Loading...
Art3_All_FY23_BikePed_CallForProjects TRANSPORTATION DEVELOPMENT ACT ARTICLE 3 BIENNIAL CALL FOR PROJECTS FOR BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES Issued: May 4, 2023 Submittal Deadline: July 7, 2023 Background: In August 1999, the SBCTA Board approved a policy that 80% of the Transportation Development Act (TDA) Article 3 funds would be made available for projects that implement or improve bicycle and pedestrian facilities. The remaining 20% of TDA Article 3 funds will be made available through a separate Call for Projects specifically for projects that improve access to transit stops for pedestrians and persons with disabilities. The total amount available in this call for projects is $5,760,000 and is comprised of funds from unused allocation of prior TDA awards and two fiscal years of revenue. Upon approval of a project list by the SBCTA Board, Article 3 funds will be allocated to the project sponsor agency. Allocated funds will remain available for three fiscal years after the year of Board approval. Unspent allocated funds may revert to the subsequent Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Call for Projects after the three-year term has expired. An automatic extension will be granted by SBCTA staff where TDA Article 3 funds have been awarded to provide match assistance for California Transportation Commission (CTC) Active Transportation Program awards, consistent with CTC-approved extensions. Proposed bicycle and pedestrian facility projects must meet the following guideline requirements: • Bicycle projects submitted for consideration must be included in the latest SBCTA San Bernardino County Active Transportation Plan. Project costs do not necessarily need to match. See https://www.gosbcta.com/activesanbernardino. • Projects included in SBCTA’s Points of Interest Pedestrian Plan (PIPP) and Safe Routes to School Plan (Phase II) will be viewed favorably during the application review process. See https://www.gosbcta.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/SBCTA-POI-PedestrianPlan.pdf and https://www.gosbcta.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Regional-Safe-Routes-to-School- Vol.2.pdf. • The minimum match for this grant program is 10%. No award of Article 3 Bicycle and Pedestrian funds will be for more than 90% of the total project cost. However, overmatching is encouraged and provides additional application points as outlined in the scoring criteria below. There is no maximum amount that is available per project request however, in the event that a project cannot be fully funded, SBCTA may recommend partial funding for award if the agency is able to fund the balance of the project scope as rated. • Agencies awarded funds will not be reimbursed for any project cost overruns. The allocated amount represents the maximum amount eligible for reimbursement. For projects completed under the allocated amount, the agency will be reimbursed at the matching ratio in effect at the time of project selection and approval. For example, if an agency commits to a 25% match for a $10,000 project, the amount of Article 3 awarded would be $7,500. If the completed project cost was $8,000, the amount of Article 3 funds disbursed to the agency would be $6,000. • Design and construction of facilities must conform to the general design criteria for non- motorized facilities as outlined in the Caltrans Highway Design Manual. Eligible Expenditures: 1. Preliminary engineering leading to construction of pedestrian or bicycle facilities. 2. Right-of-way acquisition necessary for pedestrian or bicycle facilities. 3. Construction or reconstruction of Class I, II and III bicycle facilities and/or cycle tracks and sidewalks. 4. Retrofitting existing bike and pedestrian facilities, including installation of signage to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). 5. Purchase and installation of bicycle facilities such as securing bicycle parking, lockers, and racks, benches, drinking fountains, changing rooms, restrooms and showers adjacent to at major employment centers, park-and-ride lots and transit terminals. 6. Purchase and installation of High Intensity Activated Crosswalk (HAWK) beacons and touchless crosswalk activation equipment. 7. Maintenance of existing Class I facilities (no more than 10% of the available funds for the Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Call for Projects can be allocated to maintenance of existing facilities). 8. Route improvements such as signal controls for cyclists, bicycle loop detectors, rubberized trail crossings, and bicycle-friendly drainage grates. 9. All eligibility requirements under Active Transportation Program (ATP), including eligible project categories, minimum request for funds, project type requirements, safe routes to school project requirements, and recreational trails requirements except for the planning project requirements. 10. Necessary staff time directly related to in-house completion of design, right-of-way acquisition, or construction including inspection and/or construction management. 