City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
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DATE: APRIL 21, 2021
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TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
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FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
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DOCKET TITLE:?????????????????????
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Deferral of Upper King Street Multimodal Improvements SMART SCALE Grant Application. [ROLL-CALL VOTE]
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ISSUE: Consideration of whether to defer and withdraw the Upper King Street Multimodal Improvements SMART SCALE Round 4 grant application.
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RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
1. Defer the $36.8 million Upper King Street Multimodal Reconstruction grant application to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) SMART SCALE Round 4 (FY26 to FY27) program; and
2. Tentatively plan to resubmit an Upper King Street project for SMART SCALE (FY28 to FY29) funding consideration after the necessary civic engagement has been undertaken and a preferred alternative approved by City Council.
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BACKGROUND: City Council, based on staff recommendations, on March 4, 2020 authorized submission to VDOT of five projects as part of SMART SCALE Round 4 funding for FY 2026 and FY 2027. Because SMART SCALE applications fund projects six years in the future, VDOT requires governing body advance approval of all grant applications. The City submission included a proposal for the Upper King Street Multimodal Reconstruction for up to $40 million. The language in the March 4, 2020 docket memo notes the project "would fund design, right-of-way and construction of traffic/multimodal and streetscape improvements along King Street between King/Quaker/Braddock and North Hampton Drive. Today, there is a significant lack of these facilities, contributing to safety needs along this corridor."
City planning documents reference community support for multimodal transportation, streetscape and stormwater investment in this important City gateway. In 2016, the Pedestrian and Bicycle Mas...
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