Agenda Date: 08/17/2021
Subject:
Title
Resolution 34-2021: Authorizing an amendment to an Intergovernmental Agreement between the City of Littleton and the Colorado Department of Transportation for the South Platte Canyon Road/South Lowell Boulevard (SH 75) and Bowles Avenue, and South Platte Canyon Road (SH 75) and West Mineral Avenue intersection improvements
Body
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Prepared by: |
Heather Ferrari, Executive Assistant, Public Works |
PURPOSE:
Does Council support amending the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to accept $700,000 in additional FASTER funds for the design and construction of operational and safety improvements at the intersections of South Platte Canyon Road/South Lowell Boulevard and Bowles Avenue, and South Platte Canyon Road and West Mineral Avenue?
PRESENTATIONS:
Staff Presenter(s): Keith Reester, Public Works and Utilities Director
Additional Presenter(s): N/A
SUMMARY:
The City of Littleton is a participating agency of the Platte Canyon Road Task Force, which also includes CDOT, Arapahoe County, Jefferson County, the Town of Columbine Valley, and the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG). This Task Force was formed to discuss issues related to operations along Platte Canyon Road between Mineral Avenue and Bowles Avenue. A Platte Canyon Road Feasibility Study was completed in 2015 to evaluate the operational needs of the corridor to address future development, including the potential expansion from a two-lane to a four-lane section and intersection improvements where necessary. The study found there was not an immediate need to expand the roadway but recommended making improvements at some of the key intersections, which included Bowles Avenue and Mineral Avenue.
Subsequently, based on the results of the Feasibility Study, CDOT identified the Platte Canyon Road and Bowles Avenue intersection as a safety concern that met the conditions for FASTER funding. FASTER (Funding Advancements for Surface Transportation and Economic Recovery Act of 2009) established the Road Safety Fund to support the construction, reconstruction, or maintenance of projects the state determines are needed to enhance the safety of a state highway, county road, or city street. This state distributed funding source is specifically intended for addressing safety issues, such as addressing a pattern identified by crash history or interactions between vehicles and pedestrians and bicyclists. The Platte Canyon Road and Bowles Avenue intersection project proposes upgrading the traffic signal system, geometric safety improvements and upgrading the pedestrian and bicycle facilities.
CDOT also identified the Platte Canyon Road and Mineral Avenue intersection as a location requiring pedestrian and bicycle facility improvements, along with capacity improvements. CDOT identified HSIP (Federal Highway Safety Improvement Program) as the appropriate program to fund this work. The purpose of the Colorado HSIP is to provide for a continuous and systematic procedure that identifies and reviews specific traffic safety issues around the state to identify locations with potential for improvement. The ultimate goal of the HSIP process is to reduce the number of crashes, injuries and fatalities by eliminating certain predominant types of crashes through the implementation of engineering, enforcement, education, and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) solutions. The Platte Canyon Road and Mineral Avenue project involves adding dual northbound and southbound left turn lanes, relocating a bus stop, and upgrading the pedestrian facilities at the Platte Canyon Road and Mineral Avenue intersection.
The city entered into an IGA with CDOT in 2019 for design and construction costs associated with safety, operational and mobility improvements at these two intersections on Platte Canyon Road. The city hired a consultant to undertake the design of these projects in 2020. As the city and consultant proceeded through preliminary project design, it was realized that the original funding would not be adequate to support the desired operational and safety improvements at these two intersections. Staff discussed the proposed improvements, cost estimates, and funding shortfall with CDOT, who recognized the value of the recommended improvements and was able to secure an additional $700,000 in FASTER funds. Total design and construction for these two intersections is now estimated at $2,450,000.
PRIOR ACTIONS OR DISCUSSIONS:
City Council authorized the original IGA with CDOT for this project in the amount of $1,750,000 under Resolution 28-2019.
ANALYSIS:
Staff Analysis
Staff believes that the proposed project to improve safety and operations at both the Platte Canyon Road intersections with Bowles Avenue and Mineral Avenue is appropriate. Both locations were identified through the cooperative effort of the Platte Canyon Road Task Force and by the Mineral Avenue Corridor Assessment Study. The additional $700,000 in grant funding will allow the project to fulfil the desired safety and operational goals.
Council Goal, Objective, and/or Guiding Principle
This work aligns with Goal 2: Financial Sustainability - Objective 5: Regional Planning, Goal 3: Innovative Infrastructure - Objectives 1: Annual Investments, 4: Safe Networks, 5: Safety Improvements, & 9: Partnerships, and Goal 8: Good Governance - Objective 1: Safety.
Fiscal Impacts
Both the FASTER funds now totaling $1,700,000 at Platte Canyon Road and Bowles Avenue, and the HSIP funds of $750,000 at Platte Canyon Road and Mineral Avenue are being funded 100% by CDOT. There is no city funding required. However, CDOT is only the administrator of the funds and these projects require management by a local agency. Since the City of Littleton operates and maintains both of these signalized intersections, it is the local agency best suited to manage the project.
While there is no city funding required for this project, the city is a subrecipient of federal and state funding and required to report the reimbursement from CDOT and related expenditures. This work will be completed with existing staffing. The total initial cost and grant revenue was added to the 2019 budget. This additional $700,000 appropriation will be proposed within the 2022 budget.
Alternatives
If the City of Littleton decides not to accept the responsibilities as the local agency for the project, CDOT will likely not administer the FASTER funds to the two intersections. As a result, the safety and operational improvements necessary at both intersections will not be completed in the near future.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that council approve the IGA amendment between CDOT and the City of Littleton, identifying CDOT as the administrative body distributing state and federal funding for the project, and the City of Littleton as the local agency manager of the project.
PROPOSED MOTION:
Proposed Motion
I move to approve the resolution authorizing an amendment to an Intergovernmental Agreement between the City of Littleton and the Colorado Department of Transportation for the South Platte Canyon Road/South Lowell Boulevard and Bowles Avenue, and South Platte Canyon Road and West Mineral Avenue intersection improvements.