DEPARTMENT: Transportation and Capital Improvements (TCI)
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Mike Frisbie
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUBJECT:
Briefing on transportation grant submittals for federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) and state Highway Safety Improvements Program (HSIP) funds.
SUMMARY:
A briefing on two transportation grant submittals. Projects selected to receive these awards are to be announced in late Fall 2015.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
TIGER is a federal grant that funds major infrastructure projects which provide economic benefit to communities. TIGER funding is nationally competitive with approximately $500 million in funds available this year. TCI currently is requesting TIGER funding for two projects: Presa Ramps and the Broadway Corridor. The total TIGER funding request for these two projects is $30 million.
HSIP is a federally funded grant program through TxDOT for transportation safety improvements in areas that have TxDOT crash data which involved a fatality in the last three years (TxDOT projects also qualify for submittal). HSIP funding is competitive statewide with approximately $150 million in funds available this year. HSIP funds are being requested in the amount of approximately $2 million to fund and install 13 school flashers and four traffic signals to improve pedestrian safety.
ISSUE:
The City of San Antonio is preparing two submittals for TIGER and one submittal for HSIP that includes 17 improvements.
Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER)
Presa Street Ramps
The first TIGER submittal is for "I-90 Presa Street Ramps: Connecting Commerce to Neighborhoods". This project is for an exit ramp from Highway 90 east to the Presa Street commercial corridor. Presa Street, which runs parallel to the San Antonio River, was historically a major corridor to downtown from the southeast. When Highway 90 was built in the 1960s, it created a clover leaf over the neighborhood. This project will revitalize the community and the region by providing access from the freeway system to homes in surrounding neighborhoods, businesses on the corridor, and the historic Spanish Missions along the River. Total cost for the project is proposed for $15 million ($10 federal, $5 local).
Broadway Corridor
The second TIGER project is the "Broadway Corridor: Urban Arterial Complete Street" from the City limits of Alamo Heights to Roy Smith Street. This project proposes to redesign the Broadway Corridor into a Complete Street to support the cultural, recreational, commercial, and urban housing opportunities along the corridor and in the region. The Broadway Corridor is a seven-lane arterial street that is experiencing revitalization through urban mid-rise and mixed-use development. The Corridor, which runs parallel to the San Antonio River, begins downtown and extends north toward several neighborhoods, parks, and museums. The street cross-section currently contains six travel lanes (three in each direction) and a striped median. The redesign will include infrastructure for multiple modes of transportation appropriate for an urban context. Total cost for the project is proposed for $15 million ($10 federal, $5 local).
The Highway Safety Improvements Program (HSIP)
School Zone Flashing Beacons
Application is for 13 HSIP projects that address school zones which include installation of four roadside mounted flashing beacons and nine overhead flashing beacons. All projects also include improvements to sidewalks, crosswalks, and curbs in each of the school zones identified. The total estimated cost for each of the roadside mounted flashing beacon projects is $41,899 and for each of the overhead mounted flashing beacon projects is $85,088. The estimated total cost of all of 13 projects is $933,392.
School zones were selected based on TxDOT selection criteria for safety improvements. Only school zones that had a crash within the last three years that resulted in an injury or fatality qualify for the HSIP. School districts within these applications for consideration include: Edgewood ISD, SAISD, SWISD, NISD, and NEISD. City council districts include: 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, and 10. Schools include: Crockett Elementary School, Highland Park Elementary School, Hobby Middle School, Indian Creek Elementary School, Jackson Keller Elementary School, Lee High School, Long's Creek Elementary School, Madison High School, Stafford Elementary School, Stahl Elementary School, and Wilson Elementary School.
Traffic Signals
Application is also for four projects to signalize traffic intersections. The program's goal is to, "eliminate or reduce the number and severity of traffic crashes." Crash data from the years 2012 - 2014 was gathered for each intersection: Ingram Rd & Richland Hills Dr (D6), Ingram Rd & Vista West Dr (D6), Silicon Dr & Farinon Dr (D8), and Stone Oak Pkwy & Arrow Hill (D9). In order for the improvement to qualify for funding, at least one crash with an injury must have occurred at each intersection in the past three years.
Each intersection was given a Safety Improvement Index (SII) to determine the cost benefit analysis. A number of factors determined the scoring: number of injuries, type of injuries, reduction factor, service life, total ROW & construction cost, annual maintenance cost, present ADT, and future ADT. The highest scoring intersection was Ingram Rd & Richland Hills with a 4.49. The remaining three intersections all scored a .19. Applications required a cost estimate per bid item. Each intersection was estimated at $257,021 and a grand total of $1,028,084 for all projects. Traffic signal warrants were also included in each application. Projects will be selected in December.
ALTERNATIVES: The projects selected were chosen because they met the program criteria and for which matching funds have been identified.
FISCAL IMPACT: TIGER requires a 20% local match for which funds have already been identified ($10M) through existing projects. HSIP requires a 10% local match ($200,000) which will be leveraged from the FY 2016 Infrastructure Maintenance Program.
RECOMMENDATION: This is a staff briefing for informational purposes only.