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File #: 21-0031   
Type: Information Only Status: Agenda Ready
Meeting Body: Transportation, Infrastructure and Innovation Subcommittee
On agenda: 2/3/2021 Final action:
Title: Street Transportation Department Five-Year Capital Improvement Program Update
District: Citywide
Title
Street Transportation Department Five-Year Capital Improvement Program Update

Description
This report provides the Transportation, Infrastructure and Innovation Subcommittee with an update on the Street Transportation Department's capital projects for Fiscal Year 2021, and the proposed future Fiscal Year 2021-25 Five-Year Capital Improvement Program.

THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY.

Report
Summary
The Street Transportation Department (Streets) regularly provides the Transportation, Infrastructure and Innovation Subcommittee (TI&I) with information about the condition of the City's streets, including an overview of programs, funding sources, and challenges, as well as a report on future capital infrastructure needs.

Streets funding sources include State of Arizona Highway User Revenue Funds (HURF), Transportation 2050 (T2050), Federal and Local Aid, Capital Construction Fund (CCF), and Impact Fees. The passage of Proposition 104 / T2050 in August 2015 provided an additional funding source for street improvement projects starting Jan. 1, 2016. City staff has worked with the Citizens Transportation Commission (CTC), TI&I Subcommittee, and City Council to identify, program, and execute projects that meet the goals of T2050 and set priorities for projects moving forward. As these efforts continue, Streets incorporates these projects, including budgets and schedules, into the Capital Improvement Program (CIP).

Streets utilizes five major areas to guide capital funding investments:
Accelerated Pavement Maintenance Program / Pavement Maintenance;
Major New and Expanded Streets;
Mobility Improvements;
Technology Enhancements; and
Storm Water Improvements.

These prioritized areas are designed to assist the department to best address public expectations, support traffic and travel demands, facilitate commercial and residential development, and work on local and regional drainage needs throughout the City.

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 preliminary expenditure estimate for Streets' CIP is approximately $249 million, and estimated total project expenditures of $986 million over the life of the five-year FY 2021-25 CIP.

Project Overview
Some of the major transportation projects currently underway and/or programmed within the CIP include:

Accelerated Pavement / Pavement Maintenance
The FY 2021-25 Streets CIP includes expending the remaining bond funds provided with the additional $200 million in bond funding approved in FY 2020 to accelerate the pavement maintenance program and implement citywide pavement overlay projects.

The CIP includes major maintenance activities, including pavement restoration and refurbishment, bridge rehabilitation and inspection, and other major activities focused on keeping the City's street transportation network in a good state. Projects programmed for maintenance in FY 2021 and in the five-year CIP include the pavement preservation program (crack seal, slurry/micro seal, and asphalt overlay), bridge preventive maintenance (rehabilitation, maintenance, and inspection), alley dustproofing, street sweeper equipment purchases, landscape maintenance and storm damage repairs.

Major New and Expanded Streets
The following Major New and Expanded Streets projects are anticipated to begin design and construction in the years noted with a goal to build streets out to their ultimate cross-sections (widths) with the following types of improvements where feasible: pavement rehabilitation; curb, gutter, sidewalk and bridge improvements; bike lane facilities enhancements; landscaping improvements; and traffic signal, intersection and storm drain improvements.
Jomax Road: I-17 to Norterra Parkway - Construction planned in FY 2021; and
13th Street: Van Buren to Moreland Streets - Construction planned in FY 2022.

In addition, the following T2050 Major New and Expanded Streets projects were recommended for approval by the CTC and TI&I Subcommittee:
Pinnacle Peak Road: 45th to 43rd Avenues - Construction planned in FY2021;
Buckeye Road: 67th to 59th Avenues - Construction planned in FY 2021;
43rd Avenue: McDowell Road to Virginia Avenue - Construction planned for FY 2021;
43rd Avenue: Virginia Avenue to the Grand Canal - Design in process with construction planned for FY 2022;
Lower Buckeye Road: 27th to 19th Avenues - Design in process with construction planned for FY 2022;
35th Avenue: Camelback to Bethany Home Roads - Design in process with construction planned for FY 2022; and
BUILD Grant - 35th Avenue: I-10 to Camelback Road - Design in process with construction planned for FY 2022.

