Volume 12, Issue 26 - Wednesday, June 24, 2020
Sacramento Station
California - The Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) released a list of more than $11 billion in near-term infrastructure projects on June 23 that could be funded by federal stimulus spending.

Titled "Ready for Recovery: A Call for Short-Term Strategic Investments in Infrastructure in the Greater Sacramento Region," the list identifies hundreds of critical projects from 50 different agencies in SACOG's six-county service area of El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo, Yuba and the 22 cities within those counties.

SACOG, along with partners Placer County Transportation Planning Agency and El Dorado County Transportation Commission, worked with several agencies beyond its usual transportation and land-use stakeholders to compile the list and send it to their Congressional delegation with the message that the region stands ready to move forward on infrastructure projects.

They grouped the projects into categories of:
  • Regional Transportation Connectivity;
  • Water Reliability & Storage;
  • Emergency Preparedness & Climate Resilience;
  • Infill Development & Affordable Housing;
  • Future Mobility;
  • Interregional & International Gateways;
  • Trails, Recreation & Tourism
  • High Speed Communications & Broadband;
  • Fix-it-First; and,
  • Local Connections.
Caltrans listed several major projects totaling $1.94 billion, including $586 million for managed lanes on Interstate 80, $466 million for its CapCity Managed Lanes project, $406 million for managed lanes on Interstate 5, and $86 million for improvements to the Sac-5 Corridor.

The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) submitted several capital projects totaling more than $1.06 billion. Their requests include $872.71 million to build a third passenger rail track between Sacramento and Roseville and fund the South Bay Connect project which proposes to reroute Capitol Corridor service and to construct a new intermodal train station.

Sacramento Regional Transit District is seeking more than $633 million under the Fix-it-First category to purchase light rail vehicles and buses, upgrade its 30-year-old light rail infrastructure, and make safety, security, and passenger comfort improvements to the Watt/I-80 Light Rail Stations and transit center. It also is requesting $110 million for a downtown riverfront streetcar scoping project and vehicle maintenance and service facility.

Under the regional transportation connectivity category, the transit district submitted three projects to complete the estimated $1.6 billion to $1.8 billion extension of the Green Line from Township to the Sacramento International Airport.

The airport division of Sacramento County, which manages Sacramento International Airport, Mather Airport, Sacramento Executive Airport, and Franklin Field, requested more than $480 million for various infrastructure projects, including $81 million for a pedestrian walkway at the international airport.

A Regional San project would turn household wastewater into clean irrigation water for 16,000 acres of farmland south of Elk Grove, allowing the region to reduce the need to pump ground water during drought times. That water is treated at a lower level and sent into the Sacramento River. The project manager said federal funds would accelerate the already largely funded $375 million project to potential construction and water delivery by 2023.

The Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency is seeking $300 million in federal funding for its American River Watershed Common Features Natomas Basin Project that would build levee improvements around the 42-mile basin perimeter.

More than $223 million in funding for the I Street Bridge replacement project was requested by the city of Sacramento, which also sought $39.6 million for Interstate 5 at Richards Boulevard interchange improvements.

El Dorado County is asking for almost $120 million to fund several Fix-it-First road, highway, and transit repairs, including $82 million to replace the Mosquito Road Bridge at South Fork American River Bridge, and Placer County is seeking $90.31 million to construct a new health and human services facility.
Allston Multimodal Improvement Plan map
Massachusetts - State transportation officials heard presentations on June 22 for three options to rebuild the Massachusetts Turnpike in Allston, a multimodal project that is estimated to cost $1.1 billion.

Members of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) board of directors and Fiscal and Management Control Board discussed efforts to straighten or shift the road, replace the Interstate 90 viaduct, elevate Soldier's Field Road, and build a new passenger rail station, all to transport the public to and from Boston's west.

The three options focused on a turnpike section known as the "throat" between Boston University and the Charles River.

Planners are working to fit a convergence of eight Interstate 90 lanes, four Soldier's Field Road lanes, two commuter rail tracks, and the Grand Junction railroad in the throat area. They also are trying to include a bicycle and pedestrian path there.

One option is to place all five at-grade and on the same path, which would require some infrastructure to be permanently constructed in the Charles River, or elevate some of the modes on a viaduct, which would require temporary construction in the river. A hybrid option would introduce below-grade elevation on Soldier's Field Road (SFR).

The viaduct and at-grade options are estimated to each take six and a half years to eight years to complete. The SFR option would take an estimated eight to 10 years to finish.

Advantages of the viaduct option are that it would eliminate the need to build in the Charles River and necessitate short-term outages of the Grand Junction bridge over a few weeks compared with six and eight years of outages for the other options.
Of the three "throat" area variations, the modified highway viaduct option ranked as the most favorable overall, according to a staff presentation.

