Title
a. Approve submittal of a grant application in the amount of $10 million, under the Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects grant program, to request funding for the Palo Colorado Road Storm Damage Repair Project;
b. Authorize the Director of Public Works, Facilities and Parks (PWFP), or designee, to act as the agent for the County in processing all documentation to secure these funds; and
c. Direct PWFP to return to the Board for approval prior to acceptance of grant award.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Approve submittal of a grant application in the amount of $10 million, under the Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects grant program, to request funding for the Palo Colorado Road Storm Damage Repair Project;
b. Authorize the Director of Public Works, Facilities and Parks (PWFP), or designee, to act as the agent for the County in processing all documentation to secure these funds; and
c. Direct PWFP to return to the Board for approval prior to acceptance of grant award.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
Grant Program Background
On July 17, 2024 the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) published the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit applications for each Fiscal Year 2024 through 2026 for the Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects (NSFLTP) programs which will result in the distribution of up to $165 million for the three-year period. $47.74 million is available in 2024. The NSFLTP Program was authorized by Section 1123 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act and can be used to fund projects of national significance for construction, reconstruction, or rehabilitation of transportation facilities within, adjacent to, or providing access to Federal or Tribal Lands. Local governments are eligible applicants with the sponsorship of a Federal Land Management Agency or Tribal Government, and eligible projects must have an estimated total eligible cost of at least $12.5 million. In addition to these requirements, competitive transportation projects will align with DOT goals, improve safety, provide economic benefit, and improve quality of life among other merit criteria. The NSFLTP grant program review and selection process consists of Primary and Secondary Merit Criteria Review, Project Readiness Review, Technical Review, and FHWA Senior Review. Eligible costs include construction costs only. Soft costs, such as planning, design, permitting, and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)/National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance are not eligible costs under the grant program and must be funded by other funding sources. NSFLTP grant applications are due no later than 11:59 PM (Eastern Standard Time) on October 16, 2024.
Grant Application
The County of Monterey Department of Public Works, Facilities and Parks (PWFP) is preparing a grant application for the Palo Colorado Road Storm Damage Repair Project (Project). Palo Colorado Road is a narrow, rural road approximately 8 miles in length serving as the only access road from the scenic Big Sur Coastline along Highway 1 to the Los Padres National Forest in the Santa Lucia Mountains of Monterey County, in addition to properties owned by California State Parks, the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County, and a recreational camp. Unfortunately, Palo Colorado Road has suffered two federally declared disasters in the past 9 years; the Soberanes Fire in 2016 burned over 132,000 acres in Monterey County and successive storm events in 2016 and 2017 exacerbated the roadway damage as large amounts of water inundated the burn-scarred hillsides and canyons causing mudslides, slip outs, fallen trees and debris flows. These conditions created a safety risk for the traveling public and resulted in emergency repairs and road closures. There have been further severe wet weather events (e.g., atmospheric rivers) that have occurred since then, which PWFP staff have been working through to prevent damages from exacerbating further. While PWFP continues to work diligently with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to seek funding for the roadway rehabilitation, approximately 3.8 miles (from milepost 4.0 to 7.8) remain severely damaged and closed to the public. The Project will rehabilitate and significantly improve safety and resilience of this key regional roadway providing access to Los Padres National Forest and regional recreation facilities. The Project will improve drainage systems and stabilize the surrounding hillsides in effort to bolster the roadway against the escalating threats of climate change and prevent future closures. Through the subject application, the County is requesting approximately $10 million for the construction portion of the Project. If the proposed grant application is selected to receive funding, staff will return to the Board for approval to accept the grant award.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
PWFP collaborated with United States Forest Service staff during application development to attain the required sponsorship for the application.
FINANCING:
The total estimated cost of the Project, including design engineering, environmental, right-of-way, utilities and construction is $17,239,900. PWFP is requesting $10 million in NSFLTP grant funds for the construction phase of the Project. After completion of the Project, an estimated reimbursement of $1,663,670 is expected from FEMA and $457,510 from the California Disaster Assistance Act (CDAA). The required 10% non-federal match will be covered by local funds, potentially sourced from the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), Measure X, or Senate Bill (SB) 1.
The estimated cost of $5,000 associated with PWFP staff for submitting the application will be funded from the FY 2024-25 adopted budget for the Road Fund 002, Unit 8558, Appropriation PFP004.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
The Project will construct sustainable, physical infrastructure that improves the quality of life for County residents and visitors. The recommended action supports the following Board of Supervisors’ Strategic Initiatives:
Economic Development
Administration
Health & Human Services
X Infrastructure
X Public Safety
Prepared by: Victor Gutierrez, Project Manager, (831) 755-4806
Janie Bettencourt, Management Analyst II
Reviewed by: Jonathan Pascua, PE, Senior Civil Engineer
Enrique Saavedra, PE, Chief of Public Works
Approved by: Randell Ishii, MS, PE, TE, PTOE, Director of Public Works, Facilities and Parks
Attachments:
Attachment A - Location Map