The County of Santa Clara has been awarded a $ 380,000 grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission Regional Traffic Signalization/ Operations program (RTSOP/TSM) for the design, implementation and evaluation of an adaptive traffic signal coordination system along Lawrence Expressway. The City and the County will each participate on a 50 - 50 basis in order to provide the local matching funds for a combined amount of $120,000. The City's share of the cost, $60,000, is to be applied towards the total project cost of $500,000. Passage of this council action will authorize the City Manager to execute the city - county agreement.

The City Council approved a capital project, Lawrence Expressway Traffic Adaptive Signal Control, in the amount of $60,000 for FY1998/99. The City and the County will each participate on a 50 - 50 basis for a combined amount of $120,000 toward the local matching share of the grant. If approved, the consultant selection would be initiated immediately. Design and implementation will follow for approximately eighteen months to allow for review and evaluation of the effectiveness of the new system. Completion, system evaluation and final report is estimated to be September, 2000.

The goal of the project is to implement and evaluate new technology currently available to make existing traffic signal operations at the intersections on Lawrence Expressway and adjacent local streets more flexible and adaptive to the most current actual traffic demand, thereby reducing unnecessary waiting time for motorists. The project is a demonstration and evaluation project. It involves the installation of an adaptive coordinated signal timing control system at three county traffic signals along Lawrence Expressway and six city traffic signals. The traffic signal locations are:

Lawrence Expressway and Oakmead-Duane
Lawrence Expressway and Arques Ave.
Lawrence Expressway and Kifer Rd.
Arques Ave. & Lakeside Dr.
Duane Avenue and Stewart Dr.
Kifer Rd. & Semiconductor Dr.
Oakmead Pkwy and Lakeside Dr.
Kifer Rd. & Costco access driveway
Arques Ave. & Santa Trinita Ave.

As part of the State's grant administration process for transportation projects receiving funding, grantee agencies must have in place an agency-state project agreement covering funding and project administration and maintenance. Approval of the attached agreement (Attachment 1) constitutes agreement on the part of the County and the City to carry out the project as described.

Execution of the agreement is necessary to realize grant funding. Staff time expended on the project will come out of existing budgets for review, programming, analysis, documentation and project administration. It is not anticipated that additional staff time beyond what is currently budgeted will be necessary to implement the project. The majority of project costs will be for consultant costs, construction, installation of the software, associated hardware and system evaluation.

The City's funds are contained within Capital Project 820440. Approval of this agreement will result in a positive fiscal impact to the County and the City of a $ 380,000 grant. Community savings from use of a more efficient traffic signal coordination software system may result in future unquantified operating savings to the motoring public at large.

Upon execution of the agreement, and award of the design contract, $10,000 of the city's $60,000 portion will be conveyed to the county for the design contract. The remaining balance of $50,000 will be conveyed to the county upon the award of a construction contract. In the event there is no award of a construction contract the remaining funds will be retained by the city.

Posting of the Council Agenda.

Staff recommends Alternative #1.

Prepared by:

Robert G. Temmermand
Senior Traffic Engineer

Reviewed by:

Ray C. Williamson
City Traffic Engineer

Reviewed by:

Marvin A. Rose
Director of Public Works

Approved by:

Robert S. LaSala
City Manager