TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Michael A. Hursh, General Manager
SUBJECT: FY 2020-21 Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program
ACTION ITEM
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider authorizing the General Manager or his designee to file and execute applications with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) for the Fiscal Year 2020-21 Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program to support two planning efforts.
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Convenient and Reliable Service
Initiative - Service Quality
An award of a Caltrans grant for either project would permit the District to address travel speed and reliability from two perspectives: improved technologies and the equitable deployment of transit services and infrastructure investments.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
The District is applying for approximately $500,000 in Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant funds. If awarded, the District will be required to contribute 11.47 percent local match of up to $64,780. District funds will be used for the local match.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
Caltrans has released the FY 2020-21 Sustainable Planning Grant Program call for projects. The Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program has been created to support the Caltrans’s mission to provide a safe, sustainable, integrated and efficient transportation system to enhance California’s economy and livability. The funds are available for eligible projects sponsors under two broad categories of Sustainable Communities and Strategic Partnerships. Only Metropolitan Planning Organizations and Regional Transportation Planning agencies are eligible project sponsors for the Strategic Partnerships grant funds. Therefore, the District is applying for the Sustainable Communities funding. Statewide, $25 million in SB1 funds are available.
Staff intends to apply for grant funding for two planning efforts. The two planning efforts are
1. An Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Plan, valued at approximately $200,000 - This plan would be a roadmap and guide line to implement and deploy ITS technologies in the public right-of-way to improve service performance such as Transit Signal Priority (TSP), queue-jump signals and traffic signal coordination.
2. A Service and Investment Equity Plan, valued at approximately $300,000 - This data collection and analysis effort will identify market gaps in the service network for both local and Transbay service. In addition, it will identify “hot spots” of travel time delay and recommend spot improvements for these locations. Data collection will consist of origin-destination data combined with travel time data from our CAD/AVL system.
If either or both the grants are awarded to the District, staff will return to the to the Board for adoption of a Resolution authorizing the General Manager or his designee to file and execute funding agreements with Caltrans.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:
There is no disadvantage in applying for these funds.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS:
The planning efforts identified are the highest priority areas that align with the eligibility and purpose of the grant program. Staff considered other projects to apply for such as a coordination project with local jurisdictions to build-out corridor improvements identified in the Major Corridors Study, or planning for the Powell Street bus-only left turn project in Emeryville. Ultimately, staff decided there are more appropriate and accessible funds where these projects would be more relevant and competitive.
PRIOR RELEVANT BOARD ACTION/POLICIES:
None
ATTACHMENTS:
None
Prepared by:
Jim Cunradi, Transportation Planning Manager
Seema Prasad, Senior Capital Planning Specialist
In Collaboration with:
Evelyn Ng, Capital Planning and Grants Manager
Approved/Reviewed by:
Claudia L. Allen, Chief Financial Officer
Denise C. Standridge, General Counsel
Chris Andrichak, Director of Management and Budget
Robert del Rosario, Director of Services Development and Planning