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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWashington State Department of Transportation ORT NGELES W A S H I N G T O N, U. S. A. City Council January 22, 2018 Roger Millar Secretary of Transportation Washington State Department of Transportation P.O. Box 47300 Olympia, WA 98504-7300 Dear Secretary Millar, On behalf of the City of Port Angeles, I want to make you aware of an urgent need facing our community. In Port Angeles, 8`h Street serves as one of our primary arterial corridors with two 750- foot long bridges that were reconstructed in 2009. These bridges serve as a connection point serving east and west neighborhoods crossing Valley and Tumwater Creeks as well as State Route 117. Tragically, in the past eight years, seven people have jumped to their death from the bridges along this corridor. Three of those suicides have occurred in the past five months. In November of 2017 a young girl, only 15 years old and on her way home from school,took her own life from one of the bridges, and for the community, her death elevated this issue. City Council recognizes these suicides underscore a serious mental health issue within our community, but at the same time Council also feels it is important to ensure we do everything in our power to save lives by implementing protective barriers on these two bridges. On December 5'of 2017 Council updated the City's Transportation Improvement Plan, re-prioritizing the installation of 8`h Street Bridge barriers to the top of the plan's list. Simultaneously the City began developing design options for the barriers. This past week City Council selected a preferred design option and directed staff to complete the design. Design work including bid process is expected to be completed within the next two months. The City has diligently searched every internal fund and account to gather the dollars necessary to successfully design and construct these barriers. More importantly,the local community has stepped up making direct donations and pledges to the project. To date we have received contributions from community members in excess of$124,000. Simultaneously, the City has been working directly with Representative Chapman of the 24`h District to obtain a legislative appropriation of an additional $350,000. Our request to you is for your assistance in identifying any additional funding that could be made available through Washington State Department of Transportation. The total project cost is estimated to be$1.4 million. Recognizing the importance of human life and active involvement of our local citizens in advocating for these barriers, we ask you to join us in ensuring this project moves forward efficiently and successfully. If you see any possible funding opportunities that can be implemented without Phone: 360-417-4500/Fax: 360-417-4509/TTY: 360-417-4645 Website: www.cityofpa.us/Email: council@cityofpa.us 321 East Fifth Street/ Port Angeles, WA 98362-0217 significant regulatory timing delays, the City Council would greatly appreciate your support. It is our goal to make each day count in order to prevent any further tragedies from occurring. I have attached a copy of our legislative briefing paper and a legislative request from all of our local legislators. Please do not hesitate to contact City Manager Dan McKeen(360-417-4501; dmckeen'� citvofpa.us)directly if we can provide any additional details about this lifesaving project. Sincerely, Sissi Bruch Mayor CC Representative Mike Chapman 24`h District City Council City Manager Washington State AdMk �AP Department of Transportation February 5, 2018 The Honorable Sissi Bruch Mayor, City of Port Angeles 321 East Fifth Street Port Angeles, WA 98362-0217 Dear Mayor Bruch: Olympic Region 5720 Capitol Boulevard, Tumwater P.O. Box 47440 Olympia, WA 98504-7440 360-357-2600 /FAX: 360-357-2601 TTY: 1-800-833-6388 www.w dot.wa.gov Thank you for your January 22, 2018, letter to Secretary Millar. The Secretary asked that I respond on his behalf. I am the Olympic Region Administrator and responsible for state highways in the Port Angeles area. Your 8" Street Bridges Screening Project likely qualifies for the City Safety Program. There is an open call for projects due April 16, 2018. Our Local Programs Engineer, Neal Campbell, will contact your public works department about this opportunity. Your project might also be eligible for one or more of the following sources or programs: Federal -aid Highway Programs: • Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) • National Highway Performance (NHPP) • Transportation Alternatives (TA) State transportation agencies: • State Transportation Improvement Board • County Road Administration Board It is important to note that project selection for these funding sources is made either with the state transportation agency, or in the case of the federal funds, with the local planning organizations (Clallam Countywide and Peninsula Regional Transportation Planning Organization). We would also encourage an additional conversation with the local RTPO to confirm eligibility for the federal programs. Even if the project is eligible, it is not known whether this project would prioritize for funding. Neal can also offer additional information on some of the above programs. Neal can be reached at (360) 357-2666. The Honorable Sissi Bruch February 5, 2018 Page 2 Other sources of State revenue would require a Legislative Proviso for work on structures off of the State system. They are: • State Motor Vehicle Account (108) • Multimodal Account (218) Please feel free to contact me if there is something I may do to assist as you pursue funding for your project. Sincerely, John Wynands, P.E. Region Administrator WATAInIq cc: Rep. Mike Chapman Port Angeles City Council Port Angeles City Manager Roger Millar Kevin Dayton Neal Campbell O\�y OF PORT A/VCFI� CITY OF PORT ANGELES 8TH STREET BRIDGES SCREENING PROJECT HISTORY: The Port Angeles 8th Street Bridges serve as a major artery through the City. Both 750-foot long bridges were built in 2009 and serve as a connecting point for the east and west side neighborhoods crossing Valley Creek and Tumwater Creek. Tragically,in the past eight years,seven people have jumped from these bridges.Three of those suicides have occurred in the past five months,the last of whom was only 15. