Title
RESOLUTION R-1617-104: A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, REQUESTING THAT THE ASSOCIATION OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA GOVERNMENTS (ACOG) AND THE OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (ODOT) CONSIDER THE CONSTRUCTION OF A MULTIMODAL PATH ALONG STATE HIGHWAY 9, BETWEEN 36TH AVENUE S.E. AND 48TH AVENUE S.E. AS A PROJECT CANDIDATE FOR FEDERAL FUNDING UNDER THE TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES PROGRAM.
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BACKGROUND: The Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) was authorized under Section 1122 of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), and is codified at 23 U.S.C. Sections 213(b) and 101(a)(29). Section 1122 provides for the reservation of funds apportioned to a State under Section 104(b) of Title 23 to carry out the TAP. The national total reserved for the TAP is equal to 2% of the total amount authorized from the Highway Act of the Highway Trust Fund for Federal-aid highways each fiscal year.
Recently the MAP-21 Act has been renamed the MAP-21/FAST Act, and the funding program is now called the Surface Transportation Block Group Program. However, the programs and projects are still referred to as Transportation Alternatives, which still wrap into a single funding source the previous programs of Transportation Enhancements, Recreational Trail (RTB), and Safe Routes to School (SRTS).
Projects inside the Oklahoma City or the Tulsa urbanized areas are selected through a separate competitive process administered by the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG) or the Indian Nations Council of Governments (INCOG). Eligible project sponsors under the MAP-21/FAST Act are the following entities:
• Local governments (cities and counties);
• Regional transportation authorities;
• Transit agencies;
• Natural resource or public land agencies;
• School districts, local education agencies, or schools (note: ACOG prefers that school districts partner with local governments for project applications);
• Tribal governments
For the Federal Fiscal Years 2015-2020, ACOG has decided to have a single application period (applications due May 12, 2017). ACOG is inviting eligible entities to submit project applications representing both large and small scale projects within the Oklahoma City Urbanized Zone. $8.4 million is available to Central Oklahoma entities. The assessment of projects will be based on how well they meet the published criteria. Requests may not exceed $600,000 in federal funds for a single project, and there is no limit on the overall project size.
The following is a summary of the funding requirements and project examples:
• Federal/local matching split - 80/20%
• Federal funding request maximum - $600,000
• Maximum project size - Unlimited
• Maximum number of applications - Unlimited
• Federal funding limit that a single entity can receive for submitted projects - 56%
Examples of projects include:
• Multi-use trail
• Sidewalk connecting major pedestrian generators
• Protected bicycle facilities, like buffered bicycle lanes or cycle track
• Safe bicycle & pedestrian crossings
• Design for project that would be eligible for funding in the future
• Signals to increase pedestrian safety
• On-street bikeways and bike lanes (striping and signage)
Projects must have at least a 20% commitment of non-federal funds to the total project cost. In order to participate in the selection process, applicants must provide the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) with a TAP Resolution, adopted at a public meeting of its governing body, which describes the location of the project, type of improvement, total project cost, and source(s) of funds.
On April 27, 2017, Council’s Community Planning and Transportation Committee was briefed on the program and upcoming application cycle, and recommended that the following five projects and Priorities be pursued:
Priority
1. Multimodal Path paralleling Constitution Street from Jenkins Avenue to Classen Boulevard includes a ten-foot wide paved path for pedestrians and bicyclists that will connect southeast Norman with the University of Oklahoma Main Campus.
2. Multimodal Path paralleling State Highway 9 (from 36th Avenue SE to 48th Avenue SE), which consists of a ten-foot wide paved path for pedestrians and bicyclists along the north side that will connect the urbanized area of Norman with Lake Thunderbird State Park.
3. Multimodal Path along Flood Avenue (West Side) from Robinson Street to Tecumseh Road and along Tecumseh Road (South Side) from Flood Avenue to 24th Avenue NW, which consists of a ten-foot wide paved path for pedestrians and bicyclists that will connect northwest Norman with Downtown Norman and the University of Oklahoma Main Campus, and completes an eight mile loop around Max Westheimer Airport.
4. Sidewalk Path along the east side of McGee Drive (from State Highway 9 to Lindsey Street), which consists of a five-foot wide pedestrian sidewalk along the east side of McGee Drive, between SH-9 and Cherry Stone Street that completes the pedestrian infrastructure along this heavily used corridor.
5. Fabrication/Installation of Wayfinding Signs on five city corridors (Robinson Street, Flood Avenue, 24th Avenue West, Tecumseh Road, and State Highway 9), which will aid travelers in finding certain important destinations in Norman, and fully implements the Wayfinding Plan previously adopted by City Council.
DISCUSSION: A pre-requisite for consideration is that applicants adopt a resolution requesting that the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation consider specific projects as candidates for federal funding under the Transportation Alternatives Program. Council’s adoption of the resolutions will allow staff to submit the grant applications on May 12, 2017. Applications will be reviewed by ACOG staff and project selections made in June of this year.
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends adoption of the following resolutions and projects:
R-1617-103 - Constitution Street Multimodal Path
R-1617-104 - SH-9 Multimodal Path (36th Avenue SE to 48th Avenue SE
R-1617-105 - Flood Avenue/Tecumseh Road Multimodal Path
R-1617-106 - McGee Drive Sidewalk
R-1617-107 - Wayfinding Signs during the selection of Transportation Alternatives projects in the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area.