11. Installation of solar lighting for safety purposes. (This was approved by the SBCTA Board on 6/2/21.) Ineligible Expenditures: 1. Travel costs and per diems. 2. Staff administration and/or contract project management expenses. 3. The construction of sidewalks fronting undeveloped land on a project may not exceed 15% of the total project length. 4. Match paving for sidewalk projects is not an eligible project cost. Roadway improvements performed in conjunction with bicycle or pedestrian facility improvements are not an eligible expense. 5. Curbs, gutters, and driveway ramp paving. These are not for the benefit of pedestrians and can even be considered degradations to the pedestrian environment. These project are explicitly prohibited by the TDA Claims Manual (p. 28; exclusion approved by the SBCTA Board on 6/2/21). Detailed project cost estimates must be provided that clearly demonstrates the portion of a comprehensive project that is directly attributable to bicycle or pedestrian facilities. If the funds requested for bicycle or pedestrian facilities cannot be clearly determined from project cost estimates or funding is not deemed appropriate for bicycle or pedestrian facilities the evaluation panel reserves the right to eliminate the submittal from consideration or adjust the cost according to what it deems appropriate for the bicycle or pedestrian facility. Railroad grade crossing pedestrian projects are no longer considered eligible expenses under this program. Application Information: Jurisdictions shall submit one application per project using the TDA Article 3 portal found at https://gosbcta.com/tda3. Through the online form, applicants will be required to include the following: • Application prioritization if submitting more than one application. Funding awards will not necessarily be based on prioritizations but rather based on the scores developed from the scoring criteria. • Clear project description discussing the nature and type of project being proposed for funding. The description shall include important design considerations and identify the location of the project and the transportation purpose to be served. • Data to support the potential use of the bicycle or sidewalk facility. • Description of the connectivity of the project to the local and regional active transportation network. • Outline the destinations served by this project. Destinations can be in a list form with potential numbers of bicycle and/or pedestrian users described. • Discussion of safety or other concerns that the project is expected to address. Note: https://tims.berkeley.edu/ is a good resource for safety data. • Explanation of the multimodal or transit system connectivity provided by the project. • Acknowledgement of previous TDA award delivery schedule and steps that will be taken to ensure the project is delivered on time. • Map depicting the project location and limits along with principle streets, transit routes, nearby city and county boundaries, and prominent landmarks. Note: https://www.gosbcta.com/activesanbernardino has a “Build Your Own Map” feature that can be used to help create this. • Photos of the project area clearly showing where/what is in need of improvement. • Other supporting documentation if available/applicable. • Project cost estimate that addresses various components of project cost. If a bicycle or pedestrian facility proposed project is part of another larger project (i.e. street widening), the bicycle/pedestrian facility components must be clearly delineated from non-eligible roadway or other expenses. • Subject to SBCTA Board approval on 5/3/23: Proof of project readiness. Examples include environmental clearance, right-of-way acquisition, community support documentation, and/or technical studies. Project applications will be reviewed by an evaluation panel. The evaluation panel, using the criteria contained in this call-for-projects, will score the proposed project applications. The evaluation panel is anticipated to be comprised of at least two SBCTA staff and potentially a member from a bicycle/pedestrian stakeholder group such as the Inland Empire Biking Alliance, an adjacent county transportation commission, and Caltrans. Based on the evaluation panel proposed project scores, the evaluation panel will make its recommendation to SBCTA General Policy Committee who will forward its recommendation to the full SBCTA Board of Directors. Award Requirements: Subject to SBCTA Board approval on 5/3/23: In order to ensure TDA Article 3 funding is kept moving, award funds will be rescinded if no progress has been made within ONE year of award notification or if, where appropriate, a construction contract has not yet been awarded within THREE years of award notification. Applicants are welcome to reapply for future funding. Additionally, award recipients but submit the following: 1. An Authorizing Resolution must be submitted within SIX months of the project award notification, or prior to requesting reimbursement of funds, whichever comes first. This is a one-time submission. A sample can be found on the TDA Article 3 website at www.gosbcta.com/tda3 in the Claims section. Approved by the SBCTA Board on 6/2/21 and applied to all awards beginning in 2021. 