MassDOT is scheduled to identify the preferred transportation alternative in fall 2020, and a draft environmental impact statement is expected in spring 2020. A final environmental impact statement and record of decision, using federal standards, are anticipated in winter 2021 or early 2022.
Leeville Bridge in Louisiana
Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced on June 18 that it will award $906 million in proposed funding to 20 infrastructure projects in 20 states.
 
Through the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) discretionary grant program, the department will leverage federal grant funding and incentivize project sponsors to pursue innovative strategies, including public-private partnerships.

Among the departments of transportation (DOT) and port authorities receiving INFRA grants are:
  • Arkansas DOT - $40 million to reconstruct U.S. 67 sections;
  • Colorado DOT - $60.7 million to make Interstate 70 safety improvements;
  • Delaware DOT - $56.8 million to construct Interstate 95-State Route 896 interchange;
  • Kentucky Transportation Cabinet - $55.15 million to widen 11 miles of Mountain Parkway;
  • Louisiana DOT - $135 million to construct 8.3 miles of elevated highway from Leeville Bridge to Golden Meadow;
  • Maine DOT - $38 million to replace seven bridges and make related improvements;
  • Minnesota DOT - $40 million to construct two U.S. Highway 10/169 grade-separated county highway overpasses;
  • Mississippi DOT - $71.4 million to complete construction of the 15.6-mile Greenville Bypass;
  • Nevada DOT - $50 million to reconstruct the Tropicana Avenue-Interstate 15 interchange;
  • Rhode Island DOT - $65 million to complete RI-246 corridor safety and state of good repair improvements;
  • South Carolina DOT - $34.5 million to construct a new interchange on Interstate 77 near mile marker 81;
  • Port of Houston Authority in Texas - $79.4 million to restore and strengthen 2,700 linear feet of wharf and upgrade yard space at the Barbours Cut Container Terminal; and,
  • Washington State DOT - $73.6 million to finish the SR 509 Completion Project, the SR 167 Completion Project, improvements to Interstate 5, and improved connectivity to Interstate 90.
USDOT will award 53 percent of proposed INFRA funding to rural projects. Six awards totaling $293 million will go to projects in or partially in an Opportunity Zone.
Port Everglades cruise terminals
Florida - Port Everglades received Broward County commissioners' approval on June 19 to commence with the port's 20-Year Master/Vision Plan Update.

The plan addresses development and capital improvements for the port's cruise, cargo, and fuel operations for the next five, 10, and 20 years. In the next 10 years, the port expects to spend more than $1.5 billion on infrastructure improvements.

One plan highlight is a people mover concept to connect Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to Port Everglades and the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center.

Another initiative is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Harbor Navigation Improvement Project to deepen and widen the channels. In February, the first phase of the project was included in the USACE FY2020 Work Plan to receive $29.1 million in federal funding to widen the Intracoastal Waterway and reconfigure the U.S. Coast Guard station east of its current location.

Major renovations are planned to four cruise terminals, and the port is working to add a finger pier to increase its capacity for larger cruise and cargo ships in the future.

The port also is planning numerous road improvements to reduce traffic congestion, and it will add more cold storage facilities to bolster its standing as the top perishables seaport in Florida.
Louisiana State University
Louisiana - Legislation that would allocate $529 million to construction projects at state universities and colleges is awaiting Gov. John Bel Edwards' signature.

Passed by the state Legislature on June 15, HB 2 would distribute money from bonds, self-generated fees, and the state's general fund to renovate or replace campus facilities.

Almost all of the colleges, medical schools, and other facilities in the Louisiana State University (LSU) System would benefit from $340 million in state funding.

LSU's Baton Rouge campus would get $222.7 million total, including $101 million to build a new science building, renovate its food science facilities, and make other infrastructure and utility improvements. Baton Rouge also would receive $51.5 million to repair and upgrade its library, $23.89 million for additions to its Student Health Center, and $25.7 million to renovate the H.P. Long Field House.

The state would disperse $19 million to LSU's Health Sciences Center to repurpose its interim hospital and $28.5 million for planning and construction of its Center for Medical Education and Wellness.

LSU Eunice would get $10 million to renovate its science building, and the LSU Agricultural Center would receive $30 million for the second phase of its renovations to its animal and food science facilities.

The University of Louisiana (UL) System would receive $152.5 million for projects at several of its campuses.

Renovations to Madison Hall at UL Lafayette would receive $16.4 million, and UL Monroe would get $12.6 million to renovate its Health Science Complex and perform planning and construction for projects at Sugar and Caldwell halls. Nicholls State University would collect $8.3 million to improve its athletic facility and restroom accessibility at Stopher Hall.

