MPO to Consider Bridge Seismic Study, Other Projects for 2018-2023 Cycle

This is interesting news. Our Metropolitan Planning Organization's Technical Advisory Committee meets on Tuesday the 10th and the list of projects submitted during the pre-application phase for part of the 2018-2023 cycle of Federal funding has some good ones.

We're starting on the 2018-2023 TIP

Near the top of the list should be funding for planning the seismic retrofit of the Center Street Bridge.

There are several other worthy projects for better walking and biking that also deserve strong support, including a proposal to complete the Union Street Bikeway to the Esplanade.

After the preliminary vetting, the committee will forward a priority list to the Policy Committee for the final decisions.

The Funding Source and Process

Earlier in this spring they'd announced

The Salem-Keizer Area Transportation Study (SKATS) Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) has started the process to update the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 through FY 2023. Concurrently, the FY 2015-2020 TIP will be updated due to an increase in federal funds available.

During the last round, on the 2015-2020 cycle, back in April 2014 they explained the TIP:

The SKATS Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) authorizes the allocation of federal, state, and matching local funds for transportation activities and improvements within the SKATS area boundary during the period October 1, 2014, through September 30, 2018, (federal fiscal years FY 2015 through FY 2018)...The TIP represents a policy document for the SKATS Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) area describing which projects will be given funding priority....[and] represents the formal programming mechanism by which funds are committed to specific transportation projects by the affected jurisdictions in the SKATS MPO area....[in this way it serves] as the mechanism for the incremental implementation of the regional transportation and program priorities in the adopted RTSP. [italics added hopefully for clarity]

(The extra funds in the recent 2015-2020 update, you may recall, are primarily going to I-5 expansion. Another smaller chunk is discussed here.)

This round for 2018-2023 has almost $40 million $14 million + $6 million in play through a flexible funding program:

Local jurisdictions submitted a total of 30 pre-applications with requests totaling over $37 million for consideration for funding in the SKATS FY 2018-2023 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)....

Approximately $4.5 million in STBGP-U funds and $650,000 in TA-U funds are available for projects that will be ready for contract in FY 2017 and FY 2018. Approximately $8.5 million in STBGP-U and $650,000 in TA-U funds are available for projects ready for contract in FY 2019 to 2021. An additional $5.5 million in STBGP-U funds and $450,000 in TA-U funds are anticipated to be available for projects ready for contract in the FY 2022-2023 illustrative years; although, it is up to the Policy Committee's discretion to program funds for those years.

Reasonably you ask, what is "STBGP-U"? In the "2016 Amendments to the SKATS 2015-2035 RTSP and FY 2015-2020 TIP" that the Policy Committee released last month for public comment, there is more (sentences have been reordered, hopefully for clarity):

Surface Transportation Block Grant Program (STBGP) -– This program was converted into a block grant with the passage of FAST Act. Each year SKATS receives an allocation of STBGP-U funds directly from the federal government. There is little or no change to how these funds may be used. These funds are the most flexible available. [U is for "urbanized area," and the STBGP-U is a sub-allocation of the total STBGP for the State]

The amount is based on the relative share of the population in the state. The funds are distributed to projects of regional importance via a process developed for the SKATS Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Projects are ranked according to how well they address the regional objectives...among other considerations....

The selection is competitive and based on the merits of the project. Projects selected are included in the SKATS Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) which is updated every two years and covers a four-year period for funding projects.

Road construction, ITS (Intelligent Transportation System) devices, and transit capital projects are included among the many uses. With few exceptions, road related projects must be located on roads classified as urban minor collector and above or rural major collector and above. [They are] usable for any type of project except those involving the maintenance or operation of a facility. Uses include preliminary engineering, purchasing right-of-way, and construction.... [They are also] allocated to on-going regional programs (such as Regional Rideshare, Regional Traffic Signal Control Center, and MPO Planning)....

Historical list of area STP-U and TAP-U funds.
STBGP-U and TA-U are the successors.

