To: Board of Supervisors
From: Brian M. Balbas, Public Works Director
Report Title: Grant application for the Vasco Road Corridor Safety Improvements Project, Byron area.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and RATIFY the Public Works Director’s prior submittal of a Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program grant application in the amount of $320,000 to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to conduct a feasibility study for transportation improvements along Vasco Road, Byron area. (District III)
FISCAL IMPACT:
If awarded, the recommended feasibility study will be 100% funded by Federal Funds.
BACKGROUND:
On June 15, 2023, the DOT issued the Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program grant opportunity under the IIJA. In the notice, the DOT solicits applications for rural transportation projects that help communities’ advance transformative infrastructure projects by enhancing the safety, efficiency, and equity of the country’s transportation system. The application window opens at 11 A.M. on August 14, 2023, and closes on September 28, 2023. Funds are awarded on a first come, first serve basis, and are expected to be exhausted prior to the end of the application window due to the competitive nature of the grant opportunity.
The DOT has authorized and appropriated $3.4 million of funding to be available for this round of the Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program. The funding program is meant to provide early-stage developmental assistance for rural and tribal infrastructure projects. It will award grants for either the hiring of staff or the procurement of expert firms to provide financial, technical, and legal assistance; assistance with development-phase activities; and information regarding innovative financing best practices and case studies.
The following guidelines apply to this cycle: (1) the total amount of funding sought by any single project sponsor should not be greater than $320,000 to be eligible for 2022 and 2023 funds, (2) there is no requirement for cost sharing or matching the grant funds, and (3) the project for which grant funding is being requested is required to be eligible for one of the following programs: Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act Program (TIFIA), Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing Program (RRIF), Nationally Significant Freight & Highway Projects Program (INFRA), Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity Discretionary Grant Program (RAISE), National Infrastructure Project Assistance Program (Mega), or the National Culvert Removal, Replacement, and Restoration (NCRRR) Grant Program.
Due to the grant program’s awarding of applicants on a first-come, first-serve basis and the competitive nature of the program, Public Works staff submitted an application for a Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program grant when the application window opened on August 14, 2023, at 11:00 AM. The grant application was to request funding for technical service tasks (project planning, feasibility studies, cost estimation), and, if awarded the funds, apply for the RAISE grant for the design and construction of the resulting project from the feasibility study.
According to the Notice of Funding Opportunity, applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
• Appropriateness of services requested
o Current state of project’s development
o Whether proposed tasks are appropriate for current state of project’s development
o Likelihood that requested services will materially advance the project’s advancement
• Viability of grant funds requested
o Whether applicant has obtained bids or quotes for requested advisory services, and applicant’s experience procuring advisory services in the past
o Source and amount of funding the applicant intends to commit (if any) as a contribution to the overall cost of the services being proposed
Projects that receive “Meet” for both scoring criteria will be recommended for award to the Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy, along with the recommended grant amount, which may be less than the requested grant amount due to availability of grant funding remaining.
Public Works staff submitted a single application to conduct a feasibility study for transportation improvements along Vasco Road. Vasco Road is a principal arterial that serves as an important inter-county connection between east Contra Costa County and the adjacent Alameda County. It is a major commuter and truck route that serves over 24,000 commuters daily, and it provides an alternative to the congested Interstate 680 and State Route 4 corridors. Vasco Road consistently ranks highest on Contra Costa County’s road network for annual number of collisions and three fatalities have occurred in the first half of 2023, which has made evident the need for additional safety improvements along the 12-mile length of road. To address these safety concerns, a feasibility study is needed to determine appropriate countermeasures and future improvements.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If the Public Works Department is not authorized to submit the application, funding will not be available.
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I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown. |
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ATTESTED: |
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Monica Nino, County Administrator and Clerk of the Board of Supervisors |
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By: |