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RESOLUTION R-1314-130: 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 LEGACY TRAIL EXTENSION PROJECT ALONG 24TH AVENUE N.W. AND 36TH AVENUE N.W. AS A CANDIDATE FOR FEDERAL FUNDING UNDER THE TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM.
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BACKGROUND: The 2012 - Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) transportation funding bill approved by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Obama allocates Federal funds for the implementation of eligible transportation projects in the state of Oklahoma. The Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) is a new program under the MAP-21 legislation that allows for increased flexibility in projects and effectively combines project eligibility from the former Transportation Enhancements (TE), Recreational Trails Program and Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs which were enacted under SAFETEA-LU. For the first time, TAP calls for and funds independent competitive processes at several levels. The Federal Fiscal Year 2013 ODOT TAP funding levels are illustrated in Attachment #1.
The right half of the chart represents the funding available statewide; projects will compete against projects in other communities of similar population size. The funding for populations > 200,000, which is the pool of funds that the City of Norman can apply for, will be administered by the Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) (e.g., ACOG); ODOT will administer the process for two categories of smaller communities. ODOT has decided to redistribute the left half of the funds for non-bike/pedestrian uses, as permitted by the MAP-21 legislation.
To permit greater flexibility in funding, ACOG will be conducting TAP funding cycles biennially. For FFY 2013-2014, ACOG expects to have approximately $2.8 million available for projects in the Oklahoma City Urbanized Area (UZA) with the balance of the funds going to Tulsa MPO.
To be eligible for the Transportation Alternatives Program, a project must meet the criteria developed by the Federal Highway Administration. The federal government permits local MPOs to further limit this list locally to address regional priorities. To that end, ACOG will be accepting applications for projects from this subset of eligible projects:
1) Transportation Alternatives Heading (Sec. 1122) <http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/map21/tap.cfm>and Title 23 U.S.C. Sec. 101 (29) <http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/map21/docs/title23usc.pdf>
a. Construction, planning, and design of on-road and off-road trail facilities for pedestrians, bicyclists, and other non-motorized forms of transportation.
b. Construction, planning, and design of infrastructure-related projects and systems that will provide safe routes for non-drivers, including children, older adults, and individuals with disabilities to access daily needs.
c. Conversion and use of abandoned railroad corridors for trails for pedestrians, bicyclists, or other non-motorized transportation users.
2) Safe Routes to School Program Heading (SAFETEA-LU Sec. 1404) <http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/saferoutes/overview/legislation.cfm>
a. Planning, design, and construction of infrastructure-related projects that will substantially improve the ability of students to walk and bicycle to school, including sidewalk improvements, traffic calming and speed reduction improvements, pedestrian and bicycle crossing improvements, on-street bicycle facilities, off-street bicycle and pedestrian facilities, secure bicycle parking facilities, and traffic diversion improvements in the vicinity of schools.
b. Activities to encourage walking and bicycling to school, including public awareness campaigns and outreach to press and community leaders, traffic education and enforcement in the vicinity of schools, student sessions on bicycle and pedestrian safety, health, and environment, and funding for training, volunteers, and managers of safe routes to school programs.
he following is a list of eligible project sponsors under MAP-21. ACOG prefers that sponsors be familiar with the project delivery process under Title 23 USC, <http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/map21/docs/title23usc.pdf> and that those sponsors have a working relationship with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.
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
ACOG is inviting all eligible entities to submit project applications representing both large and small projects within the Oklahoma City Urbanized Zone. All projects will be assessed based on how well they meet the published criteria. Projects may not request more than $500,000 or less than $20,000 in federal funds, and there is no limit on overall project size.
The following is a summary of the funding requirements and project examples:
Federal funding request maximum - 500K
Federal funding request minimum - 20K
Project budget maximum -Unlimited
Minimum non-federal funding as a 20% percentage of total project cost
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 (with original signatures or a certified copy), 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 28, 2014, Council’s Community Planning and Transportation Committee was briefed on the program and upcoming application cycle, and recommended that the following two projects be pursued:
1. Downtown Main Street Improvement Project (West End) from University Boulevard to James Garner Avenue, which consists of streetscape, cobblestone paving bands, street furniture, decorative lighting upgrade, stamp and colored asphalt, sidewalks and accessible ramps.
2. Legacy Trail Extension along 24th Avenue NW and 36th Avenue NW, which consists of a ten-foot wide paved path for pedestrians and bicyclists that will ultimately connect the Downtown area and University of Oklahoma Main Campus to the Ruby Grant Park in NW Norman.
DISCUSSION: A pre-requisite for consideration is that local governments 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 application on May 23, 2014. Applications will be reviewed by ACOG staff and project selections made in June of this year.
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends adoption of resolutions R-1314-129 and R-1314-130 requesting consideration of the Downtown Main Street and the Legacy Trail Extension projects during the selection of Transportation Alternatives projects in the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area.