Title
Apply for U.S. Department of Transportation Bridge Investment Program Grant Opportunity for Federal Fiscal Year 2021-22 - Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding (Ordinance S-48951)
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to apply for, accept and, if awarded, enter into agreements for disbursement of federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation through the Federal Fiscal Year 2021-22 Bridge Investment Program grant opportunity. If awarded, the funding will be used to replace the bridge over the Grand Canal at 40th and Van Buren streets. Further request to authorize the City Treasurer to accept, and the City Controller to disburse, all funds related to this item. Funding for these grant opportunities is available through the Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The total grant funds applied for will not exceed $15 million and the City's local match would not exceed $3.75 million.
Report
Summary
On June 10, 2022, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity for $2.36 billion in Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2021-22 under their Bridge Investment Program (BIP) for bridge capital projects. Newly established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the BIP grant offers an opportunity to leverage City funds for often cost-prohibitive bridge replacement, rehabilitation, preservation, and protection projects that improve safety, efficiency, and reliability of the movement of people and freight over bridges. The BIP funding is intended to improve the condition of bridges that: are in poor condition; are in fair condition and at risk of falling into poor condition within the next three years; do not meet current geometric design standards; or cannot meet the load and traffic requirements typical of the regional transportation network.
Excluding the Arizona Department of Transportation, the City of Phoenix is one of two municipal agencies in the region that currently manages their own bridge inventory program. The bridge group in the Street Transportation Department has conducted technical studies on several bridges and identified them for either rehabilitation or reconstruction. The funding of these types of capital projects can put a large strain on any Capital Improvement Program. However, anticipating funds from future grant opportunities, the City has initiated a handful of project assessment studies to determine cost and need for a number of high-priority bridge projects.
The bridge identified as the highest priority for replacement is located at 40th and Van Buren streets over the Grand Canal. A feasibility assessment was conducted, and 30 percent design completed in July 2020. At the time of the study, the cost for replacement was about $5.2 million. However, with material shortages, labor costs, and inflationary increases from 2020 to 2022, the anticipated project cost to complete design plans, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) clearance, replace the bridge, upgrade traffic signals to include active transportation features and add Americans with Disabilities Act accommodations, the newly estimated total project cost is approximately $18.75 million with anticipated completion in 2025.
The BIP grant submittal deadline is Sept. 8, 2022.
Financial Impact
The estimated total cost for the project is approximately $18.75 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 $15 million (80 percent) and the City’s costs would be approximately $3.75 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 BIP grant opportunity.
Location
40th and Van Buren streets over the Grand Canal.
Council District: 8
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Mario Paniagua and the Street Transportation Department.