Agenda

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TRANSPORTATION, WATER & INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE

Meeting Date:	06/01/2015
Subject: AUTHORIZE the Public Works Director, to submit grant applications to Caltrans for the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Cycle 7 funding cycle.
Submitted For:	Julia R. Bueren
Department:	Public Works
Referral No.:	2
Referral Name:	Review applications for transportation, water and infrastructure grants to be prepared by the Public Works and Conservation and Development Departments.
Presenter:	Angela Villar, Associate Civil Engineer	Contact:	Angela Villar (925)313-2016

Information

Referral History:

The review of transportation grants is a standing referral item of TWIC.

Referral Update:

The Public Works Department has historically submitted grant applications for the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) and the High Risk Rural Roads (HRRR) Program. On July 6, 2012, the new federal surface transportation act, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21^st Century (MAP-21), was signed. MAP-21 established the HRRR Program as part of the HSIP Program, making it no longer a separate set-aside as in the previous federal surface transportation act.

This is the seventh cycle of the HSIP and includes the federal funding intended for the High Risk Rural Road (HRRR) eligible projects. HSIP is a core federal-aid program to the States for the purpose of achieving a significant reduction in fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads. HSIP focuses on infrastructure projects with nationally recognized crash reduction factors (CRFs) and must be identified on the basis of crash history.

Changes to Funding Selection Process
HSIP funds are eligible for work on any public road or publicly owned bicycle or pedestrian pathway or trail with the goal of improving the safety for its users. Greater emphasis is being placed on low cost safety projects that can be designed and constructed expeditiously. Projects should not require the acquisition of significant rights of way, nor should they require extensive environmental review and mitigation. Also, typical road projects, such as shoulder widening and curve realignment projects, are now being required to show an incremental approach of lower cost improvements that have been installed and have not proved to be effective before higher cost improvements will be considered for funding.

Examples of eligible type of projects may include, but are not limited to, the following list:
Intersection safety improvements
Pavement and shoulder widening
Installation of rumble strips or other warning devices
Installation of a skid-resistant surface
Improvement for bicycle or pedestrian safety
Elimination of hazards at a railway-highway crossing
Traffic calming features
Elimination of roadside obstacles
Highway signage and pavement markings
Traffic control or other warning devices
Installation of guardrails, barriers, and crash attenuators

The minimum request for federal funds still remains at $100,000, however, the maximum request amount has been increased to $10 million, with a maximum amount of federal funds to any one agency also set at $10 million.

Project selection is awarded solely on the benefit/cost (B/C) ratio calculated for each project based on the value of benefits calculated from the volume and type of injuries that have occurred within a project’s limits and the cost of the proposed project improvements. Last year, there was no minimum B/C ratio required for submittal of a HSIP grant application. This year, applications must have a minimum B/C ratio of 5 or greater to be considered in the selection process.

Public Works Staff utilized the California Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) maintained by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and the Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) published through the University of California, Berkeley to identify the list of roadway segments and intersections within unincorporated Contra Costa County with the highest number of collisions.

The County roadways with the highest volume of collisions from 2009-2014 are identified below:

Kirker Pass Road
Marsh Creek Road
Bailey Road
Vasco Road
San Pablo Dam Road
Highland Road
Camino Tassajara
Danville Boulevard
Deer Valley Road
Treat Boulevard

The County intersections with the highest volume of collisions from 2009-2014 are identified below:

Bailey Road/Canal Road
Treat Boulevard/Oak Road
San Pablo Dam Road/Appian Way
Treat Boulevard/Jones Road
Byron Highway/Camino Diablo
Treat Boulevard/Buskirk Avenue
Vasco Road/Camino Diablo
Evora Road/Willow Pass Road
Treat Boulevard/Cherry Lane
Willow Pass Road/Bailey Road

The CHP collision reports were reviewed to determine the typical cause of collisions and potential countermeasures. Many of the roadways and intersections listed already have funding identified for projects to address safety improvements. Staff utilized the collision data, requests from the community, and discussions with the County Traffic Engineer to evaluate potential safety improvement projects that would compete well for funding.