If that still seems opaque, this summary from a bike/ped consulant group might be clearer:

[I]n the FAST Act...the STP is renamed the Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) program and the TAP becomes a set-aside program of this block grant. Walking and bicycling projects remain an eligible activity for the larger STBG as well as CMAQ and the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP).

So, what used to be the Transportation Alternatives Program (which used to be the Transportation Enhancements program, and the Safe Routes to School and Recreational Trails program) is now the “Surface Transportation Block Grant Set-aside Program.” Just as with the TAP, funding in the STBG Set-aside Program is available for more than just bike and pedestrian projects.

It would be nice to see a discussion of the proportion of the total TIP these STBGP funds constitute. What else will be likely funded by other sources?

Curiously, the spreadsheet lists the total requested amount from all 30 projects as $37,276,115. That looks awfully close to the $37 million! But in last month's minutes they said "ODOT has agreed to scope 8-10 projects following the TAC prioritization of the projects," as if only a third of the projects will get funding. Something to watch.

Edit: There is not $37 million available and the project list will have to be prioritized and pruned.

staff estimates that there will be approximately $14 million in federal funds available for new projects in the FY 2017 - FY 2021 time frame and an additional $6 million available for projects ready for contract in the FY 2022-2023 illustrative [non-committed] years

At the January TAC meeting, staff presented a summary of programming from 2003 to 2018 (summary table above):

Nearly $50 million will have been spent on projects within SKATS in that 16-year period.

So $37 million in a five year cycle would be a very significant improvement! (But that's assuming that ODOT isn't planning on only funding a third of the candidates. This requires watching, and there may be an advocacy opportunity here to ask to fund the whole list, not just part of it.)

In any case, more context would help assess total priorities. It would be nice to weigh these projects against all the Kuebler and I-5 widening, for example. It is also possible the seismic study has no other possible funding source, but it seems like it should really come out of straight-up road/highway funding buckets and not be competing with sidewalks and bike lanes as if it was some "enhancement" or "transportation alternative."

There are questions here, but they will probably get clearer as the vetting moves along and a short-list comes to the Policy Committee.

The Candidate Projects

Candidate project sites

Here's the full list of candidate projects keyed to jurisdiction:

Transit:

• B-1 Transit ITS Replacement and Upgrade
• B-2 Fixed Route Transit Bus Replacements

Center St Bridge Seismic Preapp Sheet

The MPO has a regularly scheduled survey, which yields useful information, and the State finally has articulated the start of a plan for a seismic retrofit on the bridges.

• O-1 Center Street Bridge Seismic Retrofit Study
• R-l Oregon Household Travel and Activity Survey for the SKATS area:

About it the seismic work they say:

In the event of a major seismic event, it is anticipated that both bridges would be significantly damaged and unpassable. Because of its age and condition, it is felt seismic retrofit would not be a cost effective solution for the Marion Street bridge. Seismic retrofit would, however, be appropriate for the Center Street bridge. The purpose of this project is the completion of a seismic retrofit study of the Center Street bridge. The result of this study would be a plan to complete improvements to the bridge such that it could "survive" a major seismic event and continue to provide a functioning crossing of the Willamette River.

Finally, some sense on the bridges.

Union St Bikeway Preapp Sheet

Every one of the City of Salem's projects offers baseline sidewalks and bike lanes, and several of them go beyond the baseline. I'm not sure there's a real "game-changer" in the mix, but completing the Union St Bikeway from the Esplanade to the Bridge will be a significant achievement. The 25th Street path addresses an important gap. And it's possible that between the industrial requirements for freight and the 8-80 requirements for the VA and SSA office, the McGilchrist corridor strangely enough could become the City's most impressive expression of transportation ecumenicalism. Overall, it looks like a solid list, and it's hard to fault it in any realistic way.

