HomeMy WebLinkAbout7.12.17 UAPB Minutes1
MINUTES
MPOJC Urbanized Area Policy Board APPROVED
Wednesday, July 12th, 2017 – 4:30 PM
City of University Heights – Council Chambers
1302 Melrose Avenue, University Heights, IA
MEMBERS PRESENT: Coralville: Jill Dodds
Iowa City: Pauline Taylor, John Thomas
Johnson County: Janelle Rettig, Mike Carberry
North Liberty: Terry Donahue, Brian Wayson
Tiffin: Steve Berner
University Heights: Louise From
University of Iowa: David Ricketts
ICCSD: None
STAFF PRESENT: Kent Ralston, Brad Neumann, Emily Bothell, Karl Mueller, Kelly
Brockway
OTHERS PRESENT: Cathy Cutler (DOT District 6), Newman Abuissa (DOT District 6), Kelly
Schneider (Johnson County Mobility Coordinator)
1. CALL TO ORDER
Berner called the meeting to order at 4:30 PM.
a. Recognize alternates
Eleanor Dilkes served as an alternate for Rockne Cole, Simon Andrew served as an
alternate for Kingsley Botchway III, Ashley Monroe served as an alternate for Susan Mims,
Kellie Freuhling served as an alternate for Terry Dickens for Iowa City, Brian Wayson
served as an alternate for the vacant North Liberty seat.
b. Consider approval of meeting minutes
Motion to approve was made by Dodds; From seconded. The motion was unanimously
approved.
c. Set date of next meeting
The next meeting was set for Wednesday, September 20th, hosted by Iowa City.
2. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA*
Rettig stated that there was an open house scheduled for the new Johnson County
Ambulance Services building on July 13th from 4:00 – 5:00 PM.
3. TRANSPORTATION PLANNING
a. Public Hearing and consideration of resolutions of adoption and certification for the FY18-
21 MPOJC Transportation Improvement Program
Neumann stated that the TIP is the Iowa City Urbanized Area’s programming document
for federally funded transportation improvements. Some projects expected to be
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completed in FY2017 are now included in FY2018 as they were not completed.
Neumann stated that the TIP has been updated to reflect the programming of projects
through FFY2021. No public comments have been received to date.
i. Staff Presentation of the FY18-21 MPOJC Transportation Improvement Program
Neumann informed the Board of the process for revisions to the approved TIP. Revisions
can occur in two ways: an amendment, or administrative modification. An amendment is
required if there is an addition or removal of a project, a major change in project cost, a
change in project phases/initiation, or a change in the design concept of a project.
Administrative modifications can be made for minor changes in the cost of a project, minor
changes in funding sources, or minor changes to project phases and initiation dates.
ii. Public Hearing
No comments were made.
iii. Consider a resolution adopting the FY18-21 Transportation Improvement Program for
the Iowa City Urbanized Area and authorizing the MPO Chairperson to sign associated
documents contained therein
Motion to approve was made by Rettig; From seconded. The motion was approved
unanimously.
iv. Consider a resolution certifying compliance with federal requirements for conducting
the urban transportation planning process in the Iowa City Urbanized Area
Motion to approve was made by Donahue; Dodds seconded. The motion was
unanimously approved.
b. Update on the MPOJC Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program (TAP) funding
process
Ralston informed the board that the TIP draft plan included approximately $6 million in
Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) funding that had been allocated by the Board
through a competitive grant application process that had been conducted this past spring.
The Board had unanimously recommended approval of the draft MPOJC FY2018-FY2021
TIP at their May 31st, 2017 meeting.
Ralston informed the Board that both the STBG and TAP funding processes are typically
conducted concurrently; however, changes in federal transportation legislation will delay
the TAP process.
Ralston stated that the Iowa DOT provided staff with new guidelines on how the TAP
process would be conducted. A significant change is that the MPOJC needs to submit
applications and recommended funding allocations to the Iowa DOT for approval by
October 1st of each year. Prior to the change, the MPO was allowed to follow their own
approved grant process for project applications and funding allocation at the direction of
the Board.
