DATE: August 19, 2025
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Steven E. White, Director
Department of Public Works and Planning
SUBJECT: FY 2025-26 Transportation Grant Projects for Fresno Council of Governments Regional Competitive Bid
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Retroactively approve and authorize Director of Public Works and Planning’s previous submittal of funding applications to the Fresno Council of Governments for FY 2025-26 Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality and Surface Transportation Block Grant ($13,698,181); and
2. Adopt Resolution supporting and implementing timely use of funding, related to project delivery schedules for Federal transportation selection, in accordance with Assembly Bill 1012.
REPORT
Approval of the first recommended action will retroactively approve and authorize the submittal of funding applications by the Director of the Department of Public Works and Planning (Department) to the Fresno Council of Governments (FCOG) for FY 2025-26 Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) and Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) projects. These funding applications were submitted on March 3, 2025 and March 21, 2025, respectively, to meet the deadlines of March 21, 2025 (CMAQ) and March 3, 2025 (STBG). Approval of the second recommended action will adopt a resolution supporting and implementing the timely use of Federal funds as required by FCOG, per Assembly Bill 1012 (AB 1012) (Chapter 783 of the Statutes of 1999). This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
There is no alternative action from the first recommended action. The CMAQ and STBG applications were submitted to FCOG to meet the application deadlines on March 3, 2025 and March 25, 2025, respectively. If the second recommended action is not approved, the County will not be able to accept any fund from the CMAQ/STBG grants, if awarded.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The CMAQ and STBG programs will provide 88.53% reimbursement of project costs, with the exception of one CMAQ application, for which the CMAQ program would provide 68% reimbursement. The local match amounts would be paid out of the County’s SB-1 or Measure C allocations. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Department’s Roads Org 4510 FY 2025-26 Recommended Budget.
DISCUSSION:
The CMAQ program funds projects which improve air quality by reducing ozone precursor emissions, including nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter emissions or particulate matter precursor emissions. The STBG program provides flexible funding that localities may use for projects to preserve and improve conditions and performance on any Federal-aid highway, bridge and tunnel projects on any public road, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, and transit capital projects. Applications are submitted to compete for funding against other projects submitted for programming within the region. The region consists of the County and the 15 incorporated cities within the County.
Acting in its role as a Metropolitan Planning Organization, FCOG programs and monitors delivery of the Federal transportation projects for the region. As a requirement for acceptance of an agency’s project submittal for certain Federal and/or State programs, FCOG requires that the governing board of each submitting agency approve a resolution, in accordance with AB 1012 legislation, committing to meet project delivery deadlines to highlight the importance of allocating enough resources to each project so its goals are achievable.
FCOG issued their Regional Competitive 2025-26 Call-for-Projects on December 10, 2024. STBG project submittals were due March 3, 2025, and CMAQ project submittals were due March 21, 2025. The Department submitted applications for the following projects:
STBG Application:
• Olive Avenue and McKinley Avenue Overlays - The proposed project consists of a 0.2’ asphalt concrete overlay on 6.75 miles of McKinley Avenue from Dower Avenue to Marks Avenue, and 3.25 miles of Olive Avenue from Hayes Avenue to Hughes Avenue. Both are two-lane roadways with dirt shoulders and 12-foot wide travel lanes (24 feet total). The expected benefits of the project are to preserve the existing roadways and reduce crashes by creating a smoother and safer road surface, prolong their useful life, improve the driving conditions of the roadways, and reduce airborne particulate matter and dust in the air caused by passing traffic. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $5,775,000 with a requested STBG funding amount of $5,112,607 (88.53%).
CMAQ Applications:
• Sunnyside Sidewalks Phase I - The proposed project would construct sidewalks and drainage facilities where necessary on the south side of Kings Canyon Road from Lind Avenue to Clovis Avenue and on the west side of Clovis Avenue from Kings Canyon Road to the railroad tracks between Columbia Drive and California Avenue, install ADA-compliant curb ramps at intersections, and install class II bikeways on Kings Canyon Road between DeWitt Avenue and Clovis Avenue. The expected benefits of the project are safer paths of travel for pedestrians and cyclists and will encourage more residents to walk or cycle in the area, whether to get to school, local businesses, the library, or for recreation. It will connect pedestrian access to the Fancher Creek Trail that passes through the neighborhood, and to existing sidewalks maintained by the City of Fresno. Residents in the area will be more likely to opt for walking or cycling instead of making short drives. It will align with plans by the City of Fresno to improve walkability in the Kings Canyon Corridor and accommodate the many new multifamily housing developments in the area. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $2,493,360 with a requested CMAQ funding amount of $2,207,372 (88.53%).
• Chestnut Avenue and North Avenue Intersection Improvements - The proposed project would add signalized left turn lanes to the east and west bound lanes of North Avenue, add a right turn lane to the westbound lane on North Avenue and add a right turn lane to the northbound traffic on Chestnut Avenue, and change the light phasing to accommodate the new left-turn lanes. The expected benefits of the project are to reduce congestion and carbon emissions by installing protected left turn phasing at the intersection. This measure will prevent left-turning vehicles in the existing unprotected left-turn lane from having to wait for a gap in oncoming traffic, which can lead to congestion and increased emissions. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $4,290,992 with a requested CMAQ funding amount of $2,917,874 (68%). To make this project more competitive in terms of cost effectiveness, the County's contribution is increased to 34% of the project cost which will be paid by Road fund and other applicable funding sources.
• Palm Avenue Sidewalks from Ashlan to Gettysburg - The proposed project would construct sidewalks with curb and gutter on the west side of Palm Avenue between Gettysburg Avenue and Ashlan Avenue including ADA curb ramps, and also on Holland Avenue and Swift Avenue west of Palm Avenue to close sidewalk gaps. The expected benefits of the project are improved access and safety for students and parents of the nearby elementary and middle schools by filling gaps and repairing sidewalks in poor conditions. The project improvements will help protect children from physical injuries and vehicle hazards and give them a safer path to school and other destinations. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $1,801,222 with a requested CMAQ funding amount of $1,594,621 (88.53%).
The STBG and CMAQ scoring committees convened in June 2025, and at the time of this writing, the FCOG Policy Board was expected to award funding to the Olive Avenue and McKinley Avenue Overlays ($5,112,607), Sunnyside Sidewalks Phase I ($2,207,372), and Chestnut Avenue and North Avenue Intersection Improvements ($2,917,874) projects at their July 31, 2025 meeting. The Palm Avenue Sidewalks from Ashlan to Gettysburg project was not expected to be awarded funding by the CMAQ scoring committee, so the Department will seek other sources of funding for the project in the future.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #75, November 28, 2023
BAI #39, November 2, 2021
BAI #49, March 10, 2020
BAI #41, November 5, 2019
BAI #45, March 1, 2016
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Location Maps
On file with Clerk - Resolution
On file with Clerk - STBG Application - Olive Ave and McKinley Ave Overlays
On file with Clerk - CMAQ Application - Sunnyside Sidewalks Phase I
On file with Clerk - CMAQ Application - Chestnut Ave and North Ave Intersection Improvements
On file with Clerk - CMAQ Application - Palm Ave Sidewalks from Ashlan to Gettysburg
CAO ANALYST:
Maria Valencia