• S-1 Brush College Road NW - Safe Routes to School
• S-2 Hilfiker Ln SE at Commercial St SE Intersection and Signal Upgrade
• S-3 Cordon/Kuebler Traffic Signal Interconnect
• S-4 25th Street SE Multi-Use Path
• S-5 Liberty Street NE Bridge Over Mill Creek
• S-6 Orchard Heights Road NW Pedestrian Improvements
• S-7 Union Street NE Family Friendly Bikeway
• S-8 12th Street SE: Hoyt St. SE to Fairview Ave. SE
• S-9 McGilchrist Street SE - Complete Streets Project
• S-10 Sidewalk Reconstruction - Salem Northeast Neighborhood

Marion County's slate is less impressive, but offers several projects near schools:

• M-1 45th Av : Silv Rd to Ward Dr E Side Urban Upgrade
• M-2 Lancaster Dr: Auburn to Center Urban Reconstruction
• M-3 Lancaster@ Hayesville Traffic Signal & Turn Lanes
• M-4 Silverton @ Hollywood Traffic Signal & Turn lane
• M-5 Hollywood Dr: Silv Rd to Salem Cl Urban Upgrade
• M-6 Lancaster Dr: Winema Signal and Realignment
• M-7 Cordon @Auburn Rd Traffic Signal and Turn lanes
• M-8 Kuebler/Cordon Corridor Study and Management Plan
• M-9 Cordon Rd @ Herrin Rd Turn Refuge
• M-10 Lancaster@ Cooley Traffic Signal
• M-11 Connecticut Av: Macleay to Rickey W Side Bike/Ped
• M-12 Center St: Lancaster to 45th Av NE Upgrade

Even the City of Keizer has a project at a school:

• K-1 Keizer Growth Transportation Impacts Study
• K-2 Verda Lane Bike/Ped improvements
• K-3 Wheatland Rd Bike and Ped Separation Design
• K-4 River Road N. Traffic Signal Interconnect

Let's instead sort them into buckets, whether they are mostly about cars or mostly about giving people options. There are some studies here in the list, and some them have made previous appearances on previous grant applications. It is on this basis, for example, that the Kuebler Corridor study, which could be oriented towards mixed modes is instead counted solidly as a project about autoism. Similarly, the Keizer study was about expanding the Urban Growth Boundary and car-dependent growth.

At this point, a Keeling Curve is
a reasonable and urgent comment all the time.
(Put a curve on it!)

Principally about Drive-alone Trips

1. S-2 Hilfiker Ln SE at Commercial St SE Intersection and Signal Upgrade
2. S-3 Cordon/Kuebler Traffic Signal Interconnect
3. M-3 Lancaster@ Hayesville Traffic Signal & Turn Lanes
4. M-7 Cordon @Auburn Rd Traffic Signal and Turn lanes
5. M-9 Cordon Rd @ Herrin Rd Turn Refuge
6. M-10 Lancaster@ Cooley Traffic Signal
7. M-8 Kuebler/Cordon Corridor Study and Management Plan
8. K-1 Keizer Growth Transportation Impacts Study
9. K-4 River Road N. Traffic Signal Interconnect

Mixed-bag

1. S-8 12th Street SE: Hoyt St. SE to Fairview Ave. SE
2. S-9 McGilchrist Street SE - Complete Streets Project (this could be great 
3. S-5 Liberty Street NE Bridge Over Mill Creek
4. O-1 Center Street Bridge Seismic Retrofit Study
5. R-l Oregon Household Travel and Activity Survey for the SKATS area
6. M-2 Lancaster Dr: Auburn to Center Urban Reconstruction 
7. M-4 Silverton @ Hollywood Traffic Signal & Turn lane
8. M-5 Hollywood Dr: Silv Rd to Salem Cl Urban Upgrade
9. M-6 Lancaster Dr: Winema Signal and Realignment
10. M-12 Center St: Lancaster to 45th Av NE Upgrade

Conventional Sidewalks and Bike Lanes or other Transportation Options

1. S-1 Brush College Road NW - Safe Routes to School
2. S-4 25th Street SE Multi-Use Path
3. S-6 Orchard Heights Road NW Pedestrian Improvements
4. S-7 Union Street NE Family Friendly Bikeway
5. S-10 Sidewalk Reconstruction - Salem Northeast Neighborhood
6. M-11 Connecticut Av: Macleay to Rickey W Side Bike/Ped
7. K-2 Verda Lane Bike/Ped improvements
8. K-3 Wheatland Rd Bike and Ped Separation Design
9. M-1 45th Av : Silv Rd to Ward Dr E Side Urban Upgrade
10. B-1 Transit ITS Replacement and Upgrade
11. B-2 Fixed Route Transit Bus Replacements

