Posting Language
Title
Approve an ordinance authorizing negotiation and execution of an agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Neighborhood Access and Equity grant program, in the amount of $105,200,000, with the required City match of $45,000,000 for a total of $150,200,000, for the Our Future 35: Reconnecting Austin to the Downtown Core Construction Grant for the Cesar Chavez to 4th Street Cap, a Texas Department of Transportation roadway project; amending the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Transportation and Public Works Department Special Revenue Fund (Ordinance No. 20240814-007) to accept and appropriate $105,200,000 in grant funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Neighborhood Access and Equity program; and amending the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Transportation and Public Works Department Capital Budget (Ordinance No. 20240814-007) to transfer in and appropriate $105,200,000 in grant funds for the construction needs associated with the I-35 Cap and Stitch initiative. Funding: Funding in the amount of $105,200,000 is available from the U.S. Department of Transportation. A City funding match of $45,000,000 is required and is available in the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Transportation and Public Works Department Capital Budget. Related to Items #11, #49, #50, and #51.
De
Lead Department
Transportation and Public Works
Fiscal Note
Funding in the amount of $105,200,000 is available from the U.S. Department of Transportation. A City funding match of $45,000,000 is required and is available in the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Transportation and Public Works Department Capital Budget. Fiscal notes are attached.
Prior Council Action:
September 21, 2023 - Resolution No. 20230921-097 authorizing the submittal of a grant application to the United States Department of Transportation for the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Notice of Funding Opportunity for construction of improvements associated with the I-35 Cap and Stitch Program was approved on consent an 11-0 vote.
For More Information:
Richard Mendoza, Director, 512-974-2488; Upal Barua, Acting Assistant Director, 512-974-7110; Michelle Marx, Transportation Officer, 512-974-2856; Gilda Powers, Quality Consultant, 512-974-7092.
Additional Backup Information:
In September 2023, the City sought funding for construction needs associated with the I-35 Cap and Stitch initiative, in the form of the Our Future 35: Reconnecting East Austin to the Downtown Core grant application, from the United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Neighborhood Access & Equity program. In March 2024, USDOT notified the City that it had received a construction grant award in the amount of $105,200,000 for construction of the cap structure and minimum amenities from Cesar Chavez to 4th Street. The City committed to a $45 million local match in the application.
The Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) program is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the most significant federal transportation investment made in decades, that provides discretionary funding for planning and capital construction. Funds for the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 NAE Program construction grants were awarded on a competitive basis for projects that prioritize disadvantaged communities; aim to improve access to daily needs such as jobs, education, healthcare, food, and recreation; foster equitable development and restoration; and reconnect communities by removing, retrofitting, or mitigating highways or other transportation facilities that create barriers to community connectivity, including to mobility, access, or economic development.
Staff is requesting Council authorization to negotiate and execute the grant agreement with the Federal Highway Administration division of the United States Department of Transportation to accept the grant funds.