Project Recommendations
The Public Works Department recommends the following projects as candidates for Cycle 7 of HSIP funding. If authorized to proceed, staff will prepare preliminary designs and cost estimates for the application package. If during project research prior to the application deadline, staff discovers a critical constraint that would result in the project being cost prohibitive or will not meet the eligibility requirements of the funding program, staff will hold the application for further study to increase project readiness for the following grant cycle.

The five projects recommended (in no particular priority order), based upon collision history and initial project scoping, include:

Byron Highway/Byer Road Intersection Improvements

This project is located along Byron Highway near Byer Road, adjacent to Excelsior Middle School, Byron Area (Supervisorial District 3). The project proposes to widen the roadway to provide a left-turn pocket from southbound Byron Highway onto eastbound Byer Road to facilitate school traffic entering Excelsior Middle School on Byer Road. The project will also widen the roadway to provide a paved pedestrian pathway along the east side of Byron Highway and will require utility relocation, fence relocation, and right-of-way acquisition along the frontage of the school. The Principal of Excelsior Middle School has requested the project and the Byron Union School District is also supportive of the project.

San Pablo Dam Road Sidewalk Gap Closure

This project is located along San Pablo Dam Road between Appian Way and May Road, El Sobrante Area (Supervisorial District 1). The project proposes to fill gaps in the sidewalk along San Pablo Dam Road to create a continuous pedestrian pathway along both sides of the roadway. Gaps in sidewalk force pedestrians to walk in the roadway next to fast moving vehicles. The project will also look at installing additional street lighting to increase visibility and safety of pedestrians walking along the roadway at night.

Byron Highway Traffic Safety Improvements

This project is located along Byron Highway between Byron Hot Springs Road and the Contra Costa/Alameda County Line, Byron Area (Supervisorial District 3). The project proposes to restripe the centerline of the roadway with no passing lanes and install centerline rumble strips to reduce collisions caused by crossing over the centerline of the roadway.

The project will also replace existing regulatory and warning signs with high reflectivity signs to increase visibility at night. A number of collisions along this segment of Byron Highway have occurred in 2015 causing severe injuries and road closures contributing to congestion along the roadway.

Marsh Creek Road Traffic Safety Improvements

This project is located along Marsh Creek Road between Pine Lane and Camino Diablo, Clayton and Brentwood Areas (Supervisorial District 3). The project proposes to install centerline rumble strips along the existing centerline of the roadway to avoid illegal passing and drifting over the centerline. To increase awareness and visibility at night, the project will also replace existing regulatory and warning signs with high reflectivity signs and install an advance flasher at the Deer Valley Road intersection.

Bay Point Sign Reflectivity Upgrades

This project is located on various County roadways located in the Bay Point area (Supervisorial District 5). The project proposes to replace existing regulatory and warning signs to meet new retroreflectivity standards on various roadways. Signs can degrade over time due to sunlight, weather, and environmental damage; decreasing their visibility to drivers. New sign retroreflectivity standards have been adopted to provide fluorescent sheeting to increase visibility at night. The project proposes to conduct a roadway safety signing audit to inventory the existing signs along the selected roadways, measure the retroreflectivity of existing signs, and determine which signs need to be upgraded to current standards.

Grant Distribution
Staff maintains a data base of past grant applications, categorized by specific grant programs and Supervisorial District. We will continue to monitor geographic equity in grant opportunities. Some funding opportunities are aimed towards disadvantaged communities or Priority Development Areas which focuses project selection to those areas; however, we strive to reach geographic equity as we balance opportunities through other available grant programs which allow a more broad geographic selection. Staff will continue to develop the remaining projects with the intent of becoming more competitive in future cycles.

Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):

AUTHORIZE the Public Works Director, on behalf of the County, to submit grant applications to California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) for the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Cycle 7 funding cycle.

Fiscal Impact (if any):

The applications for HSIP funds require a 10% local match. The maximum grant amount for any single project is $10,000,000. Any funding received from an HSIP grant would be combined with other funds, such as Measure J, Area of Benefit funds, other grants, or local road funds.

The projects recommended for submittal are in the cost range of $250,000 to $1,500,000. For each of these projects, Public Works will apply for the unfunded project costs, up to $10,000,000, which is the maximum amount HSIP will award to any single agency project.

Attachments
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