returning to the Transportation Commission in the spring of 2021 to provide an update.
In 2021, the 2021-23 Capital Budget will be developed. The 10-year capital improvement program matrix is expected to be included as an appendix to the 2-year capital budget. In 2022, the 10-year capital improvement program will be developed as a stand-alone document to be updated every two years.
Financial Impact
The 10-year Capital Improvement Program is being developed by City of Alameda Public Works staff in consultation with other city departments and the City Manager’s office. It will serve as a planning document for future infrastructure investments. The allocation of funds to specific projects will continue to be completed through the bi-annual capital budgeting process and the established appropriation processes for capital projects.
Municipal Code/Policy Document Cross Reference
Transportation projects and programs included in the draft 10-year capital improvement programs referenced the following City of Alameda documents:
• Transportation Choices Plan (2018)
• Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Plan (2019)
• Mobility Element of the Alameda General Plan 2040 Update (2020)
• Active Transportation Plan (2021)
Environmental Review
Approval to develop planning documents is statutorily exempt from further review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), the general rule that CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Any future 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.
Recommendation
Provide input on the transportation projects included in the 10-year capital improvement program and the potential prioritization process for currently unfunded projects.
Respectfully submitted,
Robert Vance, Supervising Civil Engineer, Public Works Department
Exhibits:
Table 1. Transportation - Maintenance and Rehabilitation Needs
Table 2. Funded Transportation Projects
Table 3. Unfunded Transportation Projects