Purpose

To request City Council authorization to apply for State funding available under Article 3 of the Transportation Development Act (TDA), SB 821.

Background

The TDA funds are administered by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Funding is available to local jurisdictions according to a formula based on population. These funds may be used for bicycle and pedestrian facilities, including bikeway commuter paths, bicycle commuter parking, sidewalk wheelchair ramps, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) required signage, and sidewalk repair and construction. The funds can also be used for engineering expenses and right-of-way acquisition related to the aforementioned types of improvements.

In the past, these funds have been used to assist in the development and construction of various bikeway and pedestrian projects, such as the Chandler Bikeway.  Before the Chandler Bikeway project, Public Works used these funds for the construction and repair of public sidewalks and pedestrian ramps. 

Analysis

Staff is requesting City Council authorization to apply for the City�s share of their TDA funds of $53,166 from FY 2004-2005. Staff proposes to use these funds to provide for the local match portion of two different grants that the City of Burbank has received. 

The first grant is for the Hollywood Way Bikeway project, a top priority project included as part of the City�s new Bicycle Master Plan (reviewed and adopted by Council on December 9, 2003), would assume $30,786 of the TDA funds to meet the local match requirements of a $274,500 grant that the City of Burbank received in March 2006 . 

The Hollywood Way Class II Bikeway Project would add a striped bicycle lane on Hollywood Way and would include modifications to the median and sidewalk of the Hollywood Way underpass at Empire Avenue to provide bicycle lanes while reducing travel lanes widths from 14-foot to standard 12-foot travel lanes.  This route is included in the City�s Bicycle Master Plan. 

The second grant that the City of Burbank has received is �Safe Routes to School Cycle 6�, as presented by the Public Works staff and approved by Council on August 17, 2006.  This grant will require a 10% local match of $22,380 (Grant total of $223,800).  Work includes improvements to walking and bicycle routes for three (3) schools in Burbank: William McKinley Elementary School, Thomas Edison Elementary School, and George Washington Elementary School. 

Article 3 funds are not automatically distributed to the local jurisdictions. Before the end of each fiscal year a jurisdiction must either request the drawdown of its Article 3 funds or reserve the funds for future use by filing a TDA Article 3 Bicycle and Pedestrian Funds Local Claim Form. The form also identifies the project to be funded. Funds may be drawn down once a project contract has been awarded.

Fiscal Impact

If the City Council authorizes the submittal of the TDA Article 3 Bicycle and Pedestrian Funds Local Claim Form, it will provide a revenue source of $53,166 to be used toward the construction costs for the two projects stated above. No matching funds or future funding commitment from the City is associated with filing for, or receiving these funds. The funds that are normally used to make up the local match for a grant can be applied to other projects. Staff requests council to appropriate $53,166 from 001.ND000.30004.0000.000000 to 370.PW21A.70020.0000.000000. 

Recommendation

Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the proposed resolution authorizing the Community Development Director to submit the claim form requesting the drawdown of the 2004-2005 Transportation Development Act Article 3 Bicycle and Pedestrian Funds.