Meeting_Body
AD HOC CONGESTION, HIGHWAY AND ROADS COMMITTEE
OCTOBER 18, 2017
Subject
SUBJECT: FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION ADVANCED
TRANSPORTATION AND CONGESTION MANAGEMENT
TECHNOLOGIES DEPLOYMENT (ATCMTD) PROGRAM -
GRANT FUNDING
Action
ACTION: APPROVE EXECUTION OF A MULTI-AGENCY GRANT AGREEMENT
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
CONSIDER:
A. AUTHORIZING the Chief Executive Officer or his designee to enter into an agreement with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) for the Freight Advanced Traveler Information System (FRATIS) project funds received through the FHWA Advanced Transportation and congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) Program; and
B. ESTABLISHING a separate Life of Project (LOP) Budget of $6,000,000 for the FRATIS Project.
Issue
ISSUE
In October 2016, FHWA announced the recipients of the ATCMTD Program grants that fund cutting-edge transportation technologies that help reduce congestion and improve safety on the transportation system. Metro was the recipient of $3,000,000 for the FRATIS project, which would improve the movement of goods in and out of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Staff is currently working with FHWA and Caltrans on the grant agreement to receive the funds from the ATCMTD Program.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
In Los Angeles County, the Gateway Cities, the Port of Los Angeles (POLA), and the Port of Long Beach (POLB) collectively comprise the largest goods movement complex in North America, handling 40 percent of the nation’s import traffic and 25 percent of the nation’s export traffic. This volume of freight and the associated truck traffic is expected to more than double by 2035, resulting in severe congestion problems, including truck traffic delays in and near the ports, as well as general traffic congestion on metropolitan area highways and arterials due to the substantial increase in regional truck traffic over this period. This increased truck traffic also generates negative regional impacts on air quality, noise, safety, and economic competitiveness.
Due to these congestion and air quality issues, Metro, in conjunction with the Gateway Cites Council of Governments (GCCOG), has been pursuing State and federal grants to deploy advanced technologies which can reduce truck congestion, improve air quality, and lower the use of fossil fuel in the Los Angeles region. As part of the Gateway Cities Technology Plan for Goods Movement, Metro and GCCOG identified drayage optimization applications, such as FRATIS, as a top priority to increase the efficiency of container movement.
FRATIS provides trucking companies the ability to efficiently plan daily container pick-ups and drop-offs at the ports. FRATIS uses information from the marine terminal operators (MTOs), trucking companies, and traveler information to provide status updates on container availability, enable trucking companies to set up automated appointments, and provide truck drivers the best routes to use to and from the ports. FHWA has invested in two pilot projects for FRATIS in POLA and POLB in the past five years. In addition, POLA recently received State funding to expand FRATIS to incorporate new applications and connected vehicle technologies.
In June 2016, Metro Highway Program applied for the ATCMTD Program grants to expand and enhance FRATIS. In October 2016, Metro was selected as one of the eight successful national recipients for the ATCMTD Program funds. Metro plans to leverage the concepts from previous phases of FRATIS to modernize and enhance the FRATIS platform and increase the number of active MTOs, trucking companies, and other stakeholder users. The enhancement of FRATIS will result in more efficient movement of goods in and around the ports and along the I-710 corridor.
The FRATIS project is identified in the Board approved Measure R I-710 South Early Action project list in the amount of $3,000,000, which is being used as the matching funds for the ATCMTD Program grant. The total project budget, including the ATCMTD grant, is $6,000,000.
Metro, FHWA, and Caltrans are currently working on preparing the necessary agreements to secure the grant funds.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
The approval of the grant agreement will have no adverse impact on the safety of Metro’s patrons and employees.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Funding for the FRATIS Project will be comprised of $3,000,000 dollars from FHWA ATCMTD Program grant matched with $3,000,000 Measure R I-710 South Early Action funds for a total Life of Project Budget of $6,000,000. The initial FY 18 funding has been budgeted for $100,000 under Project 460316 (I-710 Early Action Projects), Cost Center 4740 (Highway Program ITS), Account 50316 (Prof Tech Services). Upon approval of the recommendations, these funds will be transferred to the separate FRATIS Project.
Since this is a multi-year project; the Project Manager, the Cost Center Manager and the Senior Executive Officer, Program Management - Highway Program will be responsible for budgeting costs in future years for the approved Life of Project budget.
Impact to Budget:
The source of funds for the Life of Project Budget is Measure R Highway Capital (20%) funds and FHWA ATCMTD Program funds. These funds are not eligible for bus or rail operations and are specific for this project. No other funds were considered.
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
Staff cannot recommend an alternative to the recommended action. Failure to enter into this grant agreement would result in a loss of $3,000,000 in federal funding.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Staff will continue to work with FHWA and Caltrans to finalize the grant agreement, and route to each agency for signature, as well as obtain Authorization to Proceed (E-76) approval.
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Edward Alegre, Sr. Manager, Transportation Planning, Highway Program (213) 922-7902
Steven Gota, Deputy Executive Officer, Highway Program, (213) 922-3043
Abdollah Ansari, Senior Executive Officer, Highway Program, (213) 922-4781
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Richard F. Clarke, Chief Program Management Officer, (213) 922-7557