Ralston informed the Board that staff was preparing to distribute TAP applications;
however, MPOJC was notified on June 20th, 2017 that the new TAP process defined by
the Iowa DOT was unacceptable to the Federal Highway Administration, putting the TAP
process on hold indefinitely.
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Ralston stated that in the future, it would be advantag eous for both the STBG and TAP
processes to be conducted concurrently to allow for better project planning and
streamlining of the application process.
c. Update on Transit Performance Targets
Neumann stated that the Federal Transit Administration is requiring transit providers
achieve and maintain a state of good repair for the nation’s public transportation assets
through the development of Transit Asset Management (TAM) Plans as outlined in the
Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act. TAM plans include the inventory of all capital
assets over $50,000, a condition assessment, and prioritization of future investments.
TAM plans are to be updated every four years.
Neumann stated that Iowa City Transit, Coralville Transit, and Cambus are required to
establish performance measure targets for rolling stock, equipment, and facilities.
Performance will be measured annually, using the targets “useful life” and “condition”.
Performance measures set by each transit system will be considered by the Board for use
in the urbanized area. At the Board’s September meeting, MPOJC staff will ask the Board
to consider approval of the transit performance measure targets set by each system. The
performance measure targets must be submitted to the Iowa DOT by October 1st, 2017.
d. Update from Johnson County Mobility Coordinator
Schneider updated the Board on the responsibilities of the Johnson County Mobility
Coordinator and projects that were in the works. As Mobility Coordinator, Schneider is
responsible for assisting residents with transportation-related issues. Residents assisted
are generally comprised of those with mobility issues. Schneider provides consultation on
how residents can access and utilize transit services across Johnson County.
Schneider stated that a comprehensive guide is currently being developed that will provide
residents with a source for all transit-related issues and services provided across the
county.
Schneider informed the Board that future workshops would be held for residents,
addressing topics such as how to use bike racks on buses, and using and accessing the
bongo app. In addition to workshops, YouTube videos will be posted that are accessible
to the public providing information on how to use transit services and amenities.
e. Update from DOT District 6 staff on significant projects in the metro area
Cutler and Abuissa provided updates on upcoming projects in the I-80/I-380 corridor.
Cutler stated that the I-80/I-380 interchange would be designed to include new bridges for
each lane of road which would improve safety and capacity of the highway. The large
number of bridges being built for the intersection is partly responsible for the high cost of
the project.
I-380 will be expanded to six lanes north of the interchange, stopping one mile short of the
Penn Street exit in North Liberty. Carberry asked what the rationale was for stopping one
mile short of Penn Street instead of at Penn Street. Cutler stated that the rationale was
based on the project passing the environmental review. Carberry inquired why the
highway would be expanded over new right-of-way rather than filling in the median. Cutler
stated that the long-term plan calls for eight lanes on I-380. Development of new right-of-
way for this project prevents development along the highway that would inhibit future
expansion. Abuissa stated that the cost of filling in the median is also very costly, and
presents more challenges for snow removal and maintenance. Due to the high costs, the
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DOT’s preference is to keep the median open at this time.
Construction on the Forevergreen Road interchange is slated to begin in Fall 2017 and
will continue for approximately two years. It is anticipated that the Forevergreen Road
interchange will be open to traffic in late 2019. Construction on Forevergreen Road will
start soon after the completion of the Forevergreen Road/I-380 interchange. This project
is expected to take two years, and be completed by the time construction on I-380 begins.
Construction on Oakdale Boulevard has already been completed, widened from a two-
lane to a four-lane highway. It will serve as a detour route for I-380 traffic during
construction.
On I-80, the road will be expanded to six lanes from Iowa City to West Branch. Future
plans call for expansion to six lanes from West Branch to the Cedar River Bridge, and
eventually to the Quad Cities.
4. Other Business
Donahue stated that the North Liberty inter-city bus service would be terminated at the
end of August. The city will be conducting a comprehensive review of their transportation
infrastructure and services, expected to be completed at the end of 2017.
Ralston stated that copies of the 2017-2045 MPOJC Long-Range Transportation Plan
were available. Members of the TTAC would each receive copies and an online version is
available.
5. Adjournment
Motion to approve was made by Thomas; seconded by From. The motion was approved
unanimously.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:33 PM.