Subject
title
Ratify and Approve the City Manager’s Earlier Execution of a Grant Agreement with the Federal Highways Administration for the FY 2023 Neighborhood Access and Equity Grant Program for the Twinbrook Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge Project.
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Department
PW - Traffic & Transportation
Recommendation
Staff recommends the Mayor and Council ratify and approve the City Manager’s earlier execution of a grant agreement with the Federal Highways Administration (FHWA) for the FY 2023 Neighborhood Access and Equity grant program for the Twinbrook Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge project.
Discussion
Department of Public Works (DPW) staff applied for, and received, grant funding through the FY 2023 Neighborhood Access and Equity program to evaluate the feasibility of constructing a pedestrian and bicycle crossing of the railroad tracks in the Twinbrook neighborhood. This program is part of the federal Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Grant Program. This project will contribute to implementing the city’s Pedestrian Master Plan, the Bikeway Master Plan, and enhance multimodal accessibility in Rockville.
This project includes two phases. The first phase is to evaluate four possible locations for a crossing in the Twinbrook neighborhood. This evaluation will include a detailed benefit cost analysis, assess the constructability of the locations, and outreach with the Twinbrook community. After the analysis, DPW staff will seek concurrence with the community and guidance from the Mayor and Council regarding a preferred location for the crossing. The second phase of the project is to prepare a preliminary engineering design of the crossing which can be used to develop more detailed cost estimates and seek additional external funding for its completed design and construction.
The grant agreement (Attachment 1) is the first step for the city to seek a qualified consultant to start the evaluation process. The General Terms and Conditions referenced in Article 1 of the attached grant agreement are available at this link <https://www.transportation.gov/policy-initiatives/reconnecting-communities/nae-fhwa-fy23-general-terms-and-conditions-october-1>.
City staff received notice from the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and FHWA that the grant agreements should be fully executed by December 31, 2024, to ensure that federal funding is not eliminated. City staff coordinated with MDOT to add the project to the regional MWCOG Transportation Improvement Program and the State Transportation Improvement Program, and with FHWA to prepare an agreement over the past three months. The FHWA finalized agreement was shared with city staff on December 17, 2024, which did not allow staff to bring this item to the Mayor and Council before the end of December. The City Manager signed the agreement on December 30, 2024.
Mayor and Council History
This is the first time this agenda item is brought before the Mayor and Council.
Procurement
After the agreement is ratified, DPW staff will coordinate with Procurement and FHWA to prepare a scope of services and to obtain a qualified consultant to carry out the technical aspects of this project.
Fiscal Impact
The total project cost is $710,000 of which $568,000 is grant funded. The remaining $142,000 will be provided by the city as the local match through the Twinbrook Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge CIP (TC22) (Attachment 2).
Next Steps
If ratified by the Mayor and Council, staff will work with FHWA to proceed with hiring a consultant to carry out the technical aspects of this project.