TO: Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Kristin Retherford, Interim City Manager
FROM: Peter Fernandez, PE, Public Works Director
SUBJECT:
title
Application for project funding under the Oregon Department of Transportation Safe Routes to School Infrastructure Program.
Ward(s): 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Councilor(s): Stapleton, Phillips, Leung, Gonzalez, Hoy, Nordyke
Neighborhood(s): Grant, NEN, Northgate, Lansing, ELNA, Morningside, Sunnyslope, South Gateway
Result Area(s): Safe Community; Safe, Reliable and Efficient Infrastructure
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SUMMARY:
summary
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is offering funding through the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Infrastructure Program, which is designed to support improvements to pedestrian infrastructure within one mile of a public school. City Staff have identified seven suitable projects for this round of grant funding.
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ISSUE:
Shall Council authorize the City Manager to apply for funding to design and construct the following seven projects, listed in priority order, through the 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 ODOT to accept the funds?
• Market Street NE at 15th Street NE Pedestrian Crossing (Englewood Elementary School)
• Market Street NE at Aguilas Court NE Pedestrian Crossing (Swegle Elementary School)
• Silverton Road NE at Sedona Avenue NE Pedestrian Crossing (Washington Elementary School and Waldo Middle School)
• State Street Sidewalk Infill - Oakmont Court SE to 49th Avenue SE, south side (Mary Eyre Elementary School)
• Liberty Road S Pedestrian Path - Davis Road S to Summit View Avenue SE, east side (Crossler Middle School)
• Pringle Road SE at Hillendale Drive SE Pedestrian Crossing and Sidewalk Infill (Morningside Elementary School)
• Winter Street NE at Gaines Street NE Raised Pedestrian Crossing (Grant Community School)
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Authorize the City Manager to apply for funding to design and construct the following seven projects, listed in priority order, through the 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 ODOT to accept the funds?
• Market Street NE at 15th Street NE Pedestrian Crossing (Englewood Elementary School)
• Market Street NE at Aguilas Court NE Pedestrian Crossing (Swegle Elementary School)
• Silverton Road NE at Sedona Avenue NE Pedestrian Crossing (Washington Elementary School and Waldo Middle School)
• State Street Sidewalk Infill, Oakmont Court SE to 49th Avenue SE, south side (Mary Eyre Elementary School)
• Liberty Road S Pedestrian Path, Davis Road S to Summit View Avenue SE, east side (Crossler Middle School)
• Pringle Road SE at Hillendale Drive SE Pedestrian Crossing and Sidewalk Infill (Morningside Elementary School)
• Winter Street NE at Gaines Street NE Raised Pedestrian Crossing (Grant Community School)
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FACTS AND FINDINGS:
The SRTS Competitive Construction Program is funded statewide at $26.25 million for the 2023-2024 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 February 1, 2022. Letters of Intent to apply were submitted by March 18, 2022, and final applications are due July 21, 2022.
Projects 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 Safe Routes to School Construction Program Guidelines (2023-2024) (Attachment 1).
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 in School Site Safety Assessments;
• Salem Transportation System Plan; and
• Neighborhood Plans.
Based on grant award criteria provided by ODOT, City staff identified seven projects that should be competitive. Locations are shown on Attachment 2. High priorities for this cycle of funding include: proximity to Title 1 schools (prioritized by measuring the rate of low income in addition to Ever English Learners, race demographics, students with disabilities, and chronic absenteeism); safety risk factors; elementary and middle schools; and project readiness. ODOT requires that the seven projects be ranked by the City in priority order. Staff scored each project according to ODOT’s metrics. In order to maximize the number of potential projects that could be funded within the grant guidelines, Staff prioritized the projects in the order listed below.
• Market Street NE at 15th Street NE: Install Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB) on east leg of Market Street NE at 15th Street NE intersection, restripe existing crosswalk, install ADA ramps, and signage. Estimated project cost is $464,000; City would be requesting $371,000 and providing $93,000 in matching funds. Serves Englewood Elementary School.
• Market Street NE at Aguilas Court NE: Install marked crosswalk, pedestrian refuge island, street lighting, signage, and ADA ramps on the east leg of the Market Street NE at Aguilas Court NE intersection. Estimated project cost is $325,000; City would be requesting $260,000 and providing $65,000 in matching funds. Serves Swegle Elementary School.
• Silverton Road NE at Sedona Avenue NE: Install pedestrian crossing with RRFB, ADA ramps, signage, and street lighting on the west side of Silverton Road NE at Sedona Avenue NE intersection. Estimated project cost is $487,000; City would be requesting $390,000 and providing $97,000 in matching funds. Serves Washington Elementary School and Waldo Middle School.
• State Street Sidewalk Infill: Install new sidewalk on the south side of State Street between Oakmont Court SE and 49th Avenue SE. This project will connect to the new traffic signal anticipated to be installed at the intersection of Oakmont Court SE and State Street as a condition of development. Estimated cost is $418,000; City would be requesting $334,000 and providing $84,000 in matching funds. Serves Mary Eyre Elementary School.
• Liberty Road S Pedestrian Path: Install approximately 300 feet of dedicated pedestrian path and retaining wall on the east side of Liberty Road S from Summit View Avenue SE north to Davis Road S. This project will connect to the new traffic signal anticipated to be installed at the intersection of Liberty Road S and Davis Road S as a condition of development. Estimated project cost is $1,009,000; City would be requesting $807,000 and providing $202,000 in matching funds. Serves Crossler Middle School.
• Pringle Road SE at Hillendale Drive SE Pedestrian Crosswalk and Sidewalk Infill: Install a pedestrian crossing with a median island, ADA ramps, and street lighting at the intersection of Pringle Road SE and Hillendale Drive SE. Construct sidewalk on the east side of Pringle Road SE from Morningside Court SE to Salishan Street SE. Estimated project cost is $1,832,000; City would be requesting $1,466,000 and providing $366,000 in matching funds. Serves Morningside Elementary School.
• Winter Street NE at Gaines Street NE: Install a raised pedestrian crossing on the south leg of Winter Street NE at Gaines Street NE intersection, a high visibility crosswalk on east leg of the intersection, ADA ramps, signage, and new stormwater facilities. This project was identified by the Winter-Maple Greenway Plan. Estimated project cost is $302,000; City would be requesting $242,000 and providing $60,000 in matching funds. Serves Grant Community School.
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.
Staff attended meetings of the following neighborhood associations and Community Partnership Teams as part of the public outreach effort for this grant:
• CaPES Community Partnership Team
• East Lancaster Neighborhood Association
• Morningside Neighborhood Association
• North Neighborhoods Community Partnership Team
• Northeast Neighbors Neighborhood Association
• Northgate Neighborhood Association
• South Gateway Neighborhood Association
• South Salem Connect Community Partnership Team
• Sunnyslope Neighborhood Association
Staff received no concerns related to the proposed projects; letters of support are being provided by each group.
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.
Robert D. Chandler, PhD, PE
Assistant Public Works Director
Attachments:
1. Safe Routes to School Construction Program Guidelines 2023-2024
2. SRTS 2023-2024 Project Applications Vicinity Map