Agenda Item # 11
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Date: |
February 21, 2006 |
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Committee Meeting Date: |
March 9, 2006 |
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Board Meeting Date: |
April 6, 2006 |
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ACTION
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DISCUSSION
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| INFO
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BOARD MEMORANDUM
| TO: |
Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee |
| | Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority |
| | Board of Directors |
| | | | THROUGH: | Michael T. Burns |
| | General Manager |
| | | | FROM: | Carolyn M. Gonot |
| | Chief Development Officer |
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| SUBJECT: |
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Funding for Almaden Expressway Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements |
RECOMMENDATION:
Review and recommend that the VTA Board of Directors approve the programming of $1.39 million in Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality funds for bicycle and pedestrian improvements along Almaden Expressway.
BACKGROUND:
The Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA) is generated by a $4.00 surcharge on vehicle registrations. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) administers these funds in the nine-county Bay Area. Funds are available for allocation to alternative fuels, arterial management, bicycle, and trip-reduction projects that reduce vehicle emissions.
BAAQMD returns forty percent of these funds to the county in which they are collected for allocation by a "program manager." This fund is called the TFCA Program Manager Fund (TFCA 40%) Fund. VTA is the program manager for Santa Clara County, and project sponsors apply directly to VTA for funding. The VTA Board of Directors allocates these funds on a competitive basis to projects in Santa Clara County, subject to approval by BAAQMD.
At its August 3, 2000 meeting, the VTA Board of Directors designated half of the annual TFCA 40% allocation to Tier 1 Bicycle Projects in the Countywide Bicycle Plan for a ten-year period.
On December 9, 2004, the VTA Board merged the Tier 1 and Tier 2 projects into a single Bicycle Expenditure Program (BEP) list and extended the TFCA 40% commitment until 2030.
At its May 5, 2005 meeting, the VTA Board of Directors approved a $3.3 million fund exchange with MTC. VTA would provide $3.3 million in TFCA 40% funds from the FY 2006, 2007 and 2008 programming cycles to MTC’s Vehicle Buy-Back Program in exchange for
$3.3 million in federal CMAQ funds that the VTA Board would then program to projects in the Bicycle Expenditure Program.
DISCUSSION:
As a result of the TFCA 40% exchange, the VTA Board has $3.3 million in CMAQ funds to program to BEP projects. Not all BEP projects qualify for CMAQ funding. The BEP projects selected for CMAQ must meet the following criteria:
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Request a minimum grant of $150,000;
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Provide at least 11.5% in local cash match for each grant funded phase;
- Complete a federal environmental document;
- Design and construct the project in accordance with the VTA Bicycle Technical Guidelines;
- Obligate all CMAQ funds by May 30 of the year in which they are programmed, with no programming later than 2008; and
- Meet all requirements of the MTC Regional Project Delivery Policy.
VTA staff recommends the following project for a CMAQ grant due to the fact that it is ready for construction and should be included in the FY 2006 Transportation Improvement Program:
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Project Sponsor
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Project
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Funding Allocation
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Santa Clara County Roads & Airports
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Bicycle and pedestrian improvements on Almaden Expressway between Ironwood and Koch
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$1.39 million
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Staff will return to VTA committees in three months to program the remaining $1.91 million to other projects.
ALTERNATIVES:
The VTA Board may select other projects for programming or choose to alter the amount of grant funding for the project.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This action will make $1.39 million in federal CMAQ funds available to one BEP project. There is no effect on the VTA Enterprise fund.
| Prepared by: | Michelle DeRobertis, Senior Transportation Planner |
| Reviewed by: | Chris Augenstein, Transportation Planning Manager |
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