Meeting_Body
PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE
NOVEMBER 15, 2023
Subject
SUBJECT: 2024 REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
Action
ACTION: APPROVE RECOMMENDATION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
APPROVE the programming of up to $216,817,000 in Regional Transportation Improvement Program funds to the proposed projects and the program amendments shown in Attachment A.
Issue
ISSUE
In August 2023, the California Transportation Commission (CTC) adopted the 2024 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) Fund Estimate (FE), which provides new formula funding capacity over the five-year STIP period from Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 through FY 2029. Metro is charged with preparing and managing the Regional Transportation Improvement Plan (RTIP) for Los Angeles County. The RTIP must be adopted by the Board prior to the December 15, 2023, RTIP submittal deadline to the CTC to program funds in the 2024 STIP.
Background
BACKGROUND
The STIP is a five-year capital improvement program for transportation projects that is updated every two years. The CTC adopted the previous STIP in 2022. The STIP contains two portions:
• The Interregional Transportation Improvement Program (ITIP) accounts for 25% of the total STIP and is developed by Caltrans.
• The RTIP accounts for 75% of the total STIP and is developed by County Transportation Commissions, such as Metro.
The RTIP is the subject of the recommendations of this report.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Relationship to the 2022 STIP
The 2022 STIP FE identified a zero-funding share for the Los Angeles County RTIP but allowed Metro to advance up to $57,061,000 from future Los Angeles County funding shares. The Metro Board approved the 2022 RTIP in November 2021 and the CTC approved the 2022 RTIP in March 2022. The 2022 RTIP advanced a total of $57,034,000 for planning, programming, and monitoring (PPM) and two State Route 710 Mobility Improvement Projects (MIPs) -- the LAC+USC Medical Center Mobility Improvements (Valley Blvd Improvements) and the Soto Street Widening Project from Multnomah Street to Mission Road. The funds that the CTC approved for the MIPs were slightly lower than Metro requested due to insufficient programming capacity statewide. The advanced funds are subtracted from Los Angeles County’s 2024 STIP funding share.
Proposed 2024 RTIP
The 2024 STIP FE includes $216,817,000 for Los Angeles County, of which $12,900,000 may be programmed for PPM.
For the 2024 RTIP, Metro staff proposes to program up to $216,817,000 and to amend existing programming. To develop the proposed RTIP, Metro staff applied the Evaluative Criteria Framework, which was reintroduced to the Board through a November 16, 2022, Board communication. The Framework is a tool to match appropriate state and federal fund sources to eligible and ready projects stemming from established Metro priorities, plans, and policies. The Framework’s six parameters aim to direct grant funds to projects that are: Metro’s highest and most critical priorities such as Measure M; responsive to grant program criteria such as expenditure deadlines; and consistent with plans and policies such as the Metro Equity Platform, Metro Long Range Transportation Plan, and Southern California Association of Governments Regional Transportation Plan.
Metro staff proposes programming funds for a new future zero-emission bus (ZEB) acquisition project and PPM. Metro staff also proposes amendments to the amounts and schedules of existing programming to support the delivery of previously programmed projects. This includes additional funding to restore the two MIP projects’ original funding requests and later scheduling for the Multimodal Mobility Improvements (SR-138 Segment 4) project. The proposed 2024 RTIP is in Attachment A. The project descriptions for all projects in the RTIP are in Attachment B.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
Approval of the 2024 RTIP will have no negative impact to the safety of Metro patrons or employees.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Adoption of the 2024 RTIP would have no negative impact to the agency. The 2024 RTIP fulfills prior and anticipated funding commitments for transportation projects in Los Angeles County.
Impact to Budget
The 2024 RTIP includes funding for FY 2025 through FY 2029 and has no impact to the FY 2024 budget.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
The majority of proposed new 2024 RTIP programming is for ZEB acquisition. Metro’s transition to ZEB technology will be implemented systemwide to eliminate tailpipe emissions and significantly reduce noise that has significant negative environmental effects on people living and working near bus corridors and on people that depend on Metro’s service for their travel needs. The Metro Zero Emission Bus Rollout Plan approved by the Board in March 2021 analyzed disadvantaged communities in Metro’s service area using CalEnviroScreen 3.0, which identifies communities that are disproportionately burdened by multiple sources of pollution. The analysis shows that the majority of Metro bus routes traverse disadvantaged communities. The plan’s Disadvantaged Communities Prioritization Strategy prioritizes the deployment of ZEBs to routes and service blocks that serve larger percentages of disadvantaged communities.
The proposed amendments are necessary to deliver projects that will provide multimodal improvements in communities that demonstrate high need in different ways. The two MIP projects were programmed in the 2022 RTIP and include active transportation and safety improvements. Both projects are in Metro Equity Focus Communities (EFCs) and are in the engagement, planning, and development stages led by the City and County of Los Angeles. The Multimodal Mobility Improvements (SR-138 Segment 4) project was originally conceived in 2001 and programmed in the 2018 RTIP as a highway widening project prior to the establishment of Metro’s Equity Platform. Since then, Caltrans (the implementing agency) has conducted community engagement which resulted in converting the project from a highway widening project to a multimodal improvements project, including sidewalks, traffic calming measures, and bike lanes. While the project does not overlap with EFCs, it does overlap with the state’s CalEnviroScreen and Low Income Communities (at or below 80 percent of the statewide median income) metrics and demonstrates a community engagement process that responds to community concerns and mitigates negative impacts.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
The recommendation supports Strategic Plan Goal #1 to “provide high-quality mobility options that enable people to spend less time traveling” by obtaining funding to support the delivery of transportation improvements that support the safety and performance of the highway system and expand high-quality transit options.
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
The Board could elect not to approve the staff recommendation for the 2024 RTIP. This option is not recommended as it would force Los Angeles County to surrender up to $216,817,000 in formula funds available through the 2024 STIP period. Additionally, failure to adopt the 2024 RTIP could cause delay for the projects proposed.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
With Board approval, staff will proceed with and monitor the following steps to secure the 2024 LA County RTIP:
• December 15, 2023 - Submit 2024 RTIP request to CTC
• February 1, 2024 - CTC holds Southern California 2024 STIP Hearing
• March 1, 2024 - CTC publishes staff recommendations
• March 21-22, 2024 - CTC adopts 2024 STIP
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - 2024 LA County RTIP
Attachment B - 2024 LA County RTIP Project Descriptions
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Shelly Quan, Manager, Transportation Planning, (213) 547-4303
Patricia Chen, Senior Director, (213) 922-3041
Mark Yamarone, Executive Officer, (213) 418-3452
Laurie Lombardi, Senior Executive Officer, (213) 418-3251
Ray Sosa, Deputy Chief Planning Officer, (213) 547-4274
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: James de la Loza, Chief Planning Officer, (213) 922-2920
