City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council 1) authorize the preparation of a Project
Study Report Equivalent (PSRE) for a project to develop citywide synchronized
and optimized traffic signal timing plans with selected traffic volume count
stations and approve a related budget amendment, and 2) authorize the City
Manager to submit a grant application for this project to the Los Angeles County
Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s 2013 Call for Projects.
A budget amendment requires a four-fifths vote.
BACKGROUND:
The following is an overview of the Call for Projects written by the Los Angeles
County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro):
‘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.
Meeting Date: 11/12/2012 Item Number: C-6
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM: FOUR-FIFTHS VOTE REQUIREMENT - 1)
Authorization for the Preparation of a Project Study Report Equivalent for a
Project to Develop Citywide Synchronized and Optimized Traffic Signal Timing
Plans with Selected Traffic Volume Count Stations and Approve a Related
Budget Amendment, and 2) Authorize the City Manager to Submit a Grant
Application for this Project to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan
Transportation Authority’s 2013 Call for Projects.
Contact Person/Dept.: Max Paetzold/PW Phone Number: (310) 253-5613
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 (11/08/2012)
Department Approval:
Charles D. Herbertson (11/01/12)
City Attorney Approval:
Carol Schwab (by H. Baker) (11/05/12)
Chief Financial Officer Approval:
Jeff Muir (by K. Marsden) (11/07/12)
City Manager Approval:
John M. Nachbar (11/08/12) City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
Every other year, Metro accepts Call for Projects applications in eight 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 planning agencies. The TIP then becomes part
of the five-year program of projects scheduled for implementation in Los Angeles
County.’
Historically, the City has been very successful in pursuing Metro Call for Projects
funding. In the past two cycles (2009 and 2011), the City’s Transportation and
Public Works Departments successfully competed and were awarded over $11
million in Metro Call for Projects’ monies for the following six projects: Culver
Boulevard Realignment, Bus Signal Priority, Traffic Monitoring and Surveillance
System Gap Closure, Real-Time Bus Arrival Information System, Adaptive Traffic
Control System, and Articulated Rapid Bus Maintenance Facility Enhancements.
Another large project that received about $4 million of Metro Call monies in 2007
was the Sepulveda Boulevard Widening Project.
DISCUSSION:
Staff is proposing to apply for 2013 Metro Call for Projects grant funding for a
project to re-evaluate future citywide pedestrian and vehicular traffic volumes and
patterns at all of the City’s signalized intersections by employing a
synchronization and optimization computer model. This grant funding, if awarded
to the City, is anticipated to be available in Fiscal Year 2017/2018 or Fiscal Year
2018/2019. This timing will serve to facilitate the implementation of new traffic
signal timing plans to complement the 2011 Metro Call grant awarded for an
Adaptive Traffic Control System to be selected and integrated in Fiscal Year
2015/2016. Also as part of the project, a select number of signalized
intersections will be equipped with video image detection cameras that will
monitor the various vehicular movements at these intersections, facilitate the
operation of an Adaptive Traffic Control signal network, and serve as permanent
traffic volume count stations.
Project applications are due on January 18, 2013. The Project Study Report
Equivalent (PSRE) is a required conceptual engineering project report that
includes detailed cost estimates, timeline, description, discussion of feasible
alternatives, discussion of the project need, background, financial plan, and
identification of environmental or other conditions that need to be addressed. In City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
order to meet the short application timeframe required by Metro for the Call for
Projects process, and due to the highly technical nature of this funding category,
staff determined that consulting engineering services would be best suited to
perform this task. Staff estimates that the cost of these services is $12,000.
There is no approved budget for this purpose, and thus staff is requesting a
budget amendment to appropriate the necessary funds. Staff has been in
contact with one on-call consultant to prepare this report.
Public Works and Transportation Department staff members are evaluating other
potential 2013 Metro Call projects and may return to the City Council in
December with recommendations on one or more additional projects for the
Metro Call for Projects.
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
Staff is proposing to fund the $12,000 in consultant professional services for the
preparation of the 2013 Metro Call for Projects application and PSRE with Playa
Vista Developer funds. A budget amendment for these funds is requested as
part of this report.
If the grant application for this project is approved by Metro, the City will need to
provide 20 percent in local matching funds. The project cost is still being
evaluated, but is currently anticipated to be approximately $800,000. Therefore,
approximately $160,000 in local matching funds are expected to be required in
Fiscal Year 2017/2018 or 2018/2019 if the project is awarded by the Metro Board
of Directors. Staff anticipates that these matching funds will likely come from
developer funds from the second phase of the Playa Vista development.
MOTIONS:
That the City Council:
1) Authorize the preparation of a Project Study Report Equivalent (PSRE)
for a project to develop citywide synchronized and optimized traffic
signal timing plans with selected traffic volume count stations; and,
2) Approve a budget amendment appropriating $12,000 in Playa Vista
Developer funds to fund consultant professional services for the
preparation of the PSRE and Metro Call for Projects application; and,
City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
3) Authorize the City Manager to submit a grant application to the Los
Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority as part of the
2013 Call for Projects.
A 4/5
th
vote is required to approve the budget amendment.