HomeMy WebLinkAbout4/18/2001 - STAFF REPORTS (3) DATE: April 18, 2001
TO: City Council
FROM: Grants and Government Affairs Manager
APPROVE RESOLUTION REQUESTING FULL CVAG REGIONAL MEASURE A FUNDING FOR
GENE AUTRY TRAIL WIDENING AT THE WHITEWATER WASH AND 75% CVAG FUNDING
TOWARDS LOCAL GRANT MATCH REQUIREMENTS FOR RAILROAD BRIDGE WIDENINGS
AT INDIAN CANYON DRIVE AND GENE AUTRY TRAIL SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 10.
RECOMMENDATION:
That City Council approve a Resolution requesting that the Coachella Valley Association of
Governments (CVAG) approve Regional Measure A funding to cover the full cost to
construct the Gene Autry Trail widening at the Whitewater River Wash and 75% of the local
match costs for the two grant funded railroad bridge widenings at Gene Autry Trail and
Indian Canyon Drive, south of Interstate 10.
SUMMARY:
The City has successfully competed for STIP and HBRR funding to construct the railroad
bridges at Gene Autry Trail and Indian Canyon Drive and has requested that the GeneAutry
Whitewater Wash bridge be replaced with at-grade pavement widening, all saving the
Measure A Program significant dollars. The City now seeks funding for the roadway
widening and assistance with the matching requirements on the two bridge widenings.
BACKGROUND:
Traffic volumes on Indian Canyon Drive and Gene Autry Trail south and north of Interstate
10, both regional multi-jurisdiction major thoroughfares, have significantly increased over
the years with growth in Palm Springs and adjacent communities to the north. The existing
two lane roadway configurations are grossly deficient and must be widened to handle
current and projected high traffic volumes. According to CVAG Traffic Studies, Indian
Canyon Drive has a 2020 projected Average Daily Traffic (ADT) volume of about 32,000
cars a day. Gene Autry Trail has a CVAG projected 2020 ADT of over 43,000 cars a day.
Those volumes cannot be accommodated on two lane roadways. Peak commute traffic
periods already generate sufficient volumes to cause traffic backups as long as one mile at
times on both roadways.
City staff has applied for and received two federally funded grants to widen the existing
railroad bridges on both roadways.$1,842,000 in STIP grantfunds were approved by RCTC
for the railroad bridge widening on Gene Autry Trail and $1,955,000 in HBRR grant funds
were approved for the railroad bridge widening on Indian Canyon Drive. In addition, CVAG
and federal grants have been obtained to design and construct the 1-10 Interchange at Gene
Autry/Palm and CVAG has also authorized design of the Indian/1-10 Interchange.
Engineering consultants are designing both interchanges at this time. The federal grant
matches required of the City forthe above two railroad bridges are Gene Autry- $789,000
(30% of project cost) and Indian Canyon - $488,750 (20% of project cost).
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April 18, 2001 CVAG Resolution Approval
Page Two
Mayor Will Kleindienst (CVAG Transportation Committee) and Councilperson Deyna
Hodges(CVAG Executive Committee)cosigned a letterto Corky Larson, Executive Director
of CVAG,on January 10,2001, indicating the City'swillingness to postpone the construction
of the extremely expensive all-weather bridge crossing of the Whitewater River at Gene
Autry Trail(CVAG cost estimate=$32 million-ref. CVAG:TPPS GAT 2&3).The City's 50%
matching cost of the bridge would total $16 million, but the City does not have access to
such a significant match amount. The City does support the proposed at-grade widening
of Gene Autry Trail to up to six lanes and therefore requests full CVAG funding for the at-
grade widening in exchange for the bridge construction proposed to be delayed to the
future, hopefully to be approved by voters as Measure A Phase 2.
The two railroad bridge grants and the reduction of Gene Autry/Whitewater crossing to an
at-grade crossing have saved Measure A approximately $20 million, thus allowing many
other regional Coachella Valley projects to proceed which could not have been funded
under the current Measure A program. The City budget does not contain the necessary
funds to meet the matching requirements for the above projects.
