City of Lawrence

Traffic Engineering Division

Memorandum

 

TO:

Charles Soules, Director of Public Works

FROM:

Shoeb Uddin, City Engineer

Date:

March 30, 2011

CC:

David Woosley, Mark Thiel

RE:

Award of FY 2012 and 2013 Federal Aid Safety Funds by KDOT

 

Background

The Federal Aid Safety Funds is a federal program administered by Kansas Department of Transportation. Under this program, funding is made available to local communities for construction of safety improvements on highways and local streets. The program is competitive and award decisions are made based on life cycle cost-benefit analysis of the proposed improvement measures. This is a 90/10 cost sharing program to pay for the construction cost of safety improvements – 90% federal aid and 10% local match. The local entity is also responsible for 100% of the cost for engineering design and other miscellaneous expenses.

 

In May of 2010 city staff submitted application for Federal Aid Safety Funds for the following projects.

  1. Iowa Street – widen Iowa Street to provide a Center Turn Lane extending from south of Harvard to south of Terrace Road,
  1. 9th and Tennessee – Reconstruct Traffic Signal in order to provide longer Mast Arm and additional signal indications.

 

On March 29, 2011 we received a letter of Award (attached with this memo) for both of these projects. These funds are to be utilized to pay for construction and construction engineering (inspection) costs, with 10% city match.

 

Project Cost / Funding

  1. Widen Iowa Street – this is part of the Iowa Street Reconstruction project. Engineering Design for this project is currently underway.

 

Federal Aid Safety Funds (90%)

$1.2 million (maximum)

City Match (10%)

$ 133,333.33

Total Estimated Construction Cost

$1.33 million

 

City Match (10%) for this project has already been authorized by the City Commission as part of the financing plan for the Iowa Street Reconstruction project. Therefore, the action needed by the City Commission is to accept the federal aid safety funds in the amount of $1.2 million.

 

  1. 9th and Tennessee – Accident analysis suggests that the existing traffic signal (built in the 1970’s) needs to be reconstructed to provide longer mast arm and additional traffic signal indications.

 

Federal Aid Safety Funds (90%)

$150,000.00 (maximum)

City Match (10%)

$16,666.67

Total Estimated Construction Cost

$166,666.67

 

Engineering Design and Construction plans will be done in-house by city staff.

 

Project Schedule

  1. Widen Iowa Street – Engineering Design is currently underway as part of the Iowa Street Reconstruction project with construction scheduled in spring of 2012.
  1. 9th and Tennessee:

Engineering Design and Construction Plans – complete by March of 2012

Construction in summer of 2012

 

Action Request

1.    If appropriate, accept Federal Aid Safety Funds (FY 2012 and 2013) in the amount of $1.2 million to widen Iowa south of Harvard Road to south of Terrace Road.

2.    If appropriate, accept Federal Aid Safety Funds (FY 2012 and 2013) Funds in the amount of $150,000.00 and allocate $16,666.67 as city’s match (10%) to reconstruct the Traffic Signal at 9th and Tennessee. The City’s match to be paid from the Capital Improvement Reserve Fund.

 

KDOT Letter