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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES 061025-5.R - Request to Apply for Safe Streets for All USDOT GrantRESOLUTION NO. ID S.R A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GEORGETOWN, TEXAS, SUPPORTING THE CITY OF GEORGETOWN'S APPLICATIONS TO THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SAFE STREETS FOR ALL CALL FOR PROJECTS AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO PREPARE AND SUBMIT SAID APPLICATIONS WHEREAS, the United States Department of Transportation issued a call for projects in March 2025 for communities to apply for funding assistance through the Safe Streets and Roads for All Program (the "SS4A Program"); and WHEREAS, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) established the SS4A Program with $5 billion in appropriated funds over 5 years, 2022-2026 to fund regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway fatalities and serious injuries; and WHEREAS, through a SS4A grant from the United States Department of Transportation, and with the help of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, Williamson County completed a roadway safety plan; and WHEREAS, the City of Georgetown was an active participant in the safety plan and the resulting plan identifies opportunities to improve safety on city of Georgetown roadways; and WHEREAS, with the inclusion of those safety improvements within the plan, and the acceptance of the Plan by the City Council, the City is now eligible to complete for future grant funding in the SS4A Program. WHEREAS, the City intends to apply for grant funding in the total amount of $16,301,850 for the design and construction of access management improvements on Williams Drive from Jim Hogg Road to Serenada Drive and citywide safety improvements including signal backplate reflective devices, dynamic speed feedback signs and emergency vehicle signal pre-emption equipment along a major corridor to be determined at time of award; and WHEREAS, if awarded the City will provide grant match of 20%, in the amount of $3, 420,370 from existing Certificates of Obligation and General Obligation bonds and in -kind labor from City forces. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GEORGETOWN, TEXAS: Section 1. The meeting at which this resolution was approved was conducted in compliance with the Texas Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code, Chapter 551. Resolution Number: 06 I b;t5 -.5. 1 Z Page 1 of 2 Subject: SS4A Grant Application Authorization Date Approved: June 10, 2025 Section 2. The facts and recitations contained in the preamble of this resolution are hereby found and declared to be true and correct and are incorporated by reference herein and expressly made a part hereof, as if copied verbatim. Section 3. The City Council of Georgetown supports funding this project(s) as described in the application (including the construction budget, the department's direct state cost for oversight, and the required local match, if any) and is willing to commit to the project's development, implementation, construction, maintenance, management, and financing. The City Council of Georgetown is willing and able to enter into an agreement with the department by resolution or ordinance, should the project be selected for funding. Section 4. The City Manager is hereby authorized to prepare and submit applications to the US Department of Transportation to receive funding from the SS4A Program for Projects on behalf of the City and the Mayor is authorized to provide a letter of support. Section 5. If any provision of this resolution, or application thereof, to any person or circumstance, shall be held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect the other provisions, or application thereof, of this resolution, which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this resolution are hereby declared to be severable. Section 6. This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon its passage and approval by the Georgetown City Council. PASSED AND APPROVED on the loth day of June, 2025. ATTEST: el2z"r /I . . I— . A FZL Robyn Dei 'more, City Secretary APPROVED AS TO FORM: Skye NVaSsori, -ity Attorney THE CITY OF GEORGETOWN: osh Schroeder, Mayor Resolution Number: Mi o 25 — 5 . P-- Page 2 of 2 Subject: SS4A Grant Application Authorization Date Approved: June 10, 2025 June 10, 2025 The Honorable Sean Duffy Secretary of Transportation US Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Ave, SE Washington, DC 20590 SUBJECT: Letter of Support for the Williamson County and Partner Agency Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Application Dear Secretary Duffy: On behalf of the City of Georgetown we are excited to partner with Williamson County on the application for the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program to fund a supplemental planning/demonstration project and implementation projects (both targeted and systemic). This grant application represents an opportunity to address transportation safety challenges throughout our growing region through a collaborative effort. Between 2019 and 2023, the transportation network in Williamson County experienced 229 fatal crashes and 1,044 serious injury crashes. The effects of these roadway tragedies affect all communities in Williamson County. Leveraging an SS4A planning grant, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) has been developing a Regional Safety Action Plan. As part of that effort, a task force of agencies recently developed the Williamson County Safety Action Plan. Plan development included crash history analysis, community engagement efforts, and policy review. Based on these efforts, the plan includes a set of policy recommendations, infrastructure projects, and behavioral strategies. This joint initiative targets safety projects that will reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries, which aligns with the Texas Transportation Commission's "Road to Zero" goal, which is to have zero deaths on Texas roadways by 2050, and to cut the number of fatalities in half by 2035. Each partner agency has identified priority projects that respond directly to local needs while supporting the broader regional vision of a safer transportation system. The City of Georgetown is committed to enhancing safety and quality of life in our community and if awarded funding for the following projects, will work diligently to implement these improvements within budget and on time. Williams Drive raised medians and other safety improvements • Reflective backplates • Speed feedback signs • Signal pre-emption for emergency vehicles along 1 corridor in Georgetown We are confident that our proposed efforts will significantly improve safety in our region, serving the public interest efficiently and unleashing economic prosperity and superior quality of life in Texas. We appreciate your consideration and strongly encourage you to support the application. 