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Title:
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Authorization to Submit a Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority 2013 Call for Projects Grant Application for the Higuera Street Bridge Ramp Project.
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City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the City Council authorize the City Manager to submit a Los
Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) 2013 Call for
Projects (Call) grant application for the Higuera Street Bridge Ramp Project.
BACKGROUND:
Metro is responsible for allocating local, state, and federal discretionary
transportation funds through the preparation of a Transportation Improvement
Program (TIP) for Los Angeles County. A key component of the TIP is Metro’s
Call for Projects grant program.
Approximately every other year, Metro accepts Call for Projects applications in a
variety of modal categories. Currently, these categories include: Regional
Surface Transportation; Goods Movement Improvements; Signal Synchronization
& Bus Speed Improvements; Transportation Demand Management; Bikeway
Improvements; Pedestrian Improvements; Transit Capital; and Transportation
Enhancement Activities.
The 2013 Metro Call for Projects applications are due on January 18, 2013. The
City Council has authorized the submittal of two other grant applications as part
Meeting Date: 01/14/2013 Item Number: C-4
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM: Authorization to Submit a Los Angeles
County Metropolitan Transportation Authority 2013 Call for Projects Grant
Application for the Higuera Street Bridge Ramp Project.
Contact Person/Dept.:
Helen Kerstein/PW
Phone Number:
(310) 253-5618
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [] Attachments: []
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [X] Date: ________________
Public Notification: (E-mail) Agenda and Meetings – City Council (01/09/13); (Mail)
Property owners, occupants, and businesses within 1,000 ft. of site (12/31/2012); (E-
mail) Bicycle and Pedestrian Listserv (12/31/2012); (E-mail) Culver City Bicycle
Coalition (12/31/2012); (E-mail) Baldwin Hills Conservancy (12/31/2012); (E-mail)
Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (12/31/2012).
Department Approval:
Charles D. Herbertson (12/24/12)
City Attorney Approval:
Carol Schwab (by H. Baker) (01/09/13)
Chief Financial Officer Approval:
Jeff Muir (by K. Marsden) (01/09/13)
City Manager Approval:
John M. Nachbar (01/09/13)
City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
of the 2013 Call for Projects: the Transportation Department’s Compressed
Natural Gas Bus Replacement Project (in the Transit Capital category) and the
Public Works Department’s Citywide Synchronized and Optimized Traffic Signal
Timing Plans with Selected Traffic Volume Count Stations Project (Signal
Synchronization & Bus Speed Improvements category).
DISCUSSION:
Staff is proposing to apply for the Higuera Street Bridge Ramp Project in the
Bikeway Improvements category. The Ballona Creek Bike Path is an important
resource for the region, providing roughly 7 miles of separated Class I paths.
Currently, there is roughly a 1.1 mile distance between the existing ramps to the
Ballona Creek Bike Path at National Boulevard and Duquesne Avenue. The
construction of a ramp at Higuera Street will create an intermediate access point
that will improve connectivity between destinations such as the Hayden Tract,
Expo Light Rail Station and Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook and the Ballona Creek
Bike Path. In so doing, this project should make cycling and other non-motorized
transportation modes more attractive options.
It is preferable to construct the proposed ramp at the same time as the Higuera
Street Bridge is replaced in order to minimize construction impacts and ensure
that the two structures are complementary. In October 2012, the Public Works
Department released a Request for Proposals for the preparation of final
design/construction plans and specifications for the replacement Higuera Street
Bridge and proposed ramp. Staff is anticipating awarding the design contract in
late January or early February and commencing design work shortly thereafter.
Construction is likely to begin in Fiscal Year 2014/2015. If the Metro Call funds
are secured for the construction of the ramp through this application, staff
anticipates requesting that the funds be advanced, if possible, to Fiscal Year
2014/2015 in order to facilitate the construction coordination.
The proposed ramp is consistent with existing City plans. The construction of a
ramp at Higuera Street was suggested in the Ballona Creek and Trail Focused
Special Study (2004). Also, the pursuit of grant funding for the design and
construction of a ramp at the Higuera Street Bridge to the Ballona Creek Bike
Path was identified as an action item in the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master
Plan (2010).
City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
The project is anticipated to cost roughly $750,000. Should Metro approve the
application, the City will need to provide 20 percent in local matching funds for
the project. Staff anticipates that the matching funding for this project will come
from sources such as Gas Tax. As funding is not anticipated for several years,
staff anticipates that there will be sufficient time to plan for the allocation of the
necessary funds and to seek additional grants for matching funds, as feasible.
Furthermore, there will be some ongoing maintenance costs associated with the
project. These costs will vary depending on the amount of landscaping that is
associated with the project, but are anticipated to be roughly $4,000 per year.
MOTIONS:
That the City Council
Authorize the City Manager to submit a Los Angeles County Metropolitan
Transportation Authority (Metro) 2013 Call for Projects (Call) grant application
for the Higuera Street Bridge Ramp Project.