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Home My WebLink AboutIR 9191 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 9191 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council February 9, 2010 SUBJECT: Statewide Transportation Enhancement Program This Informal Report is submitted to provide additional information about the ranking of City of Fort Worth projects in the recent regional project submission for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Statewide Transportation Enhancement Program (STEP)funding. The call for projects for STEP funding is not a regularly scheduled event (see attachment 1 for background info on the program). The call for the most recent iteration of the program was issued by TxDOT on October 9, 2009. As the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)for this region, the North Central Texas Council of Governments then established a deadline of November 13"', 2009 for the receipt of submissions from the local governments in the region. City staff from Transportation and Public Works, Planning and Development, Parks and Community Services and the Program Management Office immediately began identifying candidate projects and preparing application packages. City staff also worked closely with TxDOT and MPO staff to ensure that our project submissions were as competitive as possible. City of Fort Worth applications were submitted to the MPO on November 13, 2009. The MPO then went through a process of ranking the consolidated regional list of projects using matrix shown in Attachment 2. Nineteen of the twenty-three projects submitted from the TxDOT Fort Worth District were determined to be eligible to receive an MPO letter of support (including all five that the City of Fort Worth submitted). The ranking of those nineteen projects was approved by the Regional Transportation Council on January 29, 2010. Of those nineteen projects, the MPO ranked the City of Fort Worth projects as follows: 4 of 19- Lancaster Avenue Median Landscaping and Lighting 5 of 19- Neighborhood Transportation Connections for Pedestrian and Bicycles 11 of 19- Berry/Riverside Urban Village Streetscape Project 13 of 19-West Rosedale Streetscape 14 of 19- Hemphill/Berry Urban Village Streetscape Project The Texas Transportation Commission is scheduled to select projects for STEP funding in July. City staff will request a meeting with the MPO to review the process and our project applications to identify opportunities to improve the competitiveness of our project submissions for future calls for projects. If you have any questions, contact William Verkest, Director of Transportation and Public Works at 817.392.7801. OFFICIAL RECORD C4 CITY SECRETARY Dale A. Flsseler, P. FT. WORTH, TX City Manager -- ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS Attachment 1 Proaram Backaround The Transportation Enhancement Program is unique as it emphasizes the development of non- traditional transportation projects. Traditional federal and state transportation funding programs focus on vehicle capacity improvements such as adding lanes to roads or building new roads. The Transportation Enhancement Program applies to non-traditional activities related to the surface transportation system. These activities include pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, safety programs, landscaping, scenic beautification and environmental mitigation to name a few. Transportation enhancements are federally funded and administered by TxDOT for FHWA. The Enhancement Program operates under the rules adopted by the TTC and may be found in 43 Texas Administrative Code JAC) 11.200-11.2005. Important Transportation Enhancement Program Facts • Funding of$67.5 million available statewide • The NCTCOG must provide a project letter of support. The NCTCOG-RTC project ranking is a regional preference by TxDOT District. • The Texas Transportation Commission (TTC) makes the final project selection for funding • This Program is not a grant in that the funding is NOT provided upfront. Rather, the federal funds provided are on a cost reimbursement basis • All funds awarded are based on the availability of federal funds Projects undertaken with enhancement funds are eligible for reimbursement of up to 80 percent of allowable costs • The nominating entity is responsible for costs above the authorized federal funds 100 percent of cost overruns must be paid by the nominating entity The MPO ranking does not impact the distribution of federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality(CMAQ) category 5 funds or Surface Transportation Program — Metropolitan Mobility (STP-MM) category 7 funds. The MPO has selection authority for both CMAQ and STP-MM funding. The Surface Transportation Program — Enhancement funds are category 9 funds. TxDOT has selection authority for category 9 funds. Attached is the MPO ranking evaluation process used for this program. OFFICIAL RECORD CITY SECRETARY FT. 'NORTH, TX Attachment 2 Lo T Za. a I � a a .s- 9 IM bs � ^ a � , gi Ill r IAL RECORD SECRETARY 4q. .WORTH TX Z r