Louisiana Tech University is set to receive $40.5 million for tornado recovery and facility upgrades, and Grambling State University would get $10 million to replace its A.C. Lewis Memorial Library.

The state would contribute $37.4 million to Northwestern State University's replacement of Kyser Hall, and $21 million would go toward Southeastern University's D. Vickers Hall renovation and addition. More than $5 million would help McNeese State renovate and expand the Shearman Fine Arts Building.

Southern University Baton Rouge would get $48 million to construct a new STEM Science Complex, $8.03 million to upgrade and expand its laboratory school, $6.5 million to renovate Fisher Hall, and $5.66 million to renovate A.O. Williams Hall.

Of the proposed $10 million that would go to the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, $9.75 million would help fund a new Maritime-Petroleum Workforce Training Academy in Terrebonne Parish.
Columbus, South Carolina
South Carolina - State transportation commissioners approved a $562 million road and highway pavement improvement program on June 18 that will finance projects in all 46 of the state's counties.

Final plan approval is pending any substantive comments during a 21-day public comment period.

Under the plan developed by the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT), the state will improve 661 miles of proposed paving work on major roads, farm-to-market roads, and neighborhood streets in 2020-2021. 

The state is in the third year of its 10-year program that is working to increase the percentage of good-quality road miles and reduce the percentage of poor-quality road miles.  

Funding will be allocated to counties based on their relative share of lane miles for each system with 10 percent of the county allocation to be used for preserving good-quality roads. The balance is to be used for reconstruction or rehabilitation to make major repairs or fully rebuild decayed roads.

SCDOT has created an interactive map displaying paving projects for major roads, farm-to-market roads, and neighborhood streets.
A career and technical academy in Clark County School District
Nevada - A state oversight panel cleared the way on June 17 for the Clark County School District (CCSD) to issue $400 million in bonds to build new facilities and repair older schools.

In November 2019, the district revised its Capital Improvement Program to address $6 billion in maintenance issues and renovation needs at 290 of its schools that are older than 20 years. The district currently operates 362 schools at 333 campuses serving students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12.

The district's board approved plans in May to replace three elementary schools in east Las Vegas, build a new elementary school in Whitney to the southeast, and two career technical institutions.
 
The three replacement campuses are in the design phase and would open for the 2022-2023 school year. The new Whitney elementary school is in the planning stage and would be built at Broadbent Boulevard and East Russell Road for the 2023-2024 school year.

Both career and technical academies are in the planning phase with the NE Career and Technical Academy set for completion in the 2022-2023 school year and the South Career and Technical Academy scheduled for completion the following school year.

Bond funds also would be used to upgrade HVAC systems and replace roofs at 60 elementary schools, 15 middle schools, and 13 high schools.
San Francisco Southeast Treatment Plant
California - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded a $513 million loan to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to help fund improvements at its Southeast Treatment Plant.

The EPA's Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan will assist the utility with its plans to replace two outdated existing headworks treatment facilities with a single centralized preliminary treatment facility at the plant, which treats 80 percent of San Francisco's wastewater.

These upgrades will improve screening and grit removal, maintain regulatory compliance, protect public health and safety, meet current seismic standards, provide advanced odor control, and maximize water reuse.

The Southeast Treatment Plant Improvements Project will cost over $1 billion. EPA's WIFIA loan will finance nearly half of that figure-up to $513 million. Additionally, the California State Water Board Clean Water State Revolving Fund will finance approximately $244 million with the remaining project funds coming from revenue bonds.
Port of Mobile
Alabama - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the state of Alabama entered a partnership agreement on June 17 to deepen and widen the Port of Mobile in late 2024 or 2025.

The agreement will allow the Corps to move into contracting and construction phases to deepen the port's federal channel to 50 feet. The port's current channel depth is 45 feet to its tunnels and 40 feet in the river harbor.

Full federal funding was achieved in February, and construction is anticipated to begin by the end of 2020 on the $365.7 million project.

The Mobile Harbor Modernization project also received the state of Alabama's funding commitment in March 2019 when lawmakers passed the Rebuild Alabama Act that allocates a portion of state fuel tax proceeds to support approximately $150 million in bonds to meet the state's obligation for federal cost-share requirements.
Phoenix Capitol-I-10 West light rail extension rendering
Washington, D.C. - The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) recently awarded $22.97 million to 23 transportation departments, agencies, and organizations to support planning projects that enhance access to public transportation.

FTA's Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Planning is the source of the funding. The program assists communities with establishing new or expanded mass transit systems.

The Pilot Program for TOD Planning funds comprehensive planning projects near public transportation that improve access, encourage ridership and spur economic and mixed-use development.

