Title
Adoption of Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Submit a Request to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission for the Allocation of $124,451 in Fiscal Year 2023-24 for Maintenance of Shared Use Paths in Shoreline Park North of the Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal per Transportation Development Act Article 3 for Pedestrian/Bicycle Project Funding and to Execute All Necessary Documents.
In accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), this project is categorically exempt under CEQA Guidelines Section15301(c) Existing Facilities. (Planning, Building and Transportation 20962740)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jennifer Ott, City Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Each year, the City of Alameda (City) is eligible to receive Transportation Development Act (TDA) Article 3 funds from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) for eligible bicycle and/or pedestrian projects or programs. For fiscal year (FY) 2023-24, City staff recommend that the City allocate its total allocation of $124,451 in TDA Article 3 funds to supplement existing funding for maintenance of shared-use paths. The monies will supplement the Alameda Recreation and Parks Department (ARPD) capital budget for maintenance of the Bay Trail (a shared-use path) in Shoreline Park, north of the Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal.
BACKGROUND
The TDA, Public Utilities Code Sections 99233.3 and 99234, makes funds available in the nine-county MTC region for pedestrian/bicycle projects, programs, and plans. MTC makes annual allocations of TDA Article 3 funds to eligible claimants after review of applications submitted by counties or congestion management agencies. All cities and counties in the Bay Area are eligible to claim funds under TDA Article 3. Funds are allocated and apportioned by population, and are submitted as part of a countywide coordinated TDA Article 3 claim. MTC has estimated the total funds for TDA Article 3 pedestrian/bicycle projects for FY 2023-24 and the City’s share for this fiscal year is $124,451.
DISCUSSION
Maintenance of shared-use paths was identified as a high priority need in the Active Transportation Plan (ATP) and is included in the ATP’s 2030 Infrastructure Plan as Project #6 (Trail Maintenance and Upgrades). These maintenance needs are especially high on Bay Farm Island, where there are many older shared-use and bicycle paths, maintained by different entities. ARPD is responsible for maintenance of the shared-use path in Shoreline Park on Bay Farm Island from the Bay Farm Bridge to the Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal. With an additional $124,451 in TDA funds, ARPD will be able to fund a $195,000 project to replace and resurface approximately 1,500 linear feet, 10-feet wide, of shared-used path in FY 2023-24. The pathway currently varies from six to nine feet wide. This increased path width will provide a safer and more comfortable experience for people walking and biking on this multi-use trail. ARPD is resurfacing the entire Shoreline Park pathway in segments as funding and staff resources are available. The first section, starting near the Bay Farm Bridge, will be resurfaced in Spring 2023. The TDA funds will replace and resurface approximately 1,500 linear feet starting near the Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal. These two sections are most in need of repair.
In FY 2023-24, City staff in the Planning, Building and Transportation Department will inventory the major shared-used paths throughout the City, quantifying the maintenance and upgrade needs, and identifying entities that own the pathways and determine maintenance responsibilities. Staff will then prioritize locations where improvements and upgrades are most needed to improve safety and comfort, utilizing prioritization tools developed as part of the ATP. The results of this assessment and prioritization process will be used for allocating future grant and transportation funding towards shared-use path maintenance.
ALTERNATIVES
• Approve staff recommendation to allocate $124,451 to fund this project; or
• Allocate funds to a different project; or
• Not allocate any TDA funds in FY 2023-24, and instead hold the funds in reserve to be used in a future year for different bicycle/pedestrian projects or programs.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Authorizing staff to apply for the TDA grant funds will potentially increase available funding for transportation projects by $124,451 in FY 2023-24, subject to future City Council appropriations approval. If the City does not apply for an allocation of these funds for FY 2023-24, the funds would still be available to be used in future years for other bicycle/pedestrian projects or programs.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
The ATP’s 2030 Infrastructure Plan includes shared-use path maintenance as Project #6: Trail Maintenance and Upgrades. The Mobility Element of the 2021 General Plan includes Policy ME-14 on Active Transportation, to “[r]educe traffic, improve public health, increase transportation equity, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and air and noise pollution, increase access to transit, enhance quality of life, and improve the efficiency of the transportation system by making Alameda a city where people of all ages and abilities can safely, conveniently, and comfortably walk, bike, and roll to their destinations.” Action (b) under Policy ME-14 calls for Maintenance: “Regularly maintain the active transportation network for safety and comfort, and to ensure current design standards are being met.”
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The proposed projects are minor improvements to existing public facilities, which are categorically exempt from further environmental review pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301. None of the exceptions to the exemptions apply.
CLIMATE IMPACT
Supporting walking and bicycling will help the City meet its goals to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by supporting mode shift away from automobiles. The City’s 2019 Climate Action and Resiliency Plan found that transportation accounts for 70% of the City’s GHG emissions, and that moving people out of automobiles is paramount to reducing transportation-related emissions. Creating streets focused on people, rather than cars, encourages these modes of transportation, and can reduce emissions from people driving (still predominantly gasoline-powered vehicles) to their destinations, and help the community develop lifelong habits of walking and bicycling.
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager to submit a request to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission for the allocation of $124,451 in Fiscal Year 2023-24 for shared use path maintenance per Transportation Development Act Article 3 for pedestrian/bicycle project funding and to execute all necessary documents.
Respectfully submitted,
Andrew Thomas, Planning, Building and Transportation Director
By,
Rochelle Wheeler, Senior Transportation Coordinator
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Margaret O’Brien, Finance Director