Bike/Ped Projects in Salem

On the relatively clean bike/ped list, I still place completion of the Union Street Bikeway, with connections to the Esplanade at Safeway/North High at the top. Brush College is right on the edges of the city, quasi-rural and a little isolated in fact, and even with sidewalks and bike lanes it's hard to see many kids walking and biking there, so I place it on the bottom. The Verda and Macleay projects are near schools where it might be realistic to walk and bike, so they should rank higher. Orchard Heights has some significant gaps, is also near schools and parks and public housing, and that area could be walkable. None of these seem like bad projects, so hopefully a maximum can be funded.

One omission? There's nothing here on the Winter-Maple Bike Boulevard. I guess we are waiting to get further into the study.

Other interesting (but not necessarily wrong!) omissions include projects from the Commercial-Vista Corridor Study and more from the Downtown Mobility Study as well as anything from West Salem associated with the Wallace/Second St undercrossing and the Business District Action Plan. Hopefully the Commercial-Vista omission is a sign that the ARTS grant application is moving forward and remains competitive. And maybe the Downtown Mobility Study now is waiting on a new bond measure. I wish we had a more robust and public discussion of priorities in Salem and we had a funding strategy beyond the limits of the CIP.

But again, in the context of this particular program and projects we have already initiated at one level or another, it's really hard to find fault with Salem's slate in any meaningful way. (If you see something, chime in!)

A TIGER Application

McGilchrist at the SSA Office:
40mph, no sidewalks - but watch out for pedestrians!

The McGilchrist project is going for the TIGER, and it might surprise us, actually. I have been doubtful, but as I think about it more, it may be stronger than I think. (They've been talking about since at least 2013.)

McGilchrist Street is designated a major arterial in the Salem Transportation System Plan. This street is located in an older industrial area that has significant opportunities for infill development. The current condition of the road inhibits investment in the area. Additionally, the roadway lacks any provisions for pedestrians or bicyclists and experiences flooding during wet weather. The City formed an Urban Renewal Area in 2006 specifically to support needed transportation improvements. Urban Renewal funds are currently being used to design the roadway project. There will not be enough urban renewal funds to acquire needed right-of-way and construct the project.

The City is preparing this project to be competitive for funding through the federal TIGER program. In order to be competitive, design needs to be nearly complete and most or all right-of-way needs to be secured. This application is for right-of-way acquisition so that the project can be 'shovel ready.' Note that the amount requested does not include costs to realign 22nd Street (which is a component of the overall project)."

Especially because of the SSA and VA offices combined with the industrial area, and with the nascent brewing sector, it might be a plausible, even a strong, candidate for TIGER funding. The Feds say:

FY 2016 TIGER discretionary grants will fund capital investments in surface transportation infrastructure and will be awarded on a competitive basis for projects that will have a significant impact on the nation, a metropolitan area, or a region. The 2016 TIGER grant program will focus on capital projects that generate economic development and improve access to reliable, safe and affordable transportation for communities, both urban and rural.

It sounds to me like it does check most of those boxes, though I'm not sure the scale is quite big enough for "impact on the nation, a metropolitan area, or a region." This will be interesting to follow. If awarded the project could be done really well or it could fail with ornamental sidewalks and bike lanes glued onto a 40mph arterial.

Differences in our Approach to Delay

In the pre-applications, the discussion of "delay" and the assumptions behind it might be worth a comment as we consider traffic safety.

On Auburn Road at Cordon Road:

[M]otorists are experiencing excessive delays, especially when waiting for someone to turn left. This is exacerbated by the absence of separate left turn lanes at the intersection. As a result, motorists take unacceptable risks and crashes are beginning to occur. The intersection is expected to meet at least two traffic signal warrants in the next five years.motorists are experiencing excessive delays, especially when waiting for someone to turn left. This is exacerbated by the absence of separate left turn lanes at the intersection....The intersection is expected to meet at least two traffic signal warrants in the next five years.

