SUBJECT:
title
Approval of a resolution authorizing the President & CEO, or his designee, to finalize and execute an Advance Funding Agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation for up to $4,697,745 in Federal financial assistance for preliminary engineering, final design, and environmental clearance of the Capital Metro North Lamar Boulevard / Airport Boulevard - MetroRail Grade Separation project.
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FISCAL IMPACT:
Funding for this item is available in the FY2022 Capital Contingency.
STRATEGIC PLAN:
Strategic Goal Alignment:
☒ 1. Internal/External Customer Service Excellence ☐ 2. Stakeholder Engagement
☐ 3. Financial and Environmental Sustainability ☐ 4. Staff Development ☐ 5. Agency Growth Management
Strategic Objectives:
☐ 1.1 Safety & Risk ☒1.2 Continuous improvement ☐ 1.3 Dynamic Change
☒1.4 Culture of Innovation ☐2.1 Be an Employer of Choice ☐2.2 Organization Development
☐2.3 Organization Culture ☐3.1 Resource optimization ☐3.2 Safety Culture
☐3.3 Environmental Leadership ☐4.1 Educate & Call to Action ☐4.2 Build Partnerships
☐4.3 Value of Transit ☐4.4 Project Connect
EXPLANATION OF STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT: Grade separating the MetroRail Red Line and North Lamar Boulevard would contribute to a high quality customer experience by making public transit services safer by reducing traffic conflicts and more reliable by eliminating restriction of vehicle movement through the intersection.
BUSINESS CASE: Identified as a Project Connect priority enhancement, this project increases efficiency of the existing transportation system by grade separating MetroRail Red Line and North Lamar Boulevard to avoid congestion that occurs when passing trains restrict vehicle movement through the intersection, which also affects 12 MetroRapid and 14 MetroBus buses during peak hours.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION: This item will be presented to the full board on November 22, 2021.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: At the June 8 2020, CAMPO Transportation Policy Board (TPB) meeting, funding for a number of projects was deferred in support of funding for the central portion of the IH-35 Capital Express Project. Among the deferred projects was Capital Metro’s grade separation project, N Lamar Blvd./Airport Blvd. - MetroRail Grade Separation. Since the June 2020 meeting, $15 million in new Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) Funding was made available.
On November 8, 2021, the CAMPO TPB unanimously approved an award for up to $4,697,745 in Federal-Aid Highway Program funds for the project. Although the source of the Federal funds is the Surface Transportation Block Grant program, they are administered by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). Capital Metro must execute a grant agreement (Advance Funding Agreement or AFA) with TxDOT for the award. Capital Metro must comply with all requirements imposed by TxDOT to ensure that the Federal award is used in accordance with Federal statutes, regulations and the terms and conditions of the Federal award as well as any additional requirements that TxDOT imposes in order for it to meet its own responsibility to the Federal Highway Administration, which is the Federal awarding agency. Capital Metro will be utilizing an existing engineering contract (AECOM) in order to perform the work as this site is part of the overall Orange Line corridor they are currently performing preliminary engineering and environmental work on.
DBE/SBE PARTICIPATION: Does not apply.
PROCUREMENT: Does not apply.
RESPONSIBLE DEPARTMENT: Planning
body
RESOLUTION
OF THE
CAPITAL METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
STATE OF TEXAS
COUNTY OF TRAVIS
AI-2021-262
WHEREAS, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization adopted Resolution 2021-11-7 approving newly available Surface Transportation Block Grant Funding to refund previously deferred projects; and
WHEREAS, the Capital Metro N Lamar Blvd./Airport Blvd. - MetroRail Grade Separation project was selected for the award of a grant for Federal financial assistance for up to $4,697,745 under the Federal-Aid Highway Program - Surface Transportation Block Grant program; and
WHEREAS, the grant for Federal financial assistance will impose certain obligations upon Capital Metro, and will require Capital Metro to provide the local share of the project cost; and
WHEREAS, the grant will be administered by the Texas Department of Transportation who may impose additional requirements to meet its own responsibility to the Federal awarding agency.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors that the President & CEO, or his designee, is authorized to finalize and execute an Advance Funding Agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation for up to $4,697,745 in Federal financial assistance for preliminary engineering, final design, and environmental clearance of the Capital Metro North Lamar Boulevard / Airport Boulevard - MetroRail Grade Separation project.
____________________ Date: ____________________
Secretary of the Board
Eric Stratton