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Art3_All_FY21_Transit_CallForProjects TRANSPORTATION DEVELOPMENT ACT ARTICLE 3 BIENNIAL CALL FOR PROJECTS FOR TRANSIT STOP ACCESS IMPROVEMENTS Issued: June 2, 2021 Submittal Deadline: August 4, 2021 1 Background: In August 1999 the SBCTA Board approved a policy that 20% of the Transportation Development Act (TDA) Article 3 funds would be made available for projects that improve access to transit stops for pedestrians and persons with disabilities. The remaining 80% of TDA Article 3 funds will be made available through a separate Call for Projects specifically for bicycle and pedestrian facilities. This program has been developed in recognition of the importance of providing safe and accessible paths of travel to existing and proposed bus stop locations. In some instances, the provision of accessible pathways to bus stops may reduce the demand for complementary paratransit service provided by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The total amount available in this Transit Stop Access Improvements call for projects is $779,899. Applicants may be local jurisdictions, the county or transit operators/claimants. No single agency shall receive more than 10% of the funds available under this call for projects unless there are an insufficient number of project applications to fully utilize the amount available. Joint power authority transit operators who are the lead agency for implementing the proposed projects may receive awards above the 10% limit. Local jurisdictions wishing to submit applications for projects must send a letter of notification to the appropriate local transit provider making them aware of their intent to improve transit stop facilities within their jurisdiction. 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 will revert back to the subsequent Transit Stop Access Improvements call for projects after the three year term has expired. Two one-year extensions may be granted at the discretion of SBCTA staff for projects that are moving forward but cannot be completed by the award sunset date. 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, include appropriate justification for an extension, and provide a revised project schedule with an expected completion date. Subsequent extensions are at the discretion of the SBCTA Board. Eligible Expenditures: • Web-based mapping, photography, mobile device application, or other visual imagery to provide information on stop accessibility to users of a transit system. • Retrofitting sidewalks with accessibility ramps to improve access to existing bus stops. 2 • Construction of bus stop pads, including pads for bus shelters, and purchase and installation of bus shelters,benches, trash recepticles, and solar lighting at existing bus stop locations. • Construction of bus stop pads, including pads for bus shelters and purchase and installation of bus shelters, benches, trash recepticles, and solar lighting at new bus stop locations. • Construction of new sidewalks to serve existing bus stop locations. • Construction of new sidewalks to serve new bus stop locations. Eligible project costs include expenses associated with: right of way acquisition or easement; preliminary engineering and design; plans, specifications and estimates; and construction. All projects must comply with the applicable Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG), Health and Safety Code, Sections 18901 to 18949.6 of the State Building Standards Law as issued by the California Building Standards Commission, and comply with local building and construction codes and requirements. Additional Information: If multiple improvement projects are included in an application, the application should include a prioritized listing of access improvement projects. All applications are to be submitted based on the submittal instructions. The application must include the following: • Project type. Projects shall be classified as one of the six types of projects identified under the eligibility section above. • Project description should identify whether the existing right of way or a new easement is required for the proposed project. • Documentation that the proposed project addresses a problem area identified by current users of the transit service or through a survey of bus stop accessibility. • The number of bus routes and daily buses serving the stop. • Current or forecast daily boardings and alightings. • Key activity generators or attractors served at the proposed project location including project location in relations to the SBCTA’s San Bernardino County Active Transportation Plan (https://www.gosbcta.com/activesanbernardino). • Description of specific location of proposed project. • Pictures of the improvement site(s) and/or location(s). • Schedule for project completion by project. • Project cost estimate. 3 • Acknowledgement of previous TDA awards and status of those projects. Project applications will be reviewed by an evaluation panel. The evaluation panel, using the criteria contained in this call-for-projects in the section below, will score the proposed projects. 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’s Transit Committee who will forward its recommendation to the full SBCTA Board of Directors. 4 Project Evaluation Criteria: Evaluation Criteria Possible Score Overall Quality of Application – Overall quality of the application submitted for a project considering clarity of project and satisfactorily addressing evaluation criteria. 15 Project Need and Purpose – Project addresses identified access issues at new or existing bus stops or fills a gap in accessibility to transit system users. Describe how stop and increased accessibility serves local activity generators/destinations, provides increased connectivity to the multi-modal transportation system, and potential safety/ADA benefits. 40 Cost Effectiveness – Consideration of project cost compared to daily boardings and alightings and/or complementary paratransit cost avoidance achieved by making the bus stop location accessible to individuals with disabilities. 15 Timeliness of Prior Project Completion – Consideration of likelihood to deliver within a timely manner. 10 Matching funds1 – Proposed projects will receive the following points based upon the extent of match provided: 5 points for 15-24%; 10 points for 25-34%; 15 points for 35-49%; and 20 points for 50%. 20 1. Matching funds from applicant may consist of Federal Transit Administration funds, Community Development Block Grant funds or other local funds, including Local Transportation Fund (LTF) Article 8a. Call for Projects Schedule: Issue Call for Projects June 2, 2021 Project Proposals Due August 4, 2021 Recommendation to Transit Committee October 14, 2021 Recommendation to Board November 3, 2021 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. 5 Project Completion and Payment: Article 3 funds are not automatically distributed to agencies. Recipients of funding approved by the SBCTA Board shall be reimbursed for expenses incurred up to the amount approved based on claims submittals to SBCTA. Each recipient shall prepare and submit a project completion report, including pictures of the completed project(s) to accompany the request for reimbursement. Recipient must retain all records necessary for the compliance and fiscal audit that will be conducted at the end of each fiscal year. SBCTA will provide funding recipients with the Transportation Development Act Local Transportation Funds Article 3 – Pedestrian, Bicycle Facilities and Access to Transit Claim Form Instructions and appropriate forms for submittal to request reimbursement. Agencies awarded funds will not be reimbursed for any project cost overruns. If an agency is providing a local match on a project and the project is completed under budget, the agency will be reimbursed at the matching ratio in effect at the time of project selection and approval. 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. Progress payments will be available for all projects regardless of the award amount, but will be subject to SBCTA review of project development and local project cost shares.