The purpose of the Federal Lands Access Program is to provide funds for roadways, bridges, trails and transit systems that are located on, are adjacent to, or provide access to federal lands. The emphasis of the program is on projects that provide access to high-use recreation sites or are economic generators. In December 2020, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Central Federal Lands Highway Division issued a call for projects for $90 million anticipated to be available in California from the program. Applications are due May 27, 2021.
Given the Fort Ord Regional Trail and Greenway's (FORTAG) links to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and the Fort Ord National Monument, this project is an excellent candidate for this federal funding. Staff submitted an application to this grant program in 2017 for FORTAG which scored competitively and was well supported by federal partners, but was ultimately not awarded funding. Central Federal Lands staff advised that due to the urban setting of the project, the agency should should consider a more robust local match.
TAMC staff is coordinating with the Federal Bureau of Land Management to request approximately $4 million in grant funding to support project development and construction of a section of the FORTAG project near the Cal State Monterey Bay campus. This project, once built, will enhance access to the Fort Ord National Monument and is part of a larger effort to connect communities on the former Fort Ord military base to each other. The Monument currently has an estimated 1.5 million visitors per year, and is a major contributor to the outdoor recreation and ecotourism in Monterey County. However, access from the communities along the Monterey Bay is limited because the two official entrances to the Monument are on the eastern side. This project will provide enhanced access to the monument from the western side of the monument with linkage to the university and the City of Marina. The exact segment is still under development as more precise cost estimates are under development, but it will link CSUMB and Marina residents to the monument.
Staff recommends adopting Resolution 2021-03 authorizing the Executive Director to submit the application by the May 27, 2021 deadline (attached). Applications will reviewed and ranked by representatives from Caltrans, the County Engineers Association of California and Federal Lands Highway Division. TAMC will be notified in the summer if the project has made the short list. If the project is short-listed, TAMC will enter into a reimbursement agreement with the Central Federal Lands Highway Division for a not-to-exceed amount of $10,000 to complete project scoping efforts to refine the project scope, schedule and budget.