Title
Apply for U.S. Department of Transportation Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Opportunity for Federal Fiscal Year 2021-22 - Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding (Ordinance S-48976)
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 through the Federal Fiscal Year 2021-22 Safe Streets and Roads for All grant opportunity. If awarded, the funding will be used for implementation of projects and strategies in the City’s Road Safety Action Plan. 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 $30 million and the City's local match would not exceed $7.5 million.
Report
Summary
The Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) is a new funding program under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which was signed into law on Nov. 15, 2021. The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity for the SS4A program for $1 billion in Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2021-22 on May 24, 2022. The intent of the new program is to offer a competitive discretionary grant opportunity to support planning, infrastructure, and behavioral and operational initiatives to prevent death and serious injuries involving all roadway users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation users, personal conveyance, micromobility users, motorists and commercial vehicle operators.
At the same time, the Street Transportation Department is working to complete the Road Safety Action Plan (RSAP), and Council approval is being requested on Sept. 7, 2022. One of the key SS4A grant requirements to apply for funding designated under Implementation Grants, which has $600 million available (of the total $1 billion) is to have an approved RSAP. Applying under year one of a five-year grant program puts the City in a competitive advantage, since most local and national jurisdictions have not initiated their road safety action plans yet. If awarded, funds under this first year of funding would enable the City to deliver on the much-anticipated and needed projects and strategies defined and prioritized in Phoenix's RSAP.
The City intends to submit a grant application with a total project cost up to $37.5 million, which includes final design, environmental, and construction costs related to the implementation of projects that will deliver countermeasure solutions to improve roadway safety Citywide.
The SS4A grant submittal deadline is Sept. 15, 2022.
Financial Impact
The estimated total cost for the project is approximately $37.5 million. The maximum federal participation rate is 80 percent with a minimum local match of 20 percent of the total project cost. If awarded, the federal match would not exceed $30 million (80 percent) and the City’s costs would be approximately $7.5 million (20 percent) for the local match.
Funding for the local match is available in the Street Transportation Department's Capital Improvement Program budget. Potential grant funding received is available through the Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, from the U.S. Department of Transportation through the FFY 2021-22 SS4A grant opportunity.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Mario Paniagua and the Street Transportation Department.