For City Council Meeting August 27, 2024
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: G. Michael Milhiser, Interim City Manager
AUTHOR: Tim Sullivan, Director of Public Works
Title
Request City Council to: 1) Authorize Staff to Submit Applications for Cycle 12 Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP); and 2) Authorize the City Manager or Their Designee to Execute all Documents.
Body
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1) Authorize staff to submit applications for Cycle 12 Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP); and
2) Authorize the City Manager or their designee to execute all documents
BACKGROUND:
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) established the new Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) discretionary program with $5 billion in appropriated funds over the next five (5) years. In fiscal year 2022 (FY22), up to $1 billion in programming funds was made available. The SS4A program funds regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries.
On September 13, 2022, the City Council authorized the submission of the grant in the amount of $320,000, with a local match of $80,000. On February 22, 2023, staff received notification from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) California Division informing the City that Rialto had successfully obtained a grant award for the development of a Safe Streets For All Action Plan.
The purpose of SS4A grants is to improve roadway safety by significantly reducing or eliminating roadway fatalities and serious injuries through safety action plan (Action Plan) development and implementation focused on all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation users, motorists, personal conveyance and micromobility users, and commercial vehicle operators. The program provides funding to develop the tools to help strengthen a community’s approach to roadway safety and save lives and is designed to meet the needs of diverse local, Tribal, and regional communities that differ dramatically in size, location, and experience administering Federal funding.
The analysis for the SS4A Action Plan is focused on evaluating all types of collisions (i.e., broadside, sideswipe, head-on, and rear-end) and factors involved (i.e., fixed objects, aggressive driving, dark and/or wet conditions, vehicle/pedestrian involvement). The SS4A Action Plan report is used to create a framework to recommend and prioritize safety improvements on a citywide level. The Action Plan identifies locations with higher-than-expected collision rates and generates a master list of effective safety countermeasures and eligible safety projects that will be submitted for future Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) grant funding consideration.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
On May 6, 2024, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announced the launch of Cycle 12 of the HSIP (Highway Safety Improvement Program). The City has, historically, successfully secured federal funding to implement various traffic signals and related improvements through this program.
As part of the development of the City’s Action Plan, one of the goals of this plan is to identify the most critical locations for proposed countermeasure improvements to submit a competitive application under the HSIP Cycle 12 program. The crucial locations include the following:
1. Alder Ave and Riverside Ave
2. Sycamore Ave and Baseline Ave
3. Riverside Ave and Foothill Ave
4. Acadia Ave and Rialto Ave
5. Cedar Ave and Merrill Ave
6. Merrill Ave from Linden Ave to Cedar Ave
7. Linden Ave and Merrill Ave
8. Sycamore Ave and San Bernardino Ave
9. Riverside Ave between San Bernardino Ave and Valley Blvd
10. Riverside Ave from Industrial Dr to Jurupa Ave
11. Riverside Ave from Agua Mansa Rd to Miguel Bustamente Pkwy
These locations are being evaluated based on eligibility criteria such as benefit/cost ratio calculations. The strategy is to combine critical locations that are likely to score higher, considering factors such as past accident histories, assessments of fatalities, overall facility geometrics, and the effectiveness of proposed countermeasures to increase the competitiveness of the applications. This could result in a city-wide improvement project through the submission of one application or multiple projects addressing different locations, requiring the submission of more than one application. Benefit/cost ratio calculations are essential for the project to achieve a higher score and better chances of qualifying for funding.
In addition to the eleven locations identified through the Action Plan, staff is also assessing whether the Locust Avenue Widening project is competitive under this program. If deemed competitive, the Locust Avenue Widening project will have a separate application due to its larger scope.
Staff anticipates that the applications will include traffic upgrades such as renewing intersection striping, installing additional traffic signal equipment, or completely overhauling traffic control measures at the intersection. The application deadline for HSIP Cycle 12 is Monday, September 9, 2024. Staff is requesting the City Council’s approval to submit applications to the HSIP program to meet this deadline while the applications are being finalized.
If the City is successful, Staff will present the projects with the detailed proposed improvements to the City Council for acceptance. Additionally, the grant requires a local match of 10%. Staff proposes the use of either Gas Tax or Measure I for these funds without impacting the general fund.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:
Staff will initiate the process with Caltrans, as the lead agency pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), to make an environmental determination that this project does not individually or cumulatively have a significant impact on the environment as defined by NEPA and is excluded from the requirements to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), and that it qualifies for a Categorical Exclusion in accordance with 23 CFR 771.117(c) pursuant to activity(c)(4).
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY:
This action is consistent with Guiding Principle 3A in the General Plan:
Our City government will lead by example, and will operate in an open, transparent, and responsive manner that meets the needs of the citizens and is a good place to do business.
Approval of this action also complies with the following City of Rialto General Plan Goals and Policies:
Goal 3-6: Require that all developed areas within Rialto are adequately served with essential public services and infrastructure.
Policy 3-6.1: Coordinate all development proposals with other affected public entities to ensure the provision of adequate public facilities and infrastructure services.
Goal 3-7: Upgrade public infrastructure as an inducement to promote private investment.
Policy 3-7.1: Link redevelopment tools with the processes of community facilities district formation and other similar funds to improve roadway and utility systems in areas with the greatest need for upgrades.
Goal 4-1: Provide transportation improvements to reduce traffic congestion associated with regional and local trip increases.
Policy 4-1.1: Establish and maintain standards for a variety of street classifications to serve both local and regional traffic, including Major Arterial Highways, Major Arterials, Secondary Arterials, Collector Streets, and Local Streets.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed the staff report.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Operating Budget Impact
The proposed action will not affect the City’s Operating Budget.
Capital Improvement Budget Impact
The maximum federal HSIP reimbursement amount for a single HSIP project is $10 million. The minimum federal HSIP reimbursement amount for any single HSIP project is $100,000. Generally, the maximum federal reimbursement ratio for an HSIP project is 90%. This ratio can be 100% if all countermeasures of the project are eligible for 100% federal reimbursement per the Local Roadway Safety Manual.
The actual project reimbursement ratio will be established during project implementation when the “Authorization to Proceed” is approved by the FHWA for federally funded HSIP projects or when the funding allocation is approved by Caltrans DLA for state-funded projects. If the City is successful, staff recommends the use of Measure I funds as the Local Match of 10%; staff will return to the Council for authorization to accept the grant, approval of appropriations, and to include the selected project(s) in the Measure I CIP 5-Year Expenditure Strategy in the corresponding year.