Meeting_Body
PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE
MARCH 20, 2024
Subject
SUBJECT: 2025 FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
Action
ACTION: APPROVE RECOMMENDATION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
ADOPT the resolution for the 2025 Los Angeles County Transportation Improvement Program as shown in Attachment A.
Issue
ISSUE
As the designated County Transportation Commission for Los Angeles County, Metro is required to submit a resolution to the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) certifying that Los Angeles County has the resources to fund and is committed to implementing the projects included in the 2025 Federal Transportation Improvement Program (FTIP) covering Federal Fiscal Years (FFY) 2024/25 - 2029/30. Inclusion of projects in the FTIP is required for the allocation of federal funds, state and regional funds (as applicable), as well as for specific federal actions (including federal environmental clearance).
Background
BACKGROUND
SCAG, as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the six-county region that includes Los Angeles County, is required under federal and state law to develop the FTIP. This is a six-year document that lists projects to be funded with federal, state, and local funds. The FTIP is required to advance the planning and construction of projects included in SCAG’s Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS). This is achieved through the systematic programming of funds for the projects included in the RTP/SCS in accordance with federal and state requirements, including scheduling, financing, and the timely implementation of transportation control measures to help reduce air pollution.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Projects from each of SCAG’s six counties are included in their respective TIP and then submitted to SCAG for inclusion in the FTIP. To comply with both state and federal requirements, the FTIP is updated every two years in California. SCAG’s 2023 FTIP, which programs funds covering FFY 2022/23 - 2027/28, was approved by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on December 16, 2022. SCAG is scheduled to adopt the 2025 FTIP in December 2024. A joint air quality conformity determination from the FHWA and the FTA is required for the approval of SCAG’s 2025 FTIP, which is also anticipated in December 2024. The 2025 Los Angeles County Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) includes nearly 950 projects valued at approximately $23 billion for about 100 agencies.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
Adoption of the resolution will have no direct impact on the safety of Metro customers or employees. The Los Angeles County TIP will allow Metro and other project sponsors to program and receive funding and the timely realization of the projects’ anticipated safety benefits.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Adoption of the resolution will allow Metro to program and secure federal, state, and regional funds for projects in Los Angeles County.
Impact to Budget
Adoption of the resolution for the 2025 Los Angeles County TIP has no impact on the FY 2024 Budget.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
The 2025 FTIP incorporates multiple layers of accountability to ensure that disadvantaged communities are not left behind in transportation improvement projects. Many of Metro’s projects in the FTIP are guided by the Equity Platform’s four pillars for the planning and implementation of projects in disadvantaged areas of Los Angeles County. In addition, Metro is collaborating with SCAG to further integrate the MPO’s Racial Equity Early Action Plan, adopted in July 2020 by its Regional Council, for local agencies’ projects into the FTIP.
This means that for the first time in FTIP planning history, SCAG is implementing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion considerations into the 2025 FTIP by working with County Transportation Commissions, including Metro, to incorporate new equity input. These considerations will assess how and where investments are being made across the region and address equity issues within transportation improvements in Environmental Justice areas, Disadvantaged Communities, Priority Equity Communities, and/or Communities of Concern.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
Approval of this item advances achieving all five goals of the Vision 2028 Strategic Plan.
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
The Board could elect not to adopt the resolution shown in Attachment A. Staff do not recommend this alternative. By not adopting the resolution, the Los Angeles County TIP will not be included in SCAG’s 2025 FTIP. Therefore, Metro and other agencies in Los Angeles County will not be able to program and receive federal, state, and regional funding allocations for their projects. This may jeopardize the timely implementation of projects in Los Angeles County that have funds programmed through FFY 2029/30. It may also result in the loss of funding allocations due to federal and state lapsing and/or project inactivity policies, as well as in the ineligibility for future funding allocations.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
With Board approval of the recommendation, staff will submit the resolution to SCAG by the March 29, 2024 deadline.
Attachments
ATTACHMENT
Attachment A - Resolution for the 2025 Los Angeles County TIP
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Michael Richmai, Sr. Manager, Countywide Planning & Development, (213) 922-2558
Nancy Marroquin, Sr. Director, Countywide Planning & Development, (213) 418-3086
Mark Yamarone, Executive Officer, Countywide Planning & Development, (213) 418-3452
Laurie Lombardi, Senior Executive Officer, Countywide Planning & Development, (213) 418-3251
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Ray Sosa, Chief Planning Officer, (213) 547-4274