2. Subject to SBCTA Board approval on 5/3/23: Completion of an ANNUAL Proof of Progress Report (Annual Report) must be submitted on the FIRST anniversary of award notification AND by June 30 for all subsequent years thereafter. All pre-2023 active awards must also submit an Annual Report. The Annual Report must include: a) a description of the work completed during the year, b) an estimate of the total project percent completed, and c) an estimate of the amount spent to-date. 3. Extension requests must be submitted through the TDA Article 3 portal found at https://gosbcta.com/tda3 at least THREE months before the project sunset date. The request must include appropriate justification for an extension and provide a revised project schedule with an expected completion date. (This was approved by the SBCTA Board on 6/2/21.) Project Completion and Payment(s): Sponsor agencies receiving an allocation of $200,000 or less shall be reimbursed in arrears and upon proof of satisfactory project completion. Agencies receiving an allocation of $200,000 or more may request progressive reimbursements at a minimum of 20% of the total award per invoice provided local match percentage is met and satisfactory completion of “Section II” of the Request for Reimbursement which requires project status information. If the amount expended is not consistent with project progress, then the awardee will be required to provide a schedule that identifies how they intend to complete the project as scoped within project budget and deadline. However, 20% of the awarded funds shall be held by SBCTA until proof of satisfactory project completion. Each recipient shall prepare a project completion report, including pictures of completed project(s) when requesting reimbursement. Recipient must retain all records necessary for the fiscal and compliance audit that will be conducted at the end of each fiscal year. Projects selected under this process must be completed within the three full fiscal year period. Any funds allocated and not disbursed by the end of the three full fiscal year period shall be unallocated and returned to the Article 3 Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities fund. Project Evaluation Criteria: Evaluation Criteria Possible Score Overall Quality of Application – Overall quality of the application submitted for a project considering clarity of project description, project purpose and need and satisfactorily addressing evaluation criteria. 15 Project Purpose and Need – Describe the purpose and need of the project including the extent of the potential use of the facility. Provide socioeconomic data, historic or current bicycle or pedestrian count volumes, ADT/trip generation information or other data to support the forecasted use and/or need for the project. The relation of the proposed project to the regional and local active transportation network. The level of connectivity the proposed project offers to intermodal opportunities. The extent to which the proposed project will improve safety for the non-motorized public. Consideration will be given to number of accidents in a project area, severity of accidents in an area. 25 Project Readiness – Explain where the project is in the project development process. Greater number of points will be awarded for projects that have progressed further. Where appropriate, provide documentation that the proposed project already has environmental clearance, permits from resource agencies, right-of-way access, and/or community support. Technical studies can also be used to demonstrate project readiness. Projects with high schedule risk, even though worthy, may be deferred for resubmittal in a future TDA Article 3 cycle. 15 Cost Effectiveness – Project cost compared to the benefits the project is expected to yield. 15 Timeliness of Prior Project Completion – Ability to demonstrate project completion in a timely manner. 5 Local Matching Funds – Proposed projects will receive the following points based upon the extent of local match provided: 5 points for 15-24%; 10 points for 25-34%; 15 points for 35-49%; 20 points for 50%-74%, and 25 points for 75% or greater. 25 Total Possible Score 100 Call for Projects Schedule: Issue Call for Projects May 4, 2023 Project Proposals Due July 7, 2023 Recommendation to General Policy Committee September 13, 2023 Recommendation to Board October 6, 2023 Submittal Instructions: Applications must be submitted online through the TDA Article 3 portal at https://gosbcta.com/tda3. A form must be completed for each specific project identified for funding with the prioritization defined for each project by jurisdiction/agency. Jurisdictions/agencies may submit multiple applications. Once the form is submitted online, the appropriate SBCTA department will be notified. A confirmation email will be sent to each applicant to confirm that an application has been submitted. For questions regarding the submittal process or application, please email the SBCTA team at tda3@gosbcta.com. Applications must be submitted by 5:00 pm on the proposal due date specified above.