Title:
Title
Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account (RMRA) Fund: Fiscal Year 2019/20 Programming
End
FileID
File ID: 2019-00617
Location
Location: Citywide
Recommendation:
Recommendation
Adopt a Resolution identifying projects to be funded with Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account (RMRA) funds (Fund 2036) in Fiscal Year 2019/20.
Contact: Lucinda Willcox, Program Manager, (916) 808-5052; Greg Smith, Senior Engineer, (916) 808-8364; Juan Montanez, Streets Manager, (916) 808-2254, Department of Public Works
Body
Presenter: None
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Resolution
3-Exhibit A (RMRA List of Projects for FY2019/20)
Description/Analysis
Issue Detail: Pursuant to Senate Bill 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, prior to receiving an apportionment of formula-based Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Act (RMRA) funds from the State Controller, the City must annually submit to the California Transportation Commission (CTC) a list of projects proposed to be funded in part or whole with these funds. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2019/20, the City is estimated to receive $8.3 million in RMRA funds. This funding is proposed to be included in the Transportation Corridor Program (R15200000) proposed as part of the FY2019/20 Capital Improvement Program.
Staff recommends the neighborhoods/corridors shown in Exhibit A to be funded using the balance of FY2018/19 funding and anticipated FY2019/20 funds, to include funding for design and construction.
Policy Considerations: The recommendations meet the City’s objectives to maintain its infrastructure and achieve the outcomes defined in the State legislation. In addition to basic transportation needs, the local street and road system is also critical for farm to market needs, interconnectivity, multimodal needs, and commerce. Police, fire, and emergency medical services all need safe reliable roads to react quickly to emergency calls.
Economic Impacts: These will be analyzed when construction contracts are awarded.
Environmental Considerations:
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA): Programming funding is an administrative activity and is not considered a project under CEQA Guidelines (Title 14 Cal. Code Reg. §15000 et seq.) § 15378 (b)(4).
Sustainability: The City uses pavement mixes incorporating a mix of recycled materials when possible. In connection with pavement rehabilitation, the City will incorporate improved accessibility and active transportation improvements where feasible. Restoring roads before they fail reduces construction time which results in less air pollution from heavy equipment and less water pollution from site run-off.
Commission/Committee Action: None
Rationale for Recommendation: The California Transportation Commission requires a Resolution identifying plans for anticipated RMRA funds. In 2017, the City had an identified $179 million backlog in deferred pavement maintenance. Given the substantial need in the face of limited funding, staff is developing a five- to ten-year maintenance plan based on balancing the following, sometimes competing, factors:
• Cost effectiveness
• Traffic volumes on affected streets
• Equity
• Opportunity to consolidate/leverage funding and coordinate transportation improvement efforts
• Impacts on pavement from water meter installations
To address various needs, two-thirds of the funding will be focused on arterials, which have the greatest traffic use and offer the greatest opportunities to incorporate additional improvements (e.g., Vision Zero safety enhancements, additional active transportation facilities). The remaining third will be dedicated to residential neighborhoods. Major factors to prioritize residential areas include preventative maintenance (low cost treatments to prevent pavement from deteriorating to where it needs more costly treatments) and rehabilitation of pavement in neighborhoods that have had new water main installations as a result of water meter installations. With the acceleration of water meter installation, there may be a delay in pavement rehabilitation in affected neighborhoods. The water meter program is not able to fund pavement replacement.
Based on these factors, Exhibit A identifies residential areas and arterials to meet these criteria.
Financial Considerations: Funding for FY2019/20 is included as part of the proposed Capital Improvement Program in the Transportation Corridor Program (R15200000). In addition, the remaining funding from FY2018/19 will be spent from the Street and Bikeway Overlay and Seal Program (R15182000).
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable
Background: Senate Bill 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, was signed into law on April 28, 2017. Beginning November 1, 2017, fuel taxes, the State Controller deposited revenues from the increased fuel taxes into the newly created Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account (RMRA). A percentage of this new RMRA funding will be apportioned by formula to eligible cities and counties pursuant to Streets and Highways Code (SHC) Section 2032(h) for basic road maintenance, rehabilitation, and critical safety projects on the local streets and roads system.
RMRA funds are required to be prioritized for expenditure on basic road maintenance and rehabilitation projects, and on critical safety projects, including the following:
§ Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation
§ Safety Projects
§ Railroad Grade Separations
§ Complete Streets Components (including active transportation purposes, pedestrian and bicycle safety projects, transit facilities, and drainage and stormwater capture projects in conjunction with any other allowable project)
§ Traffic Control Devices
§ Funds may also be used to satisfy a match requirement in order to obtain state or federal funds for projects.
SB 1 emphasizes the importance of accountability and transparency in the delivery of California’s transportation programs.
Prior to receiving an apportionment of RMRA funds from the Controller in a fiscal year, a city or county must submit to the CTC a list of projects proposed to be funded with these funds. The list of projects must include a description and the location of each proposed project, a proposed schedule for the project’s completion, and the estimated useful life of the improvement [SHC 2034(a)(1)].
The project list does not limit the flexibility of an eligible city or county to fund projects in accordance with local needs and priorities so long as the projects are consistent with RMRA priorities as outlined in SHC 2030(b) [SHC 2034(a)(1)].
The CTC will report to the Controller the cities and counties that have submitted a list of projects as described in SHC 2034(a)(1) and that are therefore eligible to receive an apportionment of RMRA funds for the applicable fiscal year [SHC 2034(a)(2)].The Controller, upon receipt of the report from the Commission, shall apportion RMRA funds to eligible cities and counties pursuant to SHC 2032(h) [SHC 2034(a)(2)].
For each fiscal year in which RMRA funds are received and expended, cities and counties must submit documentation to the Commission that includes a description and location of each completed project, the amount of funds expended on the project, the completion date, and the estimated useful life of the improvement [SHC 2034(b)].
The City’s 2017 Pavement Conditions Report found that the citywide deferred maintenance backlog is approximately $179 million in needed repairs. Providing preventative maintenance in earlier years costs about one-fourth of the costs as compared with when repair is delayed. Pavement maintenance is also vital to ensure safe bicycle routes and offers opportunities to include other improvements, including accessibility enhancements, new or protected bicycle lanes, upgraded transportation technology, safety improvements, as well as incorporating landscaping and trees, and to implement road diets when feasible.