Memorandum

City of Lawrence

 

TO:

Dave Corliss, Interim City Manager

Debbie Van Saun, Assistant City manager

 

FROM:

Bill Ahrens, Transportation Planner

Charles Soules, Public Works Director

 

CC:

Sheila Stogsdill, Acting Planning Director

Cliff Galante, Transit Administrator

Terese Gorman, City Engineer

David Woosley, Traffic Engineer

Keith Browning

 

Date:

September 7, 2006

 

RE:

Intelligent Transportation System Architecture Study

 

 

 

Please include the following item on the City Commission consent agenda for consideration at the September 12, 2006 meeting:

Request for Proposals – Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Architecture Study

The City of Lawrence is accepting written statements of proposals for transportation consulting services to assist staff with development of a Regional Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Architecture for the Lawrence/Douglas County metropolitan area. The proposed ITS plan will meet the minimum requirements of 23 CFR Parts 655 and 940 – Intelligent Transportation System Architecture and Standards; Final Rule.

 

Project History

Federal law requires that each metropolitan area in the country develop and maintain a Regional ITS Architecture, providing a framework for institutional agreements and technical integration of ITS implementation projects. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) reviewed City of Lawrence federal aid projects and determined that the 7th & Kentucky signalization project constituted an ITS installation. Since Federal regulations require that a regional ITS architecture be in place within four years of a final project design, FHWA has determined that the Lawrence area must have an ITS architecture developed by November 11, 2008.

 

At a joint study session on May 11, 2006, KDOT staff presented an overview of ITS requirements and technologies. Following that study session, city and county staff have met with KDOT to discuss funding and appropriate level of effort for developing a regional ITS architecture.

Project Details

The regional ITS will include transportation, incident response, and emergency response operations that may involve agencies with jurisdiction inside and outside of the MPO planning area boundary. This ITS Architecture development project will include all of Douglas County.

 

This project will identify potential stakeholders, provide informational briefings, training,  and workshops to stakeholders to educate them about ITS, provide guidance and facilitation of stakeholder meetings, develop the regional ITS architecture per KDOT and Federal requirements, provide recommendations for ITS integration into regional transportation planning, provide guidance for maintaining the regional ITS architecture, and provide recommendations for how to incorporate ITS elements into local infrastructure development standards.

 

 

Project Funding.

This project is estimated to cost $150,000 and will be funded with 80% federal funds from KDOT, Planning, and Transit. These fund sources require a 20% non-federal matching share. The federal funds and matching share available through Planning and Transit are budgeted. Federal funds being made available from KDOT (approximately $30,000) will require provision of approximately $6,000 match. Staff is also pursuing Douglas County participation in the project.

 

The City will need to have an agreement executed with KDOT prior to signing a contract with the selected consultant. To secure KDOT financial participation, the following steps will need to occur:

-  Signed City/State agreement;

-  KDOT's project authorization approval;

-  Federal approval (since the funds KDOT has are federal);

-  Proposed City/Consultant agreement reviewed and approved by KDOT, FHWA, and FTA;

-  City/Consultant signed agreement.

 

Action Request

Staff requests approval from the City Commission to authorize the issuance of a Request for Proposals for an engineering study to develop a regional ITS.