DATE: October 21, 2014
TO: Board of Mayor and Aldermen
FROM: Eric Stuckey, City Administrator
David Parker, City Engineer/CIP Executive
Paul Holzen, Director of Engineering
Jonathan Marston, Staff Engineer III
SUBJECT:
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Consideration of Resolution No. 2014-78 to be entitled: "A Resolution to Submit an Application to the Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Tennessee Department of Transportation for the 2014 Multimodal Access Grant Program"
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Purpose
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide the Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BOMA) with information to consider the resolution to authorize the submittal of the required application materials for the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) 2014 Multimodal Access Grant Program.
Background
Earlier in 2014, the City of Franklin Streets Department completed construction of a sidewalk along Murfreesboro Road (SR-96), from the Harpeth River Bridge to Pinkerton Park. This summer, TDOT completed construction of the Mack Hatcher (SR-397) Northeast Widening project. A part of this project included a multiuse path from Murfreesboro Road (SR-96) to 1,300 feet west of Franklin Road (SR-6/US-31). Unfortunately, these two projects do not connect. On March 13, 2014, the BOMA approved Resolution No. 2014-13, which provided funding for the FY 2014-2018 Capital Investment Program (CIP), including $550,300 for the construction of this missing sidewalk section.
In May and June of 2014, the BOMA approved contracts for survey and design of the proposed sidewalk route. In September 2014, the Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and TDOT announced the 2014 Multimodal Access Grant Program, which is a state-funded program, created to support the transportation needs of transit users, pedestrians and bicyclists through infrastructure projects that address existing gaps along state routes. On October 14, 2014, City staff submitted an abstract, which describes the Murfreesboro Road (SR-96) Sidewalk project, to the MPO. On October 15, 2014, the MPO acknowledged receipt of the City's abstract and granted approval for the City to submit a full application for review.
The Nashville Area MPO serves as the first reviewer of any 2014 Multimodal Access Grant applications that are submitted from within its 10-county membership. Only two (2) project applications may be submitted to TDOT, by any one (1) MPO in the state. Therefore, this is a very competitive program. Final applications for approved projects must be submitted to the MPO no later than October 31, 2014. On December 10, 2014, the MPO will submit the two (2) best candidate projects to TDOT for review.
Financial Impact
In recent submittals to the MPO, City staff has estimated the total cost of this sidewalk project at $800,000. If awarded the grant, the project would be state-funded at 95 percent, with a 5 percent local match required of the City.
Recommendation
Approval of Resolution 2014-78 is recommended.