TO: Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Steve Powers, City Manager
FROM: Peter Fernandez, PE, Public Works Director
SUBJECT:
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Application for project funding under the Oregon Department of Transportation Safe Routes to School Infrastructure Program.
Ward(s): 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Councilor(s): Andersen, Nanke, Leung, Ausec, Hoy
Neighborhood(s): Highland, NOLA, ELNA, SEMCA, Morningside, South Gateway
Result Area(s): Safe, Reliable and Efficient Infrastructure
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ISSUE:
Shall Council authorize the City Manager to apply for funding to design and construct the following five projects through the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Infrastructure Program and, if successful, incorporate these projects into a future Capital Improvement Plan and authorize the City Manager to enter into an agreement with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to accept the funds?
• Barnes Avenue SE Sidewalk Infill (Pringle Elementary School)
• Broadway Street NE at Locust Avenue NE Pedestrian Crossing (Highland Elementary School)
• Macleay and Caplinger Roads SE Pedestrian Improvements (Mary Eyre and Miller Elementary Schools)
• Pringle Road SE at Hillendale Drive SE Pedestrian Improvements (Morningside Elementary School)
• Sunnyview Road NE at Hollywood Drive NE Pedestrian Crossing (Swegle Elementary School)
RECOMMENDATION:
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Authorize the City Manager to apply for funding to design and construct the following five projects through the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Infrastructure Program and, if successful, incorporate these projects into a future Capital Improvement Plan and authorize the City Manager to enter into an agreement with the ODOT to accept the funds?
• Barnes Avenue SE Sidewalk Infill (Pringle Elementary School)
• Broadway Street NE at Locust Avenue NE Pedestrian Crossing (Highland Elementary School)
• Macleay and Caplinger Roads SE Pedestrian Improvements (Mary Eyre and Miller Elementary Schools)
• Pringle Road SE at Hillendale Drive SE Pedestrian Improvements (Morningside Elementary School)
• Sunnyview Road NE at Hollywood Drive NE Pedestrian Crossing (Swegle Elementary School)
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SUMMARY:
ODOT is offering funding through the SRTS Infrastructure Program, which is designed to support improvements to pedestrian infrastructure within one mile of a public school. City Staff have identified five suitable projects for this round of grant funding.
FACTS AND FINDINGS:
Based on grant award criteria provided by ODOT, City staff have identified five projects that should be competitive in the next round of screening by ODOT. Locations are shown on Attachment 1. The grant requires the City to provide 20 percent matching funds.
• Barnes Avenue SE: Construct sidewalk to fill gaps on the south side of Barnes Avenue SE between Andresen Street SE and Nightcap Street SE. Estimated project cost is $860,000; City would be requesting $688,000 and providing $172,000 in matching funds. Serves Pringle Elementary School.
• Broadway Street NE @ Locust Avenue NE: Install median island in the north leg of the intersection to accommodate an improved pedestrian crosswalk and ADA ramps. Estimated project cost is $141,000; City would be requesting $112,800 and providing $28,200 in matching funds. Serves Highland Elementary School.
• Macleay Road SE @ Caplinger Road SE: Install sidewalk on south side of Caplinger Road SE and west side of Macleay Road SE. Install median island with crosswalk on Macleay Road SE at Caplinger Road SE. Estimated project cost is $2.3 million; City would be requesting $1,840,000 and providing $460,000 in matching funds. Serves Mary Eyre Elementary School.
• Pringle Road SE @ Hillendale Drive SE: Install pedestrian crossing with median island, ADA ramps, and street lighting on north side of Pringle Road SE at Hillendale Drive SE intersection. Construct sidewalk on Pringle Road SE from Morningside Court SE to Salishan Street SE. Estimated project cost is $485,000; City would be requesting $388,000 and providing $97,000 in matching funds. Serves Morningside Elementary School.
• Sunnyview Road NE @ Hollywood Drive NE: Install median island in the east leg of the intersection to accommodate an improved pedestrian crosswalk, ADA ramps, and street lighting. Estimated project cost is $155,000; City would be requesting $124,000 and providing $31,000 in matching funds. Serves Swegle Elementary School.
BACKGROUND:
The Transportation Funding Package approved by the Oregon Legislature in 2017 included dedicated funding for a SRTS Competitive Construction Program. This Program is intended to help communities build safety projects to reduce barriers and hazards for children walking or bicycling to school. Attachment 2 is the Safe Routes to School Construction Program Guidelines (2021-2022).
The SRTS Competitive Construction Program is funded statewide at $26.25 million for the 2021-2022 funding cycle. The minimum grant award amount for each city is $60,000, and the maximum is $2,000,000.
The solicitation for the initial round of this program was released April 1, 2020. Letters of Intent to apply were submitted by June 15, 2020, and final applications are due August 31, 2020.
Projects for the initial round of grant funding must be located on public right-of-way within one mile of a public school. Additionally, projects must be included in or consistent with an adopted plan. Projects will be scored by ODOT according to a series of criteria, which are outlined in the Project Selection Criteria for Safe Routes to School 2021-2022 Competitive Construction Grants (Attachment 3).
The projects for which the City will be applying require a 20 percent cash match. The City’s share of the State Gas Tax would be the recommended source of the required cash match. If successful, matching funds would be included in a future Capital Improvement Program and budget.
City staff reviewed infrastructure needs to determine candidate projects. This review drew from the following sources:
• Input from the School District;
• Feedback received through the City’s Safer Pedestrian Crossings Program
• Information obtained through participation on School Site Safety Assessments;
• Salem Transportation System Plan; and
• Neighborhood Plans.
Candidate projects were screened against the grant award criteria. High priorities for this cycle of funding include: proximity to Title 1 schools (with higher priority given to schools with higher percent free/reduced lunch participants); safety risk factors; elementary and middle schools; and project readiness.
Robert D. Chandler, PhD, PE
Assistant Public Works Director
Attachments:
1. SRTS 2021-2022 Project Applications Vicinity Map
2. Safe Routes to School Construction Program Guidelines 2021-2022
3. Project Selection Criteria for Safe Routes to School 2021-2022 Competitive Construction Grants