Purpose

Staff requests Council approval of a resolution to accept a Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Grant � Cycle One from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and to amend the Fiscal Year 2007-08 budget to front funds for the project.  This grant is fully funded by Federal SAFETEA-LU Section 1404 monies.

BACKGROUND

The Safe Routes to School Grant program is designed to improve and enhance the safety of pedestrian and bicycle facilities and related infrastructure on identified school travel routes.  Caltrans has historically funded the Safe Routes to School program using both federal and local monies, but FHWA began to fully fund the program beginning in 2005 as a part of the SAFETEA-LU transportation funding bill.  These federal funds are administered by Caltrans.  This year is the first cycle of the new authorization, and California received a total of $35 million for this Fiscal Year.

In September 2006, staff applied for a Safe Routes to School grant for student travel enhancements on two major corridors that involved seven elementary schools and two middle schools.  On May 22, 2007, Caltrans notified staff that the grant application for this new program was approved as Project Number SRTSD07-0004 for the total requested funding of $887,600.  The Burbank grant was the fourth highest rated project among a total of 88 approved projects in California, which were selected from 459 applications.  The grant funds must be used before the end of 2008.

ANALYSIS

The Safe Routes to School grant application included improvements to walking and bicycle routes along two main travel corridors for nine (9) schools in Burbank: Providencia, Bret Harte, Roosevelt, and Stevenson elementary schools and Luther Burbank Middle School along Hollywood Way; and Jefferson, Emerson, and Miller elementary schools and John Muir Middle School along Glenoaks Boulevard.  The planned improvements include pedestrian countdown signal heads at eleven locations, automatic bicycle detection at ten signalized intersections, sidewalk extensions, or bulb-outs at four locations, and new sidewalk at four locations.

Pedestrian countdown signals will be installed at six existing traffic signals on Glenoaks Boulevard and at six signals on Hollywood Way.  These devices will display the time remaining for pedestrians to clear the crosswalk before the vehicle signal turns green.  The additional pedestrian crossing information will improve pedestrian safety in these crosswalks.

Bicycle detection will be added to six traffic signals on Glenoaks Boulevard and at six signals on Hollywood Way.  The automatic detection will enable bicyclists to cross the main streets without dismounting to push the pedestrian pushbutton.  The installation will also include pavement markings to indicate the bicycle detection.  Exhibit 1 lists the construction items for this project, and the specific location of the work is shown in Exhibit 2.

Four sidewalk bulb-outs will be installed at three schools.  John Muir School will have bulb-outs at Kenneth Road and Cornell Drive and at Kenneth Road and Delaware Road.  Luther Burbank School will have one installed at Jeffries Avenue and Screenland Drive, and a bulb-out will be installed at Jeffries Avenue and California Street for Bret Harte School.  A typical bulb-out installation, illustrated in Exhibit 3, will narrow the street crossing by extending the sidewalk into the parking lane.

New sidewalk will be installed on both sides of Screenland Drive between Jeffries Avenue and Victory Boulevard[1], on the east side of Hollywood Way between Burbank Boulevard and Jeffries Avenue, and on the west side of Hollywood Way between Jeffries Avenue and Victory Boulevard.  Slightly over one mile of new sidewalk will be installed.

FISCAL IMPACT

The fiscal impact to Burbank includes both acquisition (capital) costs and maintenance / replacement costs of the new systems.

Capital Costs - The Safe Routes to School grant program funds 100 percent of the total construction cost of each project. The total cost of the project is $887,600 all of which is covered by the Safe Routes to School Grant.  Thus, the entire $887,600 for the project will be fully reimbursed by the Safe Routes to School Grant. The $887,600 covered by the grant will be initially fronted by the City from Fund 105 (Proposition C Transportation Fund). Caltrans will reimburse the City for these costs at the end of the project. The proposed resolution appropriates $887,600 from account number 105.ND000.30004.0000.00000 (Proposition C Unappropriated Balance) to project number 105.CD33A.70005.0000.17839 (Safe Routes to School Cycle 7 Grant).  

Maintenance / Replacement Costs � On-going operations costs vary by type of improvement.  The maintenance costs for sidewalk and bulb-outs will be negligible.  Maintenance of the signs and pavement markings will be borne by the current signing and striping maintenance budget.   The additional detection and signaling devices for the existing traffic signals are designed to last 8 to 10 years.  Replacement of the devices will be incorporated into the annual traffic signal maintenance budget.

RECOMMENDATION

Staff recommends that the Council approve the proposed resolution accepting the Safe Routes to School Cycle One grant for Project No. SRTSD07-0004 and amending the Fiscal Year 2007-08 budget to provide for the project funding.

Attachments

Exhibit 1 � Grant Cost Elements

Exhibit 2 � SR2S Proposed Improvements

Exhibit 3 � Typical Sidewalk Bulb-Out

Exhibit 4 � Caltrans Notification Letter

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