[BoulderCouncilHotline] US36 MCC DC Trip Summary & Handouts

[Jones, Suzanne]

Dear All—

Kathleen Bracke (GO Boulder Manager and Interim Co-Director of Public Works for Transportation) and I recently participated in the annual US36 Mayors & Commissioners Coalition trip to Washington, DC to lobby our CO delegation, congressional transportation staff, and Dept. of Transportation (DOT) officials for transportation funding.

Attached are the handouts we used  -- including an overview of our successful coalition, and fact sheets on the State Highway (SH) 119 and 7 multi-modal projects that we are promoting. These are good reference documents that I recommend to everyone for their use.

The big take-aways were:
--It was a very useful trip. We got great feedback from our delegation and DOT staff that our coalition is effective because we bring together several counties and numerous cities that collaborate together to speak with one voice. Also, our practice of coming to DC every year together is paying off in agency and congressional familiarity with us and our projects, and a greater willingness for them to help us.
--The fact that we spent the past year cobbling together local, regional and state funding for our projects to serve as matching funds to leverage federal dollars was also very well-received.
--Everyone we met with (from both parties) was willing to support our projects, and gave us good advice on moving forward.

Below is a more detailed summary of the trip (with thanks to Kathleen for taking notes!).

US36 Mayors and Commissioners Coalition (US36MCC) – 2019 Trip to Washington D.C.,
Meeting Notes and Next Steps


  *   Trip attendees included staff and elected/appointed officials from Boulder County, City and County of Broomfield, cities of Boulder, Longmont, Louisville, Lafayette, and Superior, as well Commuting Solutions, RTD, and Boulder Chamber/Northwest Area Chamber Alliance.



  *   Overview of trip purposes and key messages:
     *   Our overall focus was to pursue funding for priority Northwest Area Mobility Study (NAMS) corridors (See attached information packet for details).
     *   The US36 MCC specific ask for 2019 is for SH119 multimodal corridor improvements, including bus rapid transit (BRT), managed lanes, and commuter bikeway.
        *   We have been advancing the project over the past year, and are ready to move forward.
        *   Environmental clearance is anticipated in summer 2019.
        *   Progress over the last year includes corridor planning and raising local match funding of approximately $77M out of the overall project cost estimate of $220M.
        *   We are continuing to seek additional local, regional, and state funding to further leverage federal funding.
        *   Our coalition is planning to apply for a federal BUILD grant in 2019 with RTD, CDOT, and local agency partners.
        *   Approximately 30% of the people traveling on SH119 between Longmont and Boulder are coming from more rural areas of Larimer and Weld counties—so this project supports federal urban, suburban, and rural priorities; this project also serves regional and inter-regional travel demand.
        *   This project is scalable (i.e., can be done in phases) and ready to go/shovel ready.
     *   The US36 MCC funding ask in 2020 will be for the SH7/East Arapahoe corridor.
     *   Our ultimate goal is to build out the full NAMS network along SH119, SH7, US287, SH42, South Boulder Road, and 28th Street and Broadway, as well as keep working on NW passenger rail, including exploring peak service (i.e., 3 trains in the morning/evening) as an interim step.
     *   Our goal was also to determine the status of the federal Infrastructure Bill, FAST Act Reauthorization, and potential for congressionally directed spending in 2019-20, and how might these efforts support funding for our projects.



  *   What did we hear? What did we learn?
     *   A 2019 BUILD grant is the right fit for us to pursue funding for SH119 multimodal corridor improvements.  RTD, CDOT, and locals need to put this together right away. Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) will be coming out within the next 45 days and applications will be due 90 days from then. Awards will be made by the end of 2019. The federal goal is to expedite use of these funds.
     *   We received great support from our congressional delegation for our 2019 BUILD application for SH119, and willingness to sign on to letter of support to USDOT.
     *   We will continue to consider other Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funding sources (Small Starts, Bus/Bus Facility, and new Program for Inter-related Projects) for SH119 and other NAMS corridors.
     *   For railroad quiet zones, staff directed us to focus on safety needs/benefits (not noise) and work directly with Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to pursue a Consolidated Railroad Infrastructure Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant and to determine whether or not Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF) requirements for existing quiet zone projects are – or are not – appropriate.
     *   The US DOT Secretary may be visiting CO in 2019 and we invited her and the delegation to tour our projects.

Please contact me or Kathleen if you have any questions.
Cheers,
Suzanne

Suzanne Jones
Mayor, City of Boulder
(720) 633-7388
joness at bouldercolorado.gov


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