The STIP is a multi-year capital improvement program of transportation projects on and off the State Highway System, funded with revenues from the State Highway Account and other funding sources. The magnitude of STIP funds available for Contra Costa will not be known until the California Transportation Commission (CTC) adopts the Fund Estimate in August 2015. However, Staff received a status update from Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) on July 2nd which stated that Statewide Funds for STIP are significantly reduced this year due to less revenue from the excise tax on gas. In 2014 STIP awards totaled $1.26 billion; whereas, the current statewide estimate for 2015 is $32 million.
The new STIP funds will not be available until FY 2019-20 and FY 2020-21. The STIP funds can be used to fund one or more phases of a capital project (e.g., environmental clearance, design, right-of-way, and/or construction).
Projects will be screened based on the following criteria:
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Project must be consistent with the adopted Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). Local projects must be in a Congestion Management Plan (CMP).
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Candidate projects must submit a draft Project Study Report (PSR) or Project Study Report equivalent along with the application by July 17, 2015.
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Funds must be allocated for the phase(s) requesting STIP funding within the period between FY 2019-20 and FY 2020-21.
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Project or project phases must be fully funded with requested STIP funds and other committed fund sources.
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Project must solve an existing problem related to safety, capacity, or operations.
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Requested STIP funds must be at least $1 million and be for Capital Improvements.
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Letters of concurrence from the Regional Transportation Planning Committee (RTPCs) should be submitted with the application.
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Roadway Projects must be on collector roads or above as classified by Caltrans California Road System (CRS) maps.
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STIP funds are federalized. Project sponsors must be willing to go through Caltrans local Assistance for the complete federal process.
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Projects that are operational in nature must show commitment of operations and Maintenance funds for the life of the project.
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Projects considered for STIP funding are restricted to those within the Measure J Action Plan.
The following two projects selected for submittal fulfill all these requirements:
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Camino Tassajara Realignment at the County Line
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Appian Way Complete Streets Project, Fran Way to San Pablo Dam Road
Previously Awarded Projects:
Kirker Pass Road Truck Climbing Lanes
Camino Tassajara Shoulder Widening
Montalvin Manor Pedestrian Transit Access Improvements
Project Recommendations
Camino Tassajara Bike Lane Gap Closure
Total Project Cost: $3,000,000
STIP Amount Requested: $2,500,000
The Camino Tassajara Bike Lane Gap Closure Project is located on Camino Tassajara between Finley Road and Windemere Parkway, a total length of five miles. Camino Tassajara is a heavily traveled bicycle route as well as a high volume corridor for vehicle travel. While some sections of the roadway include fully paved shoulders, other sections have inadequate shoulders or no shoulders at all. The Project scope includes widening Camino Tassajara shoulders over four segments to provide a standard Class II continuous bike lane throughout. Filling the gaps in the bike infrastructure would create a continuous bike lane that extends for seven miles, from Blackhawk Plaza Circle to Windemere Parkway.
The Project will improve safety for motorists and bicyclists by separating the two modes of transportation. It will also facilitate congestion relief and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by providing an active transportation alternative. This gap closure project will provide a benefit that exceeds the value of the improvements as closing the missing links will allow the benefits to be realized from the previous project improvements in this area to complete a uniform bike corridor.
Appian Way Complete Street Project
Total Project Cost: $5,700,000
STIP Amount Requested: $5,000,000
The Appian Way Complete Street Project will provide a transportation corridor for all modes of transportation that is consistent with complete streets policies while improving pedestrian and bicycle safety. The existing corridor is non-uniform with gaps in pedestrian facilities. The project scope includes installation of sidewalk, curb ramps, bulb-outs, and pedestrian actuated flashers on Appian Way from San Pablo Dam Road to Fran Way. This segment of Appian Way has experienced 7 pedestrian collisions and 3 bicycle collisions over the past six years, with 4 pedestrian collisions resulting in serious injuries. The project would not only close gaps in infrastructure but the installation of bulb-outs and pedestrian actuated flashers at crosswalks will improve safety at pedestrian crossings on this high volume minor arterial.
There have been two El Sobrante workshops for this project as an ongoing effort for a community based design for this corridor. Appian Way is a Route of Regional Significance within a Priority Development Area (PDA). The completion of pedestrian infrastructure in this corridor will prepare the area for future mixed-use developments to implement the Sustainable Communities Strategy. The project connects users to government buildings, churches, schools, the Boys and Girls Club of El Sobrante, and ten AC Transit bus stops.
Geographic Equity
Staff strives to provide equitable opportunities for projects throughout the County to compete for grant funding. Staff tracks the grant programs available, candidate projects submitted in the past, projects successfully awarded funding in the past, and project location. The attached table summarizes these efforts over the last five years. After a "call for project" is released for a specific grant program, staff first considers which projects will rate the highest as all State and Federal programs are very competitive. Next, an effort is made to recommend project applications that will spread funding opportunities county-wide.
The potential for additional funding through grant programs is a benefit countrywide to augment the local road fund, stretching local dollars to provide additional improvements overall. The attached summary table provides the grant application history from 2011-2015. The table was recently updated to eliminate tracking from 2002-2010, to gain a perspective of the more recent history from 2011-2015. Each column summarizes the opportunities provided in each supervisory district per each grant program. Each column also provides a list of the rating criteria or the goal of each program. Many grant programs have a goal to benefit disadvantaged communities. For this reason, one would expect the majority of these grant opportunities will be within Districts 1 and 5. Grant programs based upon safety improvement award funds to projects located in high collision areas. As many of the county's rural roads experience the highest rate of serious injury collisions, District 3 has the highest number of past grant opportunities in the safety category. The summary table also identifies the number of road miles within each District and compares the past grant opportunities to the percent of road miles.
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