Edmond: City Council OKs funds toward stimulus projects
The Edmond Sun
EDMOND —
Edmond
City Council members Monday approved funds toward obtaining federal
grants for stimulus-related projects including a new traffic operations
center.
The council approved spending $25,000 for a professional
services agreement with Kimley-Horn and Associates for the federal
grants, known as Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery
grants.
Federal funds are being sought for intelligent
transportation system infrastructure, the Kelly Avenue and Burlington
Northern Santa Fe overpass and the Covell Parkway from Boulevard to
Interstate 35 project.
Steve Manek, city engineering director,
said because these applications are due by Sept. 15 time is of the
essence. Kimley-Horn is completing an intelligent transportation system
feasibility study for the city, and staff recommended the agreement so
the needed applications can be completed, Manek said.
The funds
are related to the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,
signed by President Barack Obama in February. As part of the stimulus
package, $1.5 billion in discretionary grant funding was provided to
the U.S. Department of Transportation to be awarded for capital
investments in surface transportation infrastructure.
The $2
million to $4 million intelligent system infrastructure project
involves the design, construction and implementation of an advanced
transportation management system for the city, according to information
provided by the City Council. It will include new fiber optic cable, a
traffic control system upgrade, new traffic signal controllers and a
traffic operations center.
A minimum of $16 would be saved by
motorists for every ITS dollar the city would spend on signal timing,
Kent Kacir, an engineer with Kimley-Horn said in a previous report.
These benefits would include reduced travel time and fuel emissions.
The average person’s time is worth $14 an hour, Kacir said.
The
roughly $20 million Kelly Avenue-BNSF interchange project involves the
reconstruction of the Kelly Avenue-BNSF crossing to include a grade
separated railroad crossing. The project includes the coordination and
connection with the Kelly Road-U.S. 77-Memorial Drive intersection.
Lastly,
the roughly $35 million East Covell Road project involves the
reconstruction of Covell Road between Broadway and I-35, and expanding
the existing roadway from a two-lane undivided roadway to a four-lane
divided parkway.
Manek said grant approvals will be announced in
February by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The city hopes each
project will be fully funded by the grants, he said.
The Obama
administration predicts the stimulus package will save and create 3
million to 4 million jobs during the next two years. Critics have said
stimulus funds are not being dispersed fast enough.
As of
March 26, Oklahoma had budgeted $2.6 billion of stimulus money for
projects in areas including health and human services, transportation,
energy and education, according to recovery.ok.gov.
Posted on Wed, July 29, 2009
by Crystal Drwenski