DATE: September 25, 2018
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Steven E. White, Director
Department of Public Works and Planning
SUBJECT: BUILD Federal Grant Application, Authority to Apply for Funding for the Millerton Road Widening Project
RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:
TITLE
Retroactively authorize the Department of Public Works and Planning’s previous submittal of a grant application in the amount of $24,054,000 to the United States Department of Transportation for the FY 2018 Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development Transportation Discretionary Grants Program to fund improvements to Millerton Road from North Fork Road, just north of the community of Friant, to the Millerton Lake State Recreation Area entrance.
REPORT
On July 19, 2018, the Director of the Department of Public Works and Planning submitted a competitive grant application for United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) discretionary grant funds through the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant program, contingent on your Board’s approval. The grant would fund part the Millerton Road Widening Project, which would widen and improve approximately 1.7 miles of Millerton Road from North Fork Road, just north of the community of Friant, to the entrance to the Millerton Lake State Recreation Area. This item pertains to a location in District 5.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION:
If the recommended action is not approved, the Department would withdraw from the grant application process.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase to Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. If the grant application were successful, no local match would be required for the $24,054,000 in Federal funding. Through an agreement the Board approved in 2008, Table Mountain Rancheria (TMR) agreed to pay up to $3.85 million for consultants to perform preliminary design and environmental studies through California Environmental Quality Act in exchange for future development traffic mitigation credits. A small amount of Regional Surface Transportation Program funds ($46,868) are being applied toward the National Environmental Policy Act process. The BUILD grant would fund the right-of-way acquisition, utility relocation, environmental mitigation, additional preliminary engineering, and construction costs for Phase 1 of the project. If Phase 1 were successfully funded, the Department would continue to seek funding for Phase 2. If a grant award is awarded, the Department will return to your Board to accept the grant funds and with any necessary resolutions. Awards are anticipated in December 2018.
DISCUSSION:
The Millerton Road Widening project is a programmed Regional Surface Transportation Program project, adopted by the Fresno Council of Governments, and has been included in several long-term plans. The original project limits were North Fork Road and Auberry Road, a distance of approximately six miles, but the extent was shortened to Table Mountain Road due to environmental concerns. The project will now be completed in two phases. Phase 1 will reconstruct approximately 1.7 miles of Millerton Road from a two-lane rural roadway to a four-lane divided arterial from North Fork Road to the Millerton Lake State Recreation Area Entrance. A new two-lane bridge would be constructed over the Friant-Kern Canal to accommodate westbound traffic, and the existing two-lane bridge will be utilized for eastbound traffic. Phase 2 will finish the project from the State Park entrance to Table Mountain Road just east of TMR, a distance of approximately three miles. The four-lane roadway would accommodate existing and projected traffic demands, as well as improve safety.
The BUILD grant, previously known as the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program, provides for investments in surface transportation infrastructure awarded on a competitive basis for projects that will have a significant local or regional impact. BUILD funding can support roads, bridges, transit, rail, ports, or intermodal transportation projects. Projects are evaluated based on merit criteria that include safety, economic competitiveness, quality of life, environmental protection, state of good repair, innovation, partnership, and additional non-Federal revenue for future transportation infrastructure investments.
Federal grant application processes are highly competitive and successful applications are not guaranteed. The Department has not been successful in obtaining the TIGER grant in past application cycles or the Federal Lands Access Program Grant, but continues to pursue grant funding for this project. Department staff obtained feedback from the TIGER grant review staff, and have strengthened areas identified in the previous application that needed improvement. In addition, the funding criteria for the BUILD grant are more favorable toward rural projects than the TIGER grant.
The opportunity to apply for Federal grant funding through the BUILD program expired on July 19, 2018. Due to this submission deadline, the Department is requesting the Board retroactively approve submission of the application for the BUILD grant to assist in funding for Phase 1 of the project.
TMR is a supporter of the project along with the Fresno Cycling Club and members of the community who have provided letters expressing their support.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Location Map
On file with Clerk - Application
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #50, November 14, 2017
BAI #37, May 2, 2017
BAI #54, September 13, 2016
BAI #46, June 2, 2015
BAI #12, May 20, 2014
BAI #12, May 20, 2008
CAO ANALYST:
Sonia M. De La Rosa