Fort Ord Regional Trail and Greenway - Federal Lands Access Program Grant

1. RECEIVE update on the Agency's Federal Lands Access Program grant application submitted for the Fort Ord Regional Trail and Greenway project; and
2. RECOMMEND the Board of Directors ratify payment of the additional $28,000 for the scoping review at its January 26, 2022 meeting.

On November 24, 2021, the Agency was notified that the Fort Ord Regional Trail and Greenway grant application to the Federal Lands Access Program was short-listed for scoping review by the Federal Highway Administration. The next steps are for the Agency to execute a Memorandum of Agreement for the scoping review by January 21, 2022 and pay for the associated costs of the review.

The estimated total project cost, including engineering and escalation of construction costs to the program year, is $9,660,000. The Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP) will provide $5,660,000. The Transportation Agency will match the FLAP grant with $4,000,000 in Measure X funds (exceeding the 11.47% minimum match requirement). The Agency is also required to provide $38,000 (in Measure X funds) to cover the cost of the FHWA scoping review.

The purpose of the Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP) 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, with applications 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.

At the April 28, 2021 Transportation Agency Board meeting, the Board authorized staff to submit an application for this project using Measure X as matching funds not-to-exceed $4 million dollars and an additional $10,000 to fund the scoping review by Federal Highways Administration (FHWA).

The proposed project will provide a multi-use recreational trail in Marina, between Imjin Parkway/ Imjin Road connecting to the Jerry Smith Trailhead (see the project map, Attachment 1). The project involves final design and construction of 2.26 miles of a multi-use bike and pedestrian trail, including 2.1 miles of a paved path and 0.16 miles of raised boardwalk. The raised boardwalk will traverse over a federally-protected species habitat. The path will be paved to 12’ wide with 2’ unpaved shoulders on each side. Safety improvements include grading to create an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant trail and enhanced road crossings. The purpose of this multi-use trail is to provide direct active transportation access to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Fort Ord National Monument from California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) and nearby residents of the cities of Marina, Seaside, and Monterey.

On November 24, 2021, the Agency received notification from FHWA (Attachment 2) that the project was short-listed for a detailed review of the scope of work, costs, and schedule for the final decision on project funding, likely to be in the fall 2022. In order to accept the terms and move forward with the scoping review, the Agency is required to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement with FHWA and pay for the costs of the scoping review by January 21, 2022. Agency staff received Board authorization to take these next steps with the action taken on April 28, however the actual cost of the scoping review is $38,000, rather than the approved $10,000. Since the agreement and payment of costs are due prior to the next Transportation Agency Board meeting, Agency staff is requesting that the Executive Committee recommend staff execute the agreement and payment of costs in order to secure the project in the final round of review, and request that the Board ratify this action at the January 26, 2022 meeting.