Title
Apply for U.S. Department of Transportation Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity Grant Opportunity for Federal Fiscal Year 2023-24 - Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding (2 of 2) (Ordinance S-50609)
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to apply for, accept and, if awarded, enter into an agreement for disbursement of Federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) through the Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2023-24 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant opportunity. Further request to authorize the City Treasurer to accept, and the City Controller to disburse, all funds related to this item. Funding for this grant opportunity is available through the Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The total grant funds applied for will not exceed $5.2 million for the planning grant and $40 million for the capital construction grant, and the City’s local match would not exceed $1.1 million and $11 million, respectively. Additionally request, if awarded, to enter into separate agreements with Arizona State University and Mayo Clinic regarding their financial commitments.
Report
Summary
The Street Transportation Department is submitting two separate grant applications for consideration under the FFY 2023-24 USDOT RAISE grant. The first grant submittal is a planning grant that would be used to engage with the community on the final design and environmental study for a multi-modal transportation improvement project along the scenic, historic Dobbins Road corridor between 27th and Central avenues. The project would include bicycle and pedestrian improvements; new curb, gutter, sidewalk, and streetlights; and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and transit improvements.
The second grant submittal would be a capital construction grant to advance the detailed design of a new 1.2-mile multi-lane roadway on 64th Street from Bell Road to Mayo Boulevard. It would also provide the funding to construct the new roadway, including a new roadway bridge across the Central Arizona Project (CAP) Canal that would connect Phoenix residents south of the canal to a growing educational, medical, and commercial area north of the canal to Mayo Boulevard. In addition to the new roadway connection, the project would include multi-modal amenities, including bike lanes and pedestrian facilities, streetlights, traffic signals, and drainage improvements. The project will include a public-private partnership with both Arizona State University and Mayo Clinic, each with a financial commitment of up to $2 million.
The USDOT issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity for the FFY 2023-24 RAISE grant program on Nov. 30, 2023. The deadline for application submittal is Feb. 28, 2024. RAISE grants are awarded on a competitive basis considering these evaluative criteria:
- Improves safety,
- Environmental justice and equity,
- Sustainability,
- Quality of life,
- Mobility and community connectivity,
- Economic competitiveness and opportunity,
- State of good repair,
- Partnership and collaboration,
- Innovative,
- Project readiness, and
- Cost effective.
The FFY 2023-24 RAISE grant specifies that the minimum award amount for urban projects must be at least $5 million and no greater than $25 million.
Financial Impact
The estimated total cost for each project is approximately $5.2 million for the planning grant and $40 million for the capital construction grant. The maximum federal participation rate is 80 percent, with a minimum local match of 20 percent of the total eligible project cost. If awarded, the federal planning grant would not exceed $4.1 million (79 percent), and the City’s cost would be approximately $1.1 million (21 percent) for the local match. The federal capital construction grant would not exceed $25 million (69 percent), and the City's cost would be approximately $11 million (31 percent). A separate public-private partnership agreement with Arizona State University and Mayo Clinic would be required for their participation of up to $4 million toward the capital construction grant.
Funding for the local match is available in the Street Transportation Department's budget.
Location
Council Districts: 2 and 8
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Managers Alan Stephenson and Mario Paniagua and the Street Transportation Department.