Explanation
1. BACKGROUND
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is accepting applications to fund projects that address locations with a history of fatal or injury crashes where low-cost safety improvements have failed to solve the problem. The Highway Safety Improvement Program accepts formal safety applications twice a year, on March 31 and August 31; and it accepts abbreviated safety applications four times a year, on March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31; and it accepts systemic safety applications once a year on January 31. These grants require a minimum 10% local match.
The Department of Public Service submitted applications seeking funds to construct safety improvements at (1) the Eakin Road Shared Use Path (SUP) and (2) the N 4th Street and E 5th Avenue Bike and safety improvements. This ordinance will authorize the Director of Public Service to execute project agreements for approved projects, to accept and expend grant funds, and to issue refunds, if necessary, after final accounting is performed or when notified by the Department of Public Service's Division of Design and Construction that a refund can be issued. Separate legislation authorizing the encumbrance and expenditure of capital funds to support the local share of anticipated project costs will be put forth at a later date as needed.
2. EXPECTED PROJECTS
The Department of Public Service submitted applications for the project listed below:
440005-102232 - UIRF - Eakin Road Shared Use Path (SUP): This project includes improvements to Eakin Road to add pedestrian and bicycle facilities in the form of a Shared Use Path (SUP). The SUP will be installed from S Wayne Avenue to Harrisburg Pike and adds connections to the SUP at high pedestrian locations along Eakin Road. This is a fall 2024 formal safety application, and the total cost for the pedestrian/bicycle improvements is approximately $7,512,000.00.
531083-100000 - Roadway - N 4th Street and E 5th Avenue Bike and Safety Improvements (FRA-North 4th Street, PID #122449 and FRA-East 5th Avenue PID #122454): This project includes modifications to N 4th Street to increase safety of the bike lane by swapping the location of the bike lane and the parking lane. These modifications will be installed from Warren Street to Hudson Street to increase bicyclist safety as part of roadway resurfacing. This project also includes reconfiguration of E 5th Avenue from a four-lane roadway to a three-lane roadway with a permanent parking lane on the south side of the roadway. This project also includes improvements at the E 5th Avenue at Summit Street intersection to modify the curvature to mitigate crashes at the intersection. This is a formal safety application, and the total project cost is approximately $1,600,000.00.
3. FISCAL IMPACT
No financial participation is required at this time. Separate legislation authorizing the encumbrance and expenditure of capital funds to support the local share of anticipated project costs will be put forth at a later date as needed.
Title
To authorize the Director of Public Service to execute grant agreements with the Ohio Department of Transportation relative to the Highway Safety Improvement Program, to accept and expend awarded grant funds, and to issue refunds, if necessary, for approved projects. ($0.00)
Body
WHEREAS, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) accepts formal applications for Highway Safety Improvement Program funds on March 31 and August 31; and
WHEREAS, ODOT accepts abbreviated applications for Highway Safety Improvement Program funds four times a year, on March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Public Service submitted applications seeking funds to construct safety improvements at (1) the Eakin Road Shared Use Path (SUP) and (2) the N 4th Street and E 5th Avenue Bike and safety improvements; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary to authorize the Director of Public Service to submit applications to, and to execute grant agreements with, ODOT, to accept and expend awarded grant funds, and to issue refunds, if necessary, for approved projects; and
WHEREAS, it has become necessary in the usual daily operation of the Department of Public Service to authorize the Director of Public Service to execute grant agreements with ODOT, to accept and expend awarded grant funds, and to issue refunds, if necessary, for approved projects; now, therefore:
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Director of Public Service be and is hereby authorized to submit applications to, and to execute grant agreements, with the Ohio Department of Transportation relative to the Highway Safety Improvement Program; and to accept and expend awarded grant funds.
SECTION 2. The Department of Public Service plans to submit applications for the projects listed above. City Council understands and approves that this list may change at the discretion of the Director of Public Service if other projects are found to be good candidates to be awarded these grant funds or if a reason should be found not to submit one of the listed projects.
SECTION 3. The Department of Public Service is authorized to issue refunds of awarded or reimbursed grant funds, if necessary, after final accounting is performed or when notified by the Department of Public Service's Division of Design and Construction that a refund can be issued.
SECTION 4. That at the end of the grant period, any repayment of unencumbered balances required by the grantor is hereby authorized and any unused City match monies may be transferred back to the City fund from which those funds originated in accordance with all applicable grant agreements.
SECTION 5. That this ordinance shall take effect and be in force from and after the earliest period allowed by law.