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U U aJ C C > > 7 O Cn N ll > v C LL LA ° > fo w o E fo fO C O C U i Q 0 al n 3�vcu rnaNi=foc L N C N\ ro 0L7rorn m N C p E oc0j �~ uu -u co I uu<S N N O (fu E t — C O o a L + O COL a)a N O O O O V LnD O T y a N C C w m c fu Ufo EQ ary was E c, v i c c o X w a ° > > a a a H U V U'O nL0T C fon m f0 W '1 O p O fo u c E o �m� A: a U u' N m Z nWpv'c< N al Z N E1 +� N Ln O > W-MC LL fb O °1 E E L N Z O _T W C N 0 (u (L) Q 0 U� Z c0 30 aci a ° N ° L E L O U' E ,� rn _0 fu 2 'C L f0 Z C CL I- Z ln0-j0 a J a w w J a u � v cn Z > C W g >, C u o E W J N a L a En a a O W ' w z ( A a` Williamson County SS4A Grant Application Projects: (narrative option sorted by jurisdiction) Williamson County Several improvements are proposed for Williamson County. The first is the installation of traffic signal backplates with retroreflective borders to improve traffic signal visibility at signalized intersections across the county. This addresses dark conditions crashes. This strategy is an FHWA proven safety countermeasure with a very low cost and provides an expected 15% reduction in total crashes at each location. This strategy addresses the "Safer Roads" and "Safer People" elements of the Safe System Approach. The next improvement is installing Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) at pedestrian crossings throughout the county. This is also an FHWA proven safety countermeasure, and it directly addresses the "Safer People" element of the Safe System Approach. RRFBs can reduce pedestrian crashes by up to 47% and increase motorist yielding rates to 98%. This improvement will help mitigate the 335 pedestrian crashes in Williamson County from 2019 to 2023 including 88 fatal and serious injury crashes. Lastly, Williamson County has identified the need to relocate an entrance ramp on IH 35 at Southwest Bypass approximately 3,000 feet south and install a median barrier between the mainlanes and the frontage road. This ramp is in close proximity to an intersection that causes dangerous weaving maneuvers at high speeds. The ramp was also specifically commented on by the public during the community engagement conducted for the Safety Action Plan. This project addresses roadway and lane departure crashes, rear end crashes, and unsafe weaving. It also addresses the "Safer Roads" element of the Safe System Approach. The Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Guidelines developed by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) show up to a 75% reduction in crashes when median barrier is installed. These projects will provide immediate, data -driven enhancements to safety. Williamson County Sheriff's Office and Georgetown (and possibly Leander Police Department- still confirming) This grant will support the planning and pilot installation of emergency vehicle preemption along one to two critical signalized corridors in Georgetown [and Leander]. Planning efforts include a concept of operations, development of measures of effectiveness, monitoring of the pilot, and development of a countywide implementation strategy. This project will address emergency vehicle crashes, angle crashes, and rear end crashes and will help improve emergency response times, reduce intersection delays for emergency vehicles, and improve overall traffic safety during emergency operations. An FHWA evaluation of emergency vehicle preemption in St. Paul, Minnesota found collisions involving emergency vehicles decreased by 70% and emergency response times improved between 14 and 50%. This project addresses the "Post -Crash Care" and "Safer Roads" elements of the Safe System Approach. Georgetown Two systemic projects are proposed for implementation across the City. The first is the installation of signal backplates with retroreflective borders to improve traffic signal visibility and reduce crashes at signalized intersections. This is an FHWA proven safety countermeasure as described under Williamson County. The second improvement is speed feedback signs on roadways with documented speeding issues. This project directly addresses the "Safer Speeds" element of the Safe System Approach. This project will help mitigate the 355 speed -related fatal and serious injury crashes that occurred in the County between 2019 and 2023. The City also identified safety improvements including raised medians, raised profile lane line markings, safety treat fixed objects, and roadway lighting along Williams Drive, a major thoroughfare that ranks near the top within the County's high -injury network and one that received several comments from the public during community outreach events. This project addresses angle crashes, roadway and lane departure crashes, and dark conditions crashes. It also addresses the "Safer Roads" element of the Safe System Approach. The TxDOT HSIP Guidelines show up to a 25% reduction in crashes when raised medians are installed. These projects will provide immediate, data -driven enhancements to safety. Round Rock Two systemic projects are proposed for implementation across the City. The first is the installation of traffic signal backplates with retroreflective borders to improve traffic signal visibility and reduce crashes at signalized intersections. The second improvement will install RRFBs at pedestrian crossings. As described under Williamson County, both projects are FHWA proven safety countermeasures with a track record of greatly reducing crashes. These projects will provide immediate, data -driven enhancements to safety. Cedar Park The proposed improvements include the installation of traffic signal backplates with retroreflective borders to improve traffic signal visibility and reduce crashes at signalized intersections. As described under Williamson County, this is an FHWA proven safety countermeasure for crashes occurring at signalized intersections. This project will provide immediate, data -driven enhancements to safety. Taylor Two projects are proposed within the City of Taylor. This first adds a raised median along 2nd Street from Carlos G Parker Boulevard and Sloan Street, incorporating strategically placed hooded left turn openings to eliminate conflict points and reduce angle and head-on crashes along the corridor. This roadway ranked highly on the Williamson County high -injury network and experienced one fatality in 2022 and one major injury crash in 2019. This project addresses the "Safer Roads" element of the Safe System Approach. TxDOT's HSIP guidelines show an expected 25% reduction in crashes. The next project adds sidewalk on North Main Street south of Carlos G Parker Boulevard to improve pedestrian safety and connectivity. This corridor is on the Williamson County high -injury network and is located adjacent to both commercial and residential developments that generate pedestrian activity. The sidewalk will provide pedestrians with curb protection from the busy road and address roadway and lane departure crashes. This project addresses the "Safer People" element of the Safe System Approach. Sidewalks are an FHWA proven safety countermeasure that can reduce crashes involving pedestrians by 65 - 89%. These projects will provide immediate, data -driven enhancements to safety.