Plans by the city of Phoenix to add transit-oriented development at nine light rail stations on the Capitol/I-10 West extension will receive $2 million in TOD funding.

Another $2 million will go toward plans by the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) to further transit-oriented development at six heavy rail stations in the Richmond BART corridor.

FTA will award $1.2 million to the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District to plan for TOD at existing commuter rail stations on the South Shore line and proposed commuter rail stations in the West Lake Corridor.

Metropolitan Council/Metro Transit will receive $1.25 million to plan transit-oriented development at all stations along the 14-mile Rush Line bus-rapid transit (BRT) project set to begin service in 2026.

Portland Metro is in line for $1.2 million to help it plan for TOD at 13 stations along the proposed Southwest Corridor Light Rail project.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) will get $1 million to plan for TOD at five stations along its proposed Dallas Central Business District Second Light Rail alignment for its D2 Subway project.

The Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Planning is authorized through fiscal year 2020.
Payson, Utah
Utah - To further its expansion plans in a high-growth area of Utah County, the Utah Valley University (UVU) acquired 38.7 acres in Payson for a future satellite campus.

The campus will be on the northeast side of the 1-15 Payson Main Street interchange near the city's power plant.

UVU officials touted the site's proximity to a future light rail station and planned interchange on the north end of Payson. UVU's Facilities Master Plan is built on a model using light rail as a point of connectivity for the system's campuses.

A construction timeline is to be determined, but the system's campus map indicates it is planning an education startup center with potential for further expansion as needed. The map also shows Eagle Mountain/Saratoga Springs as a possible site for another education startup center.
Watford City Municipal Airport
North Dakota - The North Dakota Aeronautics Commission awarded $9.7 million in state infrastructure grants to 141 projects at public airports throughout the state on June 11.

Watford City Municipal Airport's $22.4 million runway and taxiway relocation project will receive $5 million from a Strategic Investment and Improvement Fund (SIIF) approved in the last legislative session. 

The project is set to receive an additional $10 million from a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) supplemental grant and $2.81 million from a 2020 FAA Airport Improvement Program grant.

The state awarded $2 million in SIIF grants to Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport to reimburse it for runway navigational aids.

Fargo's Hector International Airport will get $244,121 to put toward 18 projects totaling almost $6.7 million including Skyway design for its passenger terminal and reconstruction and expansion of its employee parking lot.

The commission's executive director said the state airport grant allocations will help leverage and supplement federal funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which is expected to be up to $85 million for North Dakota's airports.
Jefferson County Courthouse
Arkansas - Jefferson County's Quorum Court, the governing body of the county, is mulling a public-private partnership (P3) to construct a new coroner's office, county health division, and veterans affairs office.

The total estimated cost of the facilities is $13.2 million.

Commissioners are considering a P3 proposal that includes construction of a 9,000-square-foot coroner's office near the county's juvenile justice center. They also are considering plans to build a 5,000-square-foot veterans service office near the county courthouse and a 12,800-square-foot facility to house the county's health unit near a regional medical center.

Some commissioners suggested that monthly revenues from a future casino could help pay off the debt as would the potential sale of the county's health department building to Southeast Arkansas College.
   View our Government Contracting Pipeline and Texas Government Insider newsletter archives
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE


Virginia - The Virginia Beach City Council appointed Patrick Duhaney as city manager, effective July 20. He will succeed Dave Hansen who is retiring. Duhaney is the city manager for Cincinnati, Ohio, and serves on the Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau board of directors. He also was Cincinnati's assistant city manager and chief procurement officer.

California - The Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority named Kevin Scott as chief financial officer on June 11. Scott is a management consultant and financial adviser. He previously served as a managing director and an investment banker in the private sector.

Florida - The Volusia County Council confirmed Karen Feaster as director of the Daytona Beach International Airport on June 16. Feaster has held several positions with the airport, including deputy airport director, properties and finance director, and administration and grants director.

North Carolina - The University of North Carolina (UNC) board of governors elected Peter Hans to serve as president of the UNC System, effective August 1. He will take over for interim president Dr. Bill Roper who has served since Margaret Spellings resigned in March 2019. Hans serves as president of the North Carolina Community College System.

Kansas - Gov. Laura Kelly appointed Dawn Knudston as director of constituent services for the Office of the Governor. Knudston previously served as legal assistant for the governor's office and accounting specialist at the University of Kansas.

North Dakota - The state's first chief customer success officer, Jeff Hensel, was hired by the North Dakota Information Technology Department, effective July 20. Hensel serves as director of services modernization for a multinational technology company.
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Strategic Partnerships, Inc.
Devin Monk, Editor
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