DATE: January 28, 2025
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Steven E. White, Director
Department of Public Works and Planning
SUBJECT: Retroactive Approval of Highway Safety Improvement Program Cycle 12 Applications
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Retroactively approve three grant applications submitted to the Highway Safety Improvement Program Cycle 12 ($8,175,187).
REPORT
Approval of the recommended action will retroactively authorize three funding applications submitted by the Director of the Department of Public Works and Planning (Department) to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) for Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Cycle 12 to meet the deadline of September 9, 2024. This item pertains to locations in districts 1, 3, 4, and 5.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If the recommended actions are not approved, the HSIP applications submitted to Caltrans will be withdrawn from funding consideration.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. If the grant applications are successful, the local matches for HSIP ($1,562,413) would be covered by the Department of Public Works and Planning - Road Fund 0010 and by other funding sources. Awards are anticipated in Spring of 2025.
DISCUSSION:
The HSIP dates back to 1979 and is one of the core federal-aid programs for transportation safety projects. It has been reauthorized by Congress in subsequent transportation bills, most recently the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The purpose of the HSIP program is to achieve a significant reduction in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads, including non-state-owned public roads and roads on tribal land. Local HSIP projects must be identified on the basis of crash experience, crash potential, crash rate, or other data-supported means. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) allocates funding to Caltrans, who in turn issue a state-wide competitive call for projects every two years. Since Cycle 1 was issued in 2005, the County has received over $11 million in funding for HSIP projects. In order to apply for funding in the Cycle 11 and beyond, local agencies were required to adopt a Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP), which your Board adopted on June 7, 2022.
The LRSP, a data-driven safety analysis, identified high-priority projects which were in turn selected as candidate projects to submit for Cycle 12. The scope of the projects was developed by assessing the highest-impact, lowest-cost solutions. All three project applications were submitted to the highly competitive Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR) category. The projects and their costs are summarized below:
Millerton Road and Marina Drive Roundabout - The proposed project includes constructing a roundabout at Millerton and Marina Drive/Winchell Cove Road, which will reduce vehicles speeds by forcing vehicles to slow down to travel through the roundabout and minimize the number of collisions. Roundabouts are a safer alternative to traffic signals and stop signs. The tight circle of a roundabout forces drivers to slow down, and the most severe types of intersection crashes - right-angle, left-turn and head-on collisions - are unlikely. According to the Federal Highway Administration, roundabouts provide a 37% reduction in overall collisions, a 75% reduction in injury collisions, 90% percent reduction in fatality collisions, and a 40% percent reduction in pedestrian collisions. The project is estimated to cost $3,659,500 with a calculated BCR of 22.30, or approximately $81.6 million in benefits. If the project is funded, the HSIP will provide 80.8% of the cost ($2,957,602), with $400k in Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) funding and a local match of $301,960.
Countywide Systemic Non-signalized Intersection Improvements - The proposed project will include the following safety improvements at 10 selected intersections in Fresno County:
• Add lighting, larger signage, and improve pavement markings at all 10 intersections;
• Install transverse rumble strips at all but one intersection where they already exist;
• Make adjustments to improve sight distance at all of the 10 intersections;
• Install left turn lanes at 2 of the intersections.
The project is estimated to cost $5,054,100 with a calculated BCR of 35.32, or approximately $178.5 million in benefits. If the project is funded, the HSIP will provide 85% of the cost ($4,295,985), with a local match of $758,115.
Central Avenue & Chestnut Avenue Traffic Signal Modifications - The proposed project will replace the existing electrical system with new signal and lighting system; provide protected left-turn phasing; convert the pedestal mounted signal heads to mast arm; improve the hardware, lenses, backplates, signal head size, and number of heads. This project is complimentary to, but different than, a project that was submitted to the Carbon Reduction Program (CRP) Cycle 1 in the Fall of 2023, the Central Avenue & Chestnut Avenue Left-turn Phasing and Intersection Improvements project. That project was awarded funding for Preliminary Engineering and Right-of-way ($148,815) in Cycle 1. The CRP opened Cycle 2 in the Spring of 2024, and that project was awarded an additional $1,000,000 in Construction funding, although the signal required unforeseen modifications following the award. The HSIP request for $921,600 for the Traffic Signal Modifications project is to supplement the CRP funding to make the necessary modifications to the signal and fully fund the project.
OTHER REVIEWING AGENCIES:
Caltrans is the reviewing agency for HSIP grant applications.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Location maps
On file with Clerk - HSIP Application - Millerton Road and Marina Drive Roundabout
On file with Clerk - HSIP Application - Countywide Systemic Non-signalized Intersection Improvements
On file with Clerk - HSIP Application - Central Avenue & Chestnut Avenue Traffic Signal Modifications
CAO ANALYST:
Salvador Espino