On Hollywood Road at Silverton Road:

Traffic backs up considerably waiting to enter Silverton Road, and motorists are experiencing excessive delays. This is exacerbated by the absence of a separate left turn lane at the intersection. As a result, motorists are taking unacceptable risks and crashes are beginning to occur. The intersection has met at least three traffic signal warrants for a few years.

Delay and risks for people on foot:
Fred Meyers on South Commercial at bus stops

When people on foot experience "excessive delay" and perhaps take "unacceptable risks," our response is "wear bright clothing" and "obey the walk signal and other traffic laws."

All of the sidewalks, crosswalks, and bike lanes get framed up as "safety," but never as addressing "excessive delay" while waiting for auto traffic to clear.

The fact that "signal warrants" must be obtained is another expression of hydraulic autoism. Because the ideal is "free-flow," things like a traffic signal that will interrupt the flow require special authorization.

Additionally, we haven't articulated as a matter of policy and common sense and convention that there should be situations where we do make trade-offs in accepting increased delay for improved safety.

Other Notes

• Liberty Street Bridge on Mill Creek: "The bridge would be widened to accommodate two travel lanes, a center turn lane, future bike lanes, and sidewalks." Why do we need a turn pocket on the bridge itself? "An alternative approach would be to rehabilitate the existing bridge." It seems like "fix-it first" should be invoked here.
• The 12th Street SE project has a relatively rare cost-overrun for the City: "This project is currently in design and is anticipated to require additional funds beyond those currently committed. Additional costs are associated with additional cost to design and administer a federal project, as well as refinement in construction estimating, including water quality, stormwater detention, modifications to existing signal, temporary traffic signal requirements, and interconnect."
• Comments on the engineering and construction of the oldest segment of Lancaster: "This is the oldest section of Lancaster Drive, and was built to very old standards. The street has very steep cross slopes, the utilities are very shallow under the roadway, and the curbs, sidewalks, and driveways are in terrible condition. The surface was in very bad condition in 2005 (PCl=44) and the only treatment available was to grind and replace three inches in the travel lanes. Due to inadequate base and extreme traffic loading, this fix lasted only 5 years. This project will combine three key improvements in one project: rebuilding the entire street cross-section, replacing curb and sidewalk with new ADA compliant facilities, and consolidating accesses with acceptable grades to improve flow in and out of commercial properties. The difference in grade between the existing road and the properties, combined with the cross slope to the gutter pan has created numerous difficult access situations, and crashes. That issue, as well as the large number of accesses, creates hazardous situations when turning motorists slow to a near stop in front of oncoming traffic to avoid scraping. The design issues have not allowed property owners to adequately maintain the curb and sidewalk, and many hazards and ADA compliance issues have been arising." Lancaster just needs a total redesign - and I wonder if redoing the whole length of it, a multi-jurisdiction project - would actually make for a stronger TIGER grant.

Look for the historic sign
next to the entry

Also on the agenda is discussion of "National Proposed Rulemaking for Performance Measures." I don't want to get into these, as I've already droned on about the local project list. But see discussions at City Obervatory and Transportation for America. The Feds whiffed on greenhouse gases and measuring delay, and the TAC could, if they chose to, submit comment on this.

So in general terms, you could urge the TAC to recommend funding all the Salem pre-apps, especially the ones that benefit people who walk, bike, and bus, as well as the seismic study, and ask them to support refining the proposed performance measures to include greenhouse gases and focus on reducing VMT (miles traveled) rather than on speeds and time of delay. It is better for people to be able to drive less than for people to drive faster. You can send comment to mwvcog@mwvcog.org.

SKATS Technical Advisory Committee meets Tuesday the 10th at 1:30pm. SKATS is at 100 High St. SE, Suite 200, above Bar Andaluz and Table Five 08.