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Title:
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Authorize (1) Submittal of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Transportation Improvement Projects Call for Projects 2009 Grant Applications and (2) Preparation of Project Study Report Equivalents for the Culver Boulevard Realignment Project and Citywide Traffic Video Surveillance Cameras Project.
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City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the City Council authorize (1) submittal of the Los Angeles
County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Transportation Improvement
Projects Call for Projects 2009 grant applications and (2) preparation of
Project Study Report Equivalents for the Culver Boulevard Realignment
Project and Citywide Traffic Video Surveillance Cameras Project.
BACKGROUND:
The following is an overview regarding the Call for Projects written by the Los
Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority:
‘Metro is responsible for allocating discretionary federal, state and local
transportation funds to improve all modes of surface transportation. Metro also
prepares the Los Angeles County Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). A
key component of TIP is the Call for Projects program, a competitive process that
distributes discretionary capital transportation funds to regionally significant projects.
Every other year, Metro accepts Call for Projects applications in seven modal
categories. Local jurisdictions, transit operators, and other public agencies are
encouraged to submit applications proposing projects for funding. Metro staff ranks
eligible projects and presents preliminary scores to Metro’s Technical Advisory
Committee (TAC) and the Metro Board of Directors for review. Upon approval, the
TIP is developed and formally transmitted to the regional and state transportation
Meeting Date: 04/13/2009 Item Number: A-3
AGENDA ITEM: Authorize (1) Submittal of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan
Transportation Authority Transportation Improvement Projects Call for Projects
2009 Grant Applications and (2) Preparation of Project Study Report Equivalents
for the Culver Boulevard Realignment Project and Citywide Traffic Video
Surveillance Cameras Project
Contact Person/Dept.: Charles
Herbertson/PW and Mate Gaspar/PW
Phone Number: (310) 253-5635 and
(310) 253-5602
Fiscal Impact: Yes [x] No [] General Fund: Yes [X] No []
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: []
Public Notification:
Master E-Mail Notification List (04/08/09)
Department Approval:
Charles D. Herbertson (04/02/09)
City Attorney Approval:
Carol Schwab (by H. Baker) (04/07/09)
Chief Financial Officer Approval:
Jeff Muir (by N. Kimball) (04/08/09)
City Manager Approval:
Jerry B. Fulwood (04/08/09) City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
planning agencies. The TIP then becomes part of the five-year program of projects
scheduled for implementation in Los Angeles County.’
Culver City has successfully pursued and been awarded over $8 million of the Metro
TIP Call for Projects between 1997 and 2007. The projects that were awarded were:
The Sepulveda Boulevard Pedestrian Enhancement Project (between Braddock
Drive and the southerly city limits adjacent to the Culver City Ice Rink), The
Jefferson Boulevard Traffic Synchronization Project, The Citywide Traffic Video
Surveillance Project, The Fox Hills Traffic Synchronization Project, and The
Sepulveda Boulevard Widening Project. There was no Call for Projects in 2005.
DISCUSSION:
Staff is proposing to apply for two capital projects: (1) The Culver Boulevard
Realignment Project and (2) Additional Citywide Traffic Flow Monitoring Cameras.
The Culver Boulevard Realignment Project (between the prolongation of
Commonwealth Avenue and Elenda Street) basically is a continuation of the
realignment constructed by Caltrans on Culver Boulevard east of Sepulveda
Boulevard as part of the 405 freeway widening project. With the new Culver
Boulevard freeway off-ramp and the newly configured vehicular access lanes for the
widened Culver Boulevard on-ramp, it is expected that vehicular traffic will increase
on Culver Boulevard.
The Culver Boulevard Realignment Project proposes to install a raised median
island to separate the traffic in each direction. The addition of the center median will
cause the existing bicycle and pedestrian median path to be shifted about 12 feet to
the north. The street that is parallel to Culver Boulevard, also known as ‘Little
Culver’ or “North Culver’ will be decreased in width due to reconstructing the median
bike and pedestrian path. The project is estimated to cost about $7 million. The City
applied for this project in 2007, but it was not selected. Staff believes it has a
greater chance to be awarded a grant for this project based on the new freeway off-
ramp and the additional vehicular traffic on Culver Boulevard. This project also has
regional significance as it increases capacity and improves safety on an arterial
street that runs east and west to the City of Los Angeles.
The second project that staff is proposing to submit to Metro call for projects is
Additional Citywide Traffic Flow Monitoring Cameras. There are twelve (12) existing
cameras installed in 2005 at strategic intersections through a previously approved
Metro TIP Call for Projects grant in 2003. The City also is allowed to view the ten
(10) City of Los Angeles cameras at the perimeter of the city boundaries. This
proposed project will include the installation of ten (10) additional cameras at other
strategic intersections in the City. The cameras are a valuable tool to view traffic City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
flow, vehicular accidents, emergency responses, and traffic investigations. In
addition, the traffic cameras will work well in conjunction with the City’s new traffic
control system that is currently under development.
Project applications are due on April 17, 2009. The Project Study Report Equivalent
(PSRE) is a conceptual engineering project report which includes detailed cost
estimates, project timeline, project description, discussion of feasible alternatives,
discussion for the need of the project, project background, project financial plan and
identification of environmental or other conditions that need to be addressed. In
order to meet the short timeframe allowed by Metro for preparing applications for the
Call for Projects process, staff determined that consulting engineering services
would be required. Staff estimates that the cost of these services is about $27,000.
There is no approved budget for this purpose.
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
Staff is proposing to fund the consultants support for the preparation of the
applications and reports from the non-departmental account number
10116100.619800 - $20,000 and from the City Manager’s appropriated reserves
account number 10116100.910200 - $7,000, which will be transferred to the
Engineering Division (10160500.612100) upon approval of this item. The
consultants work will be through the existing approved on-call contracts.
MOTIONS:
That the City Council:
1. Approve the submittal of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan
Transportation Authority Transportation Improvement Projects Call for
Projects 2009 Grant Applications; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute such grant applications and other related
documents on behalf of the City.