CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY FIFTH COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. R-23-112 ENACTMENT NO. ________________________
SPONSORED BY: Klarissa J. Peña
RESOLUTION
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City Of Albuquerque Project Recommendations To The Mid-Region Council Of Governments For Inclusion In The 2040 And 2045 Metropolitan Plan And For Consideration For Federal Funding In The Proposed FY 2020 To FY 2025 Transportation Improvement Program For The Albuquerque Metropolitan Planning Area (Peña)
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CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE MID-REGION COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS FOR INCLUSION IN THE 2040 AND 2045 METROPOLITAN PLAN AND FOR CONSIDERATION FOR FEDERAL FUNDING IN THE PROPOSED FY 2020 TO FY 2025 TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM FOR THE ALBUQUERQUE METROPOLITAN PLANNING AREA.
WHEREAS, for the City of Albuquerque to be eligible to receive federal transportation funds as a member of the Mid-Region Council of Governments (MRCOG), a project must be included in both the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP); and
WHEREAS, the City Council passed and adopted Council Bill Number O-07-89 on September 5th, 2007 establishing procedures for inclusion and amendment projects in MTP and the TIP of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Planning Area; and
WHEREAS, the procedures mandated in O-07-89 have been codified in “§2-12-8 Metropolitan Transportation Plan And Transportation Improvement Program Submittals”, that mandate the Mayor shall submit a proposed resolution to the City Council setting forth projects recommended for inclusion in the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Planning Area at least 30 days prior to the deadline for project submittals as established by the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). Projects shall only be submitted to the MPO for inclusion in the MTP and/or the TIP by City Council resolution; and
WHEREAS, a combination of circumstances prevented the Administration from transmitting a list to the City Council before submittal to the MRCOG. These include a shorter than normal application period, and a delay in receiving information on the amount of funding that was available to the region due to the late arrival of additional funding resources from the Federal Highway Administration; and
WHEREAS, there is a limited number of projects that qualify for the funding made available to the TIP process. These limits are due to: 1) the Federal Transportation funding categories that fund the Transportation Improvement Program are formula funds with restrictions on the type of projects that can be funded, based on the purpose of the project and its significance to federal transportation goals, the ability of the project to obtain a federal review, and the capacity of the City to design, obtain environmental clearances and construct the project the fiscal year the funding is available; 2) the projects must further the goals set forth in the City Comprehensive Plan; and 3) the amount of funding available to the TIP has not increased at or near the level of the inflation rate for transportation projects, which relegates TIP funding to mostly supplementing other funding sources assigned to a project; and
WHEREAS, since 2016 to identify the appropriate projects that can be funded with these limitations the City has established a joint staff committee from the Aviation Department, the City Council Services Office, the Environmental Health Department, the Department of Municipal Development, the Parks and Recreation Department, the Planning Department, and the Transit Department. The committee is to identify projects of importance that qualify for TIP funding criteria, and achieve the City’s adopted policies pertaining to, equity, land use and transportation. The Committee then choose from amongst that list the projects that would most benefit from the funding and are the most likely to receive funding through the MRCOG’s competitive selection process; and
WHEREAS, the list of projects includes, funding for vision zero, electric buses, developing a high capacity bus route, multi-use trails, funding for transit stations and bus stops, development of regional and arterial roadways and traffic signal technology updates.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
SECTION 1. The City Council adopts the attached updated list of priority projects to be included in the 2045 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) for consideration of federal funding in the proposed FY 2024 to FY 2029 TIP. The projects identified in Attachment 1 shall represent the official list of priority projects to be included in the 2045 MTP.
SECTION 2. In addition to submittal of the priority list the City asks that the member agencies of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Planning Area (AMPA) encourage the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) to include in its Federal Program for NMDOT District 3 the following projects:
1) As a component of the reconstruction of Interstate 25 from Central Avenue to Gibson Boulevard, to construct sound walls along this corridor for the purpose of furthering the conservation of historic district, and environmental justice for low income minority neighborhoods.
2) Reconstructing Interstate 25 and its interchanges from Comanche/ Griegos Road to Montano Road/Montgomery Boulevard.
3) General purpose lane, bicycle lane, and pedestrian improvements to the New Mexico State Highway 45 (Coors Boulevard) from Old Coors Road to Paseo Del Norte.
4) Bike and pedestrian access and Motor Vehicle Traffic flow improvements to the Interstate 40 Interchange at Rio Grande Boulevard.
5) A partnership with the City of Albuquerque to extend the Interstate-40 bike trail from Rio Grande Boulevard to where the Paseo Del Nor Este Trail intersects the University Boulevard.
6) A partnership with the City of Albuquerque to rehabilitate the recreational parkway/planting strips on New Mexico State Highway 556 (Tramway Road).
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