Attached is a Resolution seeking CVAG approval of full funding for the Gene Autry Trail at
Whitewater at-grade crossing and 75% funding of the City match for the two railroad
bridges.
ROBERT L. MOHLER DAVID J. BARAKIAN
Grants and Government Affairs Manager City Engineer
r
ALLEN F. SMOOT, AAE
Assistant City Manager-Special Projects
APPROVED:
City Manager
ATTACHMENT: Resolution REVIEWED BY DEPT.OF FINANCE
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RESOLUTION NO. 20028
OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM SPRINGS,
CALIFORNIA,APPROVING A RESOLUTION REQUESTING FULL
COACHELLA VALLEY ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS
(CVAG) REGIONAL MEASURE A FUNDING FOR THE GENE
AUTRY TRAIL ROADWAY WIDENING AT THE WHITEWATER
WASH NORTH OF VISTA CHINO AND 75% CVAG FUNDING
TOWARDS PALM SPRINGS LOCAL GRANT MATCH
REQUIREMENTS FOR RAILROAD BRIDGE WIDENINGS AT
INDIAN CANYON DRIVE AND GENE AUTRY TRAIL SOUTH OF
INTERSTATE 10.
WHEREAS, the City of Palm Springs has received two federal grants to widen two railroad bridges
south of Interstate 10: 1. Gene Autry Trail for$1,842,000 in STIP funds and 2. Indian Canyon Drive
for$1,955,000 in HBRR funds; and
WHEREAS, the City of Palm Springs wishes to delay construction of the expensive Gene Autry Trail
bridge crossing of the Whitewaterwash, north of Vista Chino(estimated by CVAG at$32 Million- $16
Million in Measure A funds- $16 Million in Palm Springs funds) until a future Measure A Phase 2
program ; and
WHEREAS, the City of Palm Springs wishes to proceed with roadway widening to up to six lanes on
Gene Autry Trail at the Whitewater wash to accommodate projected large traffic volumes using full
Regional Measure A funding from CVAG in trade for relinquishment of the expensive bridge
construction; and
WHEREAS, the City of Palm Springs wishes to receive 75% CVAG Regional Measure A funding
assistance towards the local Palm Springs grant match forthe two federal (STIP and HBRR) grants
for the railroad bridge widenings on Gene Autry Trail and Indian Canyon Drive due to the grants the
City received for the bridges, thereby saving CVAG $3.8 Million in Measure A funds.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Palm Springs requests:
1. That the expensive bridge construction on Gene Autry Trail, north of Vista Chino at the Whitewater
river wash, be postponed by CVAG to a future Measure A program.
2. That CVAG approve Regional Measure A funding to cover the full cost to construct the at-grade
roadway widening of Gene Autry Trail, north of Vista Chino, to provide up to six lanes at the
Whitewater river wash.
3. That CVAG approve Regional Measure A funding to cover 75% of the local Palm Springs match
costs for the two grant funded railroad bridge widenings at Gene Autry Trail and at Indian Canyon
Drive, south of Interstate 10.
The above requests are made possible due to the approximate $20 Million in combined Measure A
savings generated by the City of Palm Springs by this action by postponing the construction of the
Gene Autry Trail bridge crossing of the Whitewater river wash to a possible future MeasureA program;
and the City's acquisition of outside federal grants for two railroad bridge widenings.These significant
savings can be passed on by CVAG to other Coachella Valley regional projects that can now be
funded under the current 20-year Measure A Program prior to it's expiration on June 30, 2009.
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Resolution 20028
Resolution- CVAG Measure A Funds- Page 2
Adopted this 1 uth day of Apr;j 12001.
AYES: Members Hodges, Jones, Reller-Spurgin and Mayor Bleindienst
NOES: None
ABSENT: Member Oden
ATTEST: CITY OF PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA
by
City Clerk City Manager
REVIEWED &APPROVED AS TO FORM
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