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RESOLUTION R-1920-61: A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, PROGRAMMING FEDERAL SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM URBANIZED AREA (STP-UZA) FUNDS FOR ROADWAY IMPROVEMENTS ALONG LINDSEY STREET (PHASE 4) BETWEEN ELM AVENUE AND JENKINS AVENUE IN NORMAN.
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BACKGROUND: The 2015 - Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) federal transportation funding bill allocates approximately $21 Million in Federal funds per year for the construction of eligible transportation improvements in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. Ten percent of this appropriation is used to fund safety projects at 100% of their construction cost.
Every year, the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG) coordinates a regional evaluation process that identifies transportation improvements eligible for federal funding. Individual projects are rated and compared to one another using a pre-established criterion. The process ends with the formulation of the region’s transportation improvement program and the decision to use federal funds to pay for a significant portion of the cost of the higher priority projects.
On April 2, 2019, Norman voters approved a $72 million bond issue for the construction of nineteen transportation projects throughout the City. Six of the projects are fully funded from the bond issue while the other thirteen require a blend of federal and bond funds. The complete list of projects with the anticipated cost and construction delivery year can be found in Attachment No. 1.
DISCUSSION: In order to begin the process of securing the additional funds needed for the thirteen federally funded projects, City Council will need to adopt programming resolution agreeing to the terms and conditions of federally funded projects, which include a commitment to assume responsibility for the preparation of engineering plans, the purchase of any additional right-of-way, the relocation of public utilities and funding of the 20% local share of the construction cost.
In years past, Council has adopted resolutions for seven of the thirteen federally funded projects in the 2019 bond issue. The remaining six projects are:
• Constitution Street, between Jenkins Avenue and Classen Boulevard: Widening for continuous two-way left turn lane between Jenkins Avenue and Ryan Avenue, curb and gutter, storm sewer and sidewalks (Resolution R-1920-57)
• Traffic Management Center: Video Wall, Work Stations, Computer Hardware and Software, Communication Equipment and Furniture, Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) for monitoring of Signalized Intersections and Redundant Communication System (Resolution R-1920-58)
• 24th Avenue NE, between Rock Creek Road and Tecumseh Road: Reconstruction and widening from two to four / five lanes with bike lanes, new traffic signal at Rock Creek Road, storm sewer system and sidewalks (Resolution R-1920-59
• Lindsey Street (Phase 3), between Pickard Avenue and Elm Avenue: Roadway widening to add left turn lanes, traffic signal modifications, on-street bicycle lanes, curb and gutter, storm sewer system and sidewalks (Resolution R-1920-60)
• Lindsey Street (Phase 4), between Elm Avenue and Jenkins Avenue: Roadway widening to add left turn lanes, traffic signal modifications, on-street bicycle lanes, curb and gutter, storm sewer system and sidewalks (Resolution R-1920-61)
• Rock Creek Road, between Queenston Avenue and 24th Avenue NE: Reconstruction and widening from two to four/five lanes with bike lanes, new traffic signal at 24th Avenue NE, storm sewer system and sidewalks (Resolution R-1920-62)
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Adoption of these resolutions will enable staff to submit applications for federal funds as part of the process of developing the regional Transportation Improvement plan in future years.
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends adoption of Resolutions R-1920-57 through R-1920-62 requesting federal funds for partial funding of six of the 2019 transportation bond issue projects approved by Norman citizen on April 2, 2019.