City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: SEPTEMBER 18, 2019
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of a Resolution Authorizing Competitive Grant Application(s) to the Virginia Department of Transportation for Biennial Revenue Sharing Program Funding. [ROLL-CALL VOTE].
BODY
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ISSUE: City Council consideration of a competitive grant application(s) to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) for $10 million in biennial Revenue Sharing Program funds for street reconstruction, resurfacing of major roads, and bridge reconstruction.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
(1) Adopt the attached resolution (Attachment 1) to apply for FY 2021 and FY 2022 Revenue Sharing Program funding allocation from VDOT for the Citywide street and alley reconstruction, resurfacing of major roads, and bridge reconstruction;
(2) Authorize the City Manager to submit this resolution and enter into any agreements with the State that may be required to receive these funds should the requested allocation be approved; and
(3) Commit to fund the City's local share of preliminary engineering, right-of-way and construction (as applicable) of the projects under the agreement with VDOT in accordance with the project financial documents.
BACKGROUND: The Commonwealth of Virginia's Revenue Sharing Program provides funding to construct, reconstruct, improve, or maintain roads and bridges within counties, cities or towns in the Commonwealth. Locality funds are matched, dollar for dollar, with state funds, with certain limitations on the amount of state funds authorized per locality. The applications in question are for VDOT FY 2021 and FY 2022.
Applications for revenue sharing funds must be made by resolution of the governing body of the applicant jurisdiction, and funding is allocated by resolution of the Commonwealth Transportation Board. Applications for revenue sharing funds can be made for multiple types of projects including reconstruction and maintenance of roads and bridges. Reconstruction focuses on streets in the worst condition and includes significant road base remediation along with milling and paving.
DISCUSSION: Staff recently updated the city's Pavement Condition Index (PCI) rating and used the data to refine the proposed City FY 2022 paving schedule and develop a draft schedule for City FY 2023. This schedule forms the basis of the City's proposed submission for revenue sharing funding. If approved, revenue sharing funds would be available to the City in the spring of calendar year 2022 and will support the completion of the proposed FY 2022 & FY 2023 paving schedule. If City Council approves the request, a formal Council Resolution
(Attachment 1) must be fully executed and submitted to VDOT by October 1, 2019.
Attachment 2 includes the FY 2022 paving schedule as approved in the FY 2020 to FY 2029 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and the proposed FY 2023 paving schedule as developed from the 2019 PCI rating.
The City is also negotiating with Arlington County on a long-term capital investment and maintenance approach for the bridges connecting the two jurisdictions over Four Mile Run. Two of the structures within the agreement, the bridge connecting Arlington Ridge Road with Mt. Vernon Avenue and the West Glebe Road bridge over Four Mile Run, have been identified as needing replacement. Although the jurisdictions have not yet come to agreement on the plan, the City must submit a grant application now in order to meet the State deadline. The City is currently anticipating that it may reach agreement with Arlington to share partial responsibility for a to-be-determined portion of the total bridge rehabilitation cost for the Arlington Ridge Road Bridge (estimated between $23 and $28 million), and a to-be-determined portion of the total bridge rehabilitation cost for the West Glebe Road Bridge (estimated between $10 and $12 million). Arlington County staff has also indicated that it intends to apply to VDOT for a portion of its funding.
FISCAL IMPACT: Due to the VDOT requirement to have local matching funds designated at the time of the grant submission, the City proposes this project as a new project for inclusion in the Commonwealth's FY 2021 and FY 2022 revenue sharing program. For the biennial FY 2021 and FY 2022 Revenue Sharing funding cycle, the City is requesting a total of $10 million, of which the City would need eventually to formally commit to match the local share amount of $5 million for FY 2021 and $5 million for FY 2022.
The total application amount of Paving Construction request includes $4,580,000 of which $2,290,000 would be the required match. The existing FY 2020 to FY 2029 Capital Improvement Program includes a planned amount for street reconstruction and resurfacing of major roads for $5.5 million in FY 2022 and $5 million in FY 2023 of which $4 million and $2.8 million are programmed to come from City sources each fiscal year. However, the need for the Arlington Ridge Road bridge replacement and West Glebe Road bridge replacement was unknown at the time of development of the City's current CIP. The total application amount for the Arlington Ridge Road bridge replacement is $5,000,000 of which $2,500,000 would be the required match. The total application amount for the West Glebe Road bridge replacement is $420,000 of which $210,000 would be the required match. It is anticipated that the Arlington Ridge Road bridge replacement and the West Glebe Road bridge replacement will be proposed as new projects as part of the City's FY 2021 CIP process. Because the chances of State funding in the near term are low, but higher in the long-term, and because the West Glebe Road bridge needs replacement in the short-term, Arlington and Alexandria staff have consulted and believe that asking for a small amount of State funds for the West Glebe Road bridge and a far greater amount of State funds for the Arlington Ridge bridge is a realistic strategy given VDOT's bridge funding history.
If the revenue sharing application is approved at the full requested amount or a lessor amount, City funds in FY 2022 & FY 2023 would be utilized for the required 1:1 match. It is also important to note that the VDOT revenue sharing funding is subject to availability and approval. Should the FY 2021 & FY 2022 VDOT Revenue Sharing amount (or the City match from the FY 2022 & FY 2023 CIP) be reduced from the requested $10 million, the scope of the Citywide street and alley reconstruction and resurfacing of major roads, and bridge reconstruction will be adjusted accordingly.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Resolution
Attachment 2: Approved FY 2022 & FY 2023 Paving List from FY 2020 to FY 2029 Capital
Improvement Program
STAFF:
Emily A. Baker, Deputy City Manager
Yon Lambert, AICP, Director, T&ES
Morgan Routt, Director, OMB
Jeffrey DuVal, Deputy Director, T&ES
Arthur Wicks, Capital Improvement Program Manager, OMB
Tarrence Moorer, Division Chief, T&ES
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