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Date
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August 24,
2009
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Agenda Item No. 5 Roll Call No. 09- Communication
No. 09-603 Submitted
by: Jeb E. Brewer, P.E. City Engineer |
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AGENDA
HEADING:
Ratify and confirm the City
Manager’s action to submit Iowa Clean Air Attainment Program (ICAAP) Fund
Applications to the Iowa Department of Transportation--(1) Citywide Fixed-time
Signal Upgrade Project ($320,000), and (2) Des Moines River Trail, Phase 1 ($500,000).
SYNOPSIS:
Recommend
approval to submit two applications to the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT)
for Iowa Clean Air Attainment Program (ICAAP) funding. The two projects recommended by staff are: (1) Citywide Fixed-time Signal Upgrade Project,
and (2) Des Moines River Trail, Phase 1. The goal of the ICAAP is to reduce congestion
and thereby improve air quality.
FISCAL
IMPACT:
Amount: The estimated construction cost for the Citywide
Fixed-time Signal Upgrade Project is $400,000.
$320,000 of ICAAP funding is being requested
for this project. The City’s share would
be 20 percent, or $80,000. In addition,
the City would be responsible for project related design/inspection services
estimated at $60,000.
The estimated construction cost
for the Des Moines River Trail, Phase 1 is $1 million. $500,000 of ICAAP funding is
being requested for this project.
The City would be responsible for $500,000. In addition, the City would be responsible
for project related design/inspection services estimated at $200,000.
Funding Source: Depending on receipt of the IDOT funding
grants, City matching funding would be programmed in future CIP budgets.
ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION:
The Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA) established a Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality
Improvement (CMAQ) program that directs Federal transportation funds for
projects to reduce congestion and pollution.
IDOT has established an Iowa Clean Air Attainment Program (ICAAP),
including guidelines on how to prioritize the disbursement of these funds,
which are approximately $4.7 million annually statewide. Their program is
implemented through a statewide competitive application procedure that
evaluates each proposed project based on reducing congestion and pollution, and
thereby maintaining the clean air quality that Iowa now enjoys.
The types of projects that are
eligible for this funding include traffic flow improvements, shared-ride
services, transit improvements, pedestrian and bicycle programs, and others.
The deadline for this year’s
project applications was August 21, 2009, and the applications were submitted through the Metropolitan Planning
Organization (MPO) to the IDOT. Staff
submitted these two applications to the MPO prior to this date, pending
confirmation by City Council. The MPO
needs early submission of the application packages in order to present the
projects to the MPO Policy Committee at its September meeting.
The City has previously received
funding for a number of projects through this program, including Martin Luther
King, Jr. Parkway ($5,500,000); the Downtown Traffic Signal System
($3,000,000); and East 14th and Hull Intersection Improvements ($750,000).
Staff recommends that the City
Council ratify and confirm the City Manager’s action to submit applications
through the MPO to the IDOT for ICAAP funds for the following projects:
1.
Citywide Fixed-time Signal Upgrade
Project: This project will upgrade approximately 20
existing “fixed-time” traffic signals by installing side-street vehicle and
pedestrian detection. The locations will
be along several of the City’s arterial roadways, including Grand Avenue,
University Avenue, and 2nd Avenue.
The project will improve air quality by enhancing traffic flow and
reducing unnecessary stops and delays through these heavy traffic corridors. The estimated project cost is $460,000, of
which $320,000 of ICAAP funding will be requested.
2.
Des Moines River Trail, Phase 1: This project will be a multi-use trail that
follows the south side of the Des Moines River from the confluence of the
Raccoon and Des Moines Rivers to the Cownie Soccer Park on Des Moines’
southeast side. Total distance of the
trail is 2.5 miles and it will be 10 feet in width. The trail will be a
major component in the City’s bicycle network which is
aiming to encourage more people to commute by bicycle instead of driving. The trail will have direct connections to SE 1st,
SE 6th, SE 8th, SE 14th and SE 22nd
Streets. There will be easy access from
the residential neighborhoods on the City’s southeast side, creating a direct route
for bicyclists to the downtown area. It is expected that this trail will become a major commuter
route for bicyclists. The project will improve air quality by removing
vehicle trips from the roadway network, replacing them with bicycle
commuters. The total project cost is estimated to be $1.2 million, of which $500,000 of ICAAP
funding will be requested.
If approved, both projects would be scheduled for construction in 2011.
PREVIOUS
COUNCIL ACTION(S):
Date: May 18, 2009
Roll Call Number:
09-822
Action: Approving Professional Services
Agreements for the following:
(A) AECOM, Inc. in conjunction with the Des Moines River Regional Trail – Phase 1, not to exceed $202,000. (Council Communication No. 09-330
) Moved by Kiernan to adopt. Motion Carried 6-1. Absent: Cownie.BOARD/COMMISSION
ACTION(S): NONE
ANTICIPATED
ACTIONS AND FUTURE COMMITMENTS: