HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/17/2003 - STAFF REPORTS (36) DATE: December 17, 2003
TO: City Council
FROM: Director of Public Works/City Engineer
FEDERAL STIP AND STP FUNDS
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that City Council support the deletion of the Indian Canyon Drove
Widening Project and the Gene Autry Trail Railroad Bridge Project from the STIP and
include the projects for future Federal STP Funds, in accordance with action to be
presented to the RCTC Board in January 2004.
SUMMARY:
Approval of this item will authorize staff to inform RCTC of the City's support with respect
to removing the City's two named projects from the delayed STIP funding, and including
them on a list to be funded using future STP Funds, upon approval of the new TEA21 Bill
by Congress.
BACKGROUND:
The City has approved STIP Funding for the Gene Autry Trail Bridge over the Union
Pacific Railroad and the Indian Canyon Drive Widening through the Whitewater Wash, in
the 2000 and 2002 STIP respectively. The approved amounts are $1,842,000 for Gene
Autry and $2,198,826 for Indian. STIP Funding is currently not available and no
authorizations are being granted by the California Transportation Commission (CTC),
RCTC's best estimate is that STIP Funding is pushed out at least until 2006/2007,
although they do not know for sure and will not until the CTC fund estimates are approved
and adopted. The State's financial situation has forced all local agency projects funded
by this program to be delayed or possibly lost entirely. Anew highway funding bill(TEA21)
is anticipated to be approved by Congress early next year. Should that occur, it is
anticipated that money for Coachella Valley projects previously funded in the STIP will be
able to utilize STP Funding. RCTC staff is recommending to the Board that unallocated
STIP discretionary projects, which include the Indian and Gene Autry Projects, be
substituted with STP Funds, upon passage of the new bill. STP Funds are much less
restrictive and easier to administer than STIP Funds. It should be noted, however, that the
two projects are currently approved for STIP Funding. The only question, when and if
those funds will ever be available. Further, although past highway bills have included
sufficient funds for many Coachella Valley projects, there is no guarantee that the bill will
be passed, nor that if it is passed, that the amount will be sufficient to fund both of these.
It is anticipated that will occur, however there is no guarantee.
Staff had requested through Caltrans in October of last year, authorization to begin the
Engineering Design and Environmental process for the Indian Canyon Drive Project. We
have not been able to start anything on this project due to the State's financial situation.
Staff recommends that Council approve eliminating this project from the STIP in
anticipation of STP Funds so that we will at least have a chance to get started with the
design and environmental process in the foreseeable future.
STIP and STP Funding
December 17, 2003
Page 2
On the Gene Autry Project, the environmental process and preliminary design is currently
underway. It is anticipated that this will take at least eighteen months and at that time,
authorization for staff to proceed to the final design stage would need to be requested.
Although we certainly don't know if the STIP situation will be any different a year and a half
from now, it is the opinion of RCTC staff that it will not be and they are therefore urging
local agencies to concur in the switching of all previously STIP Funded projects to STP
Funds.
If we could switch at a later date for the Gene Autry project without hurting our priorities
under STP, staff would certainly encourage that, however information from RCTC indicate
that if we do not switch now, the project will remain in the STIP and be subject to the future
funding situations for that program.
DAVID J. BARAKIAN
Director of Public Works/City Engineer
APPROVED:-sue —' ��✓�
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Minute Order
1 �,��
MINUTE ORDER NO. 7�a l
SUPPORT THE DELETION OF THE INDIAN CANYON
DRIVE WIDENING PROJECT AND THE GENE AUTRY
TRAIL RAILROAD BRIDGE PROJECT FROM THE STIP
AND INCLUDE THE PROJECTS FOR FUTURE FEDERAL
STP FUNDS, IN ACCORDANCE WITH ACTION TO BE
PRESENTED TO THE RCTC BOARD IN JANUARY 2004,
I HEREBY CERTIFY that this Minute Order, supporting the deletion of the Indian Canyon
Drive Widening Project and the Gene Autry Trail Railroad Bridge Project from the STII'
and include the projects for future Federal STP Funds, in accordance with action to be
presented to the RCTC Board in January 2004,was adopted by the City Council of the City
of Palm Springs, California, in a meeting thereof held on the 171h day of December, 200"".
PATRICIA A. SANDERS
City Clerk