Title
Approving a resolution of support by the City of Pflugerville, Texas, approving the submittal of an application for project funding under the U.S. Department of Transportation's Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant funding for safety and multimodal projects along E. Pecan Street from Central Commerce Drive to Cameron Road.
Summary
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) published a Notice of Funding Opportunity for $1.5 billion in grant funding through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program for 2024. The program helps communities carry out transportation projects with significant local or regional impact. The deadline for applications is on February 28, 2024. Selections will be announced no later than June 27, 2024. The request is for City Council to provide a resolution in support of the city’s proposed RAISE grant application.
The USDOT wants to select projects that address safety, ensure racial equity, remove barriers to opportunity, and promote sustainability. To submit a strong application, a set of improvements to E. Pecan Street/FM 1825 corridor (from Central Commerce Drive to Cameron Road, just past Weiss Lane) was selected for submission because of the projects meeting the USDOT’s goals for RAISE projects. The proposed improvements are within existing city master plans (e.g., Transportation, Trails) as projects or policy or part of existing Capital Improvements Program projects. The RAISE grant provides the funding for implementation of completed and on-going planning and design.
The Texas Department of Transportation maintains and operates the western portion of Pecan Street, from FM 685 to Central Commerce Drive, and the portion crossing SH 130; the eastern section from FM 685 (just east of downtown) to Cameron Road just east of SH 130 is a city facility (except the SH 130 crossing). The city and the Texas Department of Transportation have partnered to ensure the full length of the corridor provides safe, multi-modal access and connectivity to the many educational, residential, government and services, retail, and industrial uses along the approximately 5.5 mile corridor.
The Pecan Street/FM 1825 improvements for RAISE grant funding include wide off-street shared use paths; drainage improvements; pedestrian crossings and refuges; reduction in lanes widths; raised landscaped medians; intersection enhancements to improve visibility; lane additions with raised medians; acceleration/deceleration/turning lanes; and roundabouts at select intersections to improve safety. Additionally, a proposed new bridge over SH 130 will incorporate grade-separated facilities for low-speed modes (e.g., pedestrians, bikes).
Safety
Safety is a primary concern throughout the Pecan Street/FM 1825 corridor. From 2018-2022, there have been a total of 330 crashes along the corridor with two fatalities, one of which was a pedestrian trying to cross Pecan Street. Prior to 2018, between 2014 and 2017, there were three fatalities, two at intersections. Almost 30% of the crashes between 2018 and 2022, or 93 of the 330 crashes, were injury crashes. The improvements proposed in the RAISE grant aim to significantly reduce the number and severity of crashes. The roadway’s history of a high number of fatality and injury crashes that warrants implementation of safety measures.
Equity/Access to opportunity
E. Pecan Street/FM 1825 travels through disadvantaged census tracts and areas of low vehicle access. This is one of the major reasons why projects on this roadway over others in the city were selected for RAISE grant funding. The proposed improvements expand safe mobility options and improve connectivity to commercial and employment centers in the city, thus helping those in disadvantaged communities access services and jobs. At least $15 million in funding is guaranteed to go towards selected projects located in Areas of Persistent Poverty or Historically Disadvantaged Communities, and projects located in these areas will be eligible for up to 100 percent federal cost share, as directed by Congress in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Sustainability/Climate
Providing shared use paths on both sides of Pecan Street/FM 1825 for the full length of the corridor provides a means for people to walk, bike, or take another sustainable low speed mode to reach all of the development along the corridor as well as north and south via existing shared use paths. In addition, there have been on-going efforts to design efficient and safe intersections near the Pecan Street/SH 130 intersection/corridor which will have significant amount of truck traffic; design a network for the efficient movement of trucks, in addition to cars and other modes, will assist with meeting the US DOT’s climate goals.
The RAISE grant funding would be used to construct improvements in four distinctively different sections of Pecan Street: Section 1 between Central Commerce and Meadow Lane; Section 2 through the Downtown District between Meadow Lane and FM 685; Section 3 from FM 685 to Sun Light Near Way, which transitions from neighborhoods to truck-oriented development; and Section 4 from Sun Light Near Way to the Travis County line, which serves as a major commuter and truck route to/from SH 130 and connects the city to the new large 1849 park. The goal of this RAISE grant funding project is to make all those sections safe and accommodating for all mobility modes.
The City of Pflugerville will be required to provide a 20% match except for projects qualifying for the 100% match in disadvantaged community areas.
This item is supported by the Safety, Infrastructure, Economic Development, and Services pillar of the Strategic Plan.
Prior City Council Action
The proposed RAISE grant project includes several projects previously approved by City Council. The Capital Improvements Program (CIP) projects included in the RAISE grant application are part of the FY 2024-2028 CIP Plan approved by City Council May 9, 2023.
Deadline for City Council Action
February 27, 2024
Funding Expected: Revenue _X_ Expenditure __ N/A __
Budgeted Item: Yes _X_ No _X_ N/A __
Amount: ___N/A_____
1295 Form Required? Yes __ No X
Legal Review Required: N/A _X_ Required __ Date Completed: ___________
Supporting documents attached:
Resolution
RAISE grant project summary
Recommended Action
Approve a resolution of support by the City of Pflugerville, Texas, approving the submittal of an application for project funding under the U.S. Department of Transportation's Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant funding for multimodal projects along E. Pecan Street from Central Commerce Drive to the county line.