Maricopa Department of Transportation (MCDOT) partnership projects:
Southern Avenue: 51st to 37th Avenues - Design in process with construction planned for FY 2022; and
Lower Buckeye Road: 71st to 67th Avenues - Design complete with construction planned for FY 2022.

Mobility Improvements
Recognizing the multimodal use of the City's roadways, pedestrian and bicycle mobility projects support efforts to increase the safety, mobility, and accessibility of City streets for all users. The term active transportation has evolved to encompass alternative modes of transportation that typically were referred to as bicycle and pedestrian modes to reach expanding multimodal users on our public roadways.

Several HURF-funded projects focused on moving the City towards delivery of more active transportation projects that create a connected low-stress, low-volume bicycle and pedestrian network. Some of these projects, listed below, are also leveraging other local and federal funding.
Oak Street: 3rd Street to Grand Canal - Construction in FY 2021;
3rd Street: Roosevelt Street to Indian School Road - Construction in FY 2022; and
3rd and 5th Avenues: McDowell to Thomas Roads - Design in FY 2021.

In addition, the following HURF and federally funded programs are included in the CIP:
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance Improvements: This program installs, replaces, or improves ADA ramps citywide that are non-existent or in need of upgrades to meet ADA requirements. Ramp improvements will lead to a more accessible transportation system for persons with disabilities. Funds are programmed for ramps in all years of the five-year CIP; and
Active Transportation Plan Update: The Bicycle Master Plan was first adopted in November 2014. This fiscal year, staff has begun to work on updating the Bicycle Master Plan under a new name, Active Transportation Plan, in partnership with the Maricopa Association of Governments. The updated plan will help guide and define bicycle facility improvements that will utilize existing annual funding for multimodal/active transportation projects.

The following T2050 Mobility Improvements Program approved by the CTC and City Council are in active construction in FY 2021:
43rd Avenue: McDowell to Bell Roads;
7th Avenue: Watkins to Grant Streets;
Scottsdale Road: Mayo Boulevard to State Route 101;
Grand Canal and 14th Street Connection; and
Area Bounded By Cave Creek Road to 26th Street, and Angela to Marco Polo Drives.

In addition, the following T2050 Mobility Improvements projects are planned for design in FY 2022:
56th Street: Thomas to Indian School Roads; and
20th Street: Grand Canal to Highland Avenue.

Technology Enhancements
Technology Enhancement projects are intended to implement technology solutions to improve traffic operations and achieve efficiencies in the operation and maintenance of the City's street network.

Some of the major technology enhancement projects currently underway and/or programmed within the proposed CIP include:
Intersection Technology - Signal system upgrades involve the latest technology tools needed to support the City's growing traffic signal technology and infrastructure, which include signal controllers and cabinets, software, cameras, message boards, wireless radios, servers, and other related devices necessary to support and improve the traffic signal network and the Traffic Management Center (TMC). These upgrades are critical to improve the efficiency and monitoring of 1,158 traffic signals and to support special events, traffic management, and other traffic improvement initiatives. Upgrade funding is included in the Streets' CIP allowing up to five intersections per year. The program will allow an additional five intersections to be upgraded beginning in FY 2023;
Illuminated Street Name Signs - improve visibility and legibility of street name signs at longer distances and in varying driving conditions. In addition, they reduce the attention required to read street names, thus giving drivers more time to plan their maneuvers at intersections. Streets has programmed annual HURF funding in the amount of $1.2 million to replace illuminated street name signs as they reach end of ten-year service life; and
Fiber Communications / Enhanced Program - Fiber communications is integral to data communication citywide. Expanding fiber enhances operations at intersections and allows signals to be managed more efficiently by staff at the TMC. Current funding allows for two to three miles to be installed per year. The program would allow an additional two to three miles to be installed beginning in FY 2022.