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Through an outpouring of support and concern,community and local officials have actively »` voiced a need for the City to find ways to discourage future suicide 'rte attempts from the bridges. To further support the effort,community members self-initiated a grass roots movement to donate money toward funding bridge protective screening. CITY COUNCIL ACTION: The City Council recently amended the Capital Facility Plan to include a project to construct protective barriers on the 8th Street bridges,and directed City staff to begin immediate planning for a permanent protective screening solution for both bridges. ENGINEERING OPTIONS: To expedite the effort,the City retained a private engineering firm to perform a structural engineering study on both bridges. This engineering analysis provided multiple options,ranging from fencing with galvanized posts and chain link fabric to an all aluminum rail design. COSTS AND CRITERIA • • • ••• ""' • " •"' The estimated costs for each option include: • • • • • •" 1. Design; "• • • • • 2. Construction; • • • • 3. Materials; 4. Labor; • "• • • •" 5. Traffic control; •• • • • •" • " •" 6. Project management; and, • 7. State and local sales taxes. • The design criteria include: • •• 0 Difficulty to climb; _• •• • • • 0 Implementation timeline; • Life-time costs; and, • Visual appearance. �� � trntriintmnn 11I�IJInlnli 1g1111161411i1011I91❑tll 11 flllllll 0111111 nI10i110[IT 1'OOilll 1111111 111111 'u mi i i inn i i r _. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT Due to the sudden increase in bridge related suicides,the installation of protective screening is a top priority for the Port Angeles community.The public is,and will continue to be actively involved and deeply invested in completing the installation of the protective screens in 2018. In an unprecedented display of emotion the Port Angeles community has come together to develop a solution and assist with construction costs.The community has made generous donations and have implemented many fundraising events. Additionally,at the request of residents,the City is accepting monetary and in-kind donations(materials,equipment,or supplies). Any excess community-donated funds will be given to Peninsula Behavioral Health in Port Angeles to be used for suicide prevention programs. The community is also actively donating time to monitor the bridges in the hope of preventing more tragedies. 01"0111 FUNDING: Facing an estimated loss of over$440,000 in utility tax in the General Fund, the City has undergone an extensive re-prioritization process using budgeted savings from 2017 to balance the 2018 budget. In an effort to sup- port protective bridge screening in 2018, without over-burdening an already challenged General Fund, City Council has directed City staff to re-prioritize capital projects to find funding. In addition, after only three weeks, community donations to assist with the permanent protective screening construction surpassed$124,000. RECOMMENDED OPTION: The recommended option includes aluminum post construction and utilizes a design which embraces a local feel with abstract fence shapes that represents our Olympic Mountains. This option also has a lower-range overall life cycle cost. Additionally,this option could also accommodate the future addition of locally do- nated art. STATE SUPPORT: To help pay for the installation of suicide-deterrent protective screening,the City is requesting funding from the Washington State Legislature to allow the City to address this tragic problem. It is critical that this funding assistance be provided in an efficient and timely manner with limited requirements on pre-construction ad- ministration. CONTACT: DAN MCKEEN AT THE CITY OF PORT ANGELES `— rte p. 360.417.4500 1 Legislative Building Washington State Legislature Olympia,WA 98504-0600 January 18th, 2018 Dear Chair Clibborn; We are writing to request your consideration of a budget proviso that will address a growing safety need in the Port Angeles community. The 8th Street Bridges serve as a major artery through the City and as a connecting point for the east and west side neighborhoods crossing Valley Creek and Tumwater Creek. Tragically, in the past eight years, seven individuals have jumped from these bridges. The community of Port Angeles has come together in both grief and commitment to actively voice a need for improved safety measures on the bridges. Preventing future suicides and injuries is something the community, and we, feel cannot wait. The City of Port Angeles is responding as best as possible to respond to the community and improve the safety of the bridges. The City Council recently amended the Capital Facility Plan to include a project to construct protective barriers on the 8th Street Bridges. Staff has been directed to begin planning for a permanent protective screening solution for the bridges. Additionally, the City has been working with an engineer to develop design options. Finally, in January, the City Council will be considering moving forward with a final design on a selected bridge protective screening option. The City and Community have identified funding sources to support this project but we are requesting $350,000 of state support. We've provided an overview of the funding plan, breakdown by funding participant, request for state support and total project cost. We've also attached a one-page project description provided by the City of Port Angeles. PROTECTIVE BARRIER FUNDING • Preliminary City Funded City included sources are BEET; General Fund Revenues; and reprioritized capital project spending. $926,000 Community Funded Pledges/Donations 124,000 Requested from State of Washington Requested from the State of Washington 350,000 We understand there are many demands on the transportation budget but we are concerned with the potential future loss of life if the safety of the 8t"Street Bridges is not improved. Thank you for your consideration and we are each happy to provide further details on this request. Sincerely, -1 . Rep. Mike Chapman Rep. Steve Tharinger Sen. Kevin Van De Wege