Storm Water Improvements
Storm Water projects for flood mitigation are focused on planning and building major facilities, including basins and pipelines, in partnership with the Flood Control District of Maricopa County (FCDMC), to implement storm water and floodplain management solutions. Typically, the City's major storm water projects are built under a cost-sharing agreement between the City of Phoenix and the FCDMC and detailed in a project-specific Intergovernmental Agreement, in which the County has required a 50 percent matching requirement. At this time, there is no dedicated local funding source to support additional projects. However, within the existing funding resources, several capital projects are currently underway and/or programmed within the CIP and listed below.

Construction planned in FY 2022:
27th and Olney Avenues Storm Drain - The project will build storm drain along Olney Avenue east of 27th Avenue and then extend along 27th Avenue from Olney to South Mountain Avenues connecting to the existing detention basin located at the northeast corner of 27th and South Mountain Avenues. The project is in partnership with FCDMC. The project's design has been completed and awaiting the necessary land rights to build the project;
Palm Lane and 30th Street Storm Drain - The project will build a storm drain along Palm Lane from 28th Place to 32nd Street in partnership with the FCDMC and the Department of Emergency and Military Affairs (DEMA). The project's design is almost complete; and
Rawhide Wash Project - The project will build drainage improvements, including floodwalls and levees, in the Rawhide Wash in partnership with FCDMC and the City of Scottsdale, and the project limits extend from Pinnacle Peak to just north of Happy Valley Roads in the City of Scottsdale to reduce the existing floodplain in Phoenix.

Design planned in FY 2022:
Shaw Butte Mountain Access Tower Road Drainage Improvements - This project consists of a new containment berm along the north edge of the Shaw Butte Mountain Service Tower Access Road, extending the existing containment berm easterly to the wash at the Shaw Butte Trailhead entrance. This project is in partnership with FCDMC and Arizona Public Service (APS);
19th Avenue and Dobbins Road Project - The project will construct drainage improvements in the vicinity of 19th Avenue and Dobbins Road. The improvements include a drainage basin, inlets, and a storm drain and begins in the area of 15th Avenue and Dobbins Road and extends along Dobbins Road towards the existing basin located at the northwest corner of 27th and South Mountain Avenues. The project is in partnership with FCDMC; and
Paradise Ridge Project - The project consists of building a channel system and associated structures to contain and convey the 100-year storm.

Challenges
Several current and ongoing funding challenges include:
Highway User Revenue Fund (HURF) - HURF is the primary funding source for Streets' CIP. The effectiveness and long-term sustainability of this fund has, and is expected to continue to be, diminished over time as a result of increased electric vehicle utilization, improved vehicle fuel efficiencies, use of alternate modes of transportation, lack of any fuel tax increase since 1991 while maintenance costs have continued to increase. Over the last 10 months, HURF revenues have fluctuated as a direct result of the COVID pandemic; and
Capital Construction Fund (CCF) - CCF is a telecommunications-based revenue source related to the use of City right-of-way. This fund has been declining for several years due to shifts in telecommunications technology to activities that are not taxable under current law. This fund continues to decrease and is expected to decline further in future years.

Opportunities
Streets continues to pursue all funding opportunities whenever solicitations are made through our local regional transportation organization, state agency, or federal agency when notice of funding and/or call for projects are announced that align well with the City’s transportation goals and objectives. This past year, Streets submitted several competitive grant applications and has been successful in securing over $53 million in funding for planning, design, and/or construction of transportation projects that help leverage City dollars programmed in the proposed future FY 2021-25 CIP. This increases the City’s ability to start and complete more exciting transportation projects that benefit the growing community needs, including projects that improve safety, technology, and active transportation.

Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Mario Paniagua and the Street Transportation Department.