REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Approve Grant Acceptance and Budget Modification No. 52 to Appropriate $698,625 from the State of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Railway-Highway Crossings (Section 130) for Grade Crossing Safety Improvements at Mary Avenue and Caltrain Track CPUC No. 105E-37.90, Federal DOT No. 755037V; and Authorize the City Manager to Execute All Grant Related Documents
Report
GRANT SUMMARY
In late 2017, a concern was received about the traffic signal timing for the railroad crossing on N. Mary Avenue. Staff calculated the railroad interconnect system's preemption timings and identified potential improvements to the existing timings. Staff approached Caltrain with its findings; they performed a diagnostic and confirmed staff's initial findings. Caltrain turned this into a priority safety improvement project and secured $3.8 million to upgrade the railroad interconnect system at the railroad crossing located at the intersection of Mary Avenue and West Evelyn Avenue. The project is now under deployment and funded in its entirety by Railway-Highway Crossings (Section 130) Program through the California Department of Transportation. City Council acceptance of the grant is included in this report.
As part of the improvements, Caltrain will implement advance railroad preemption which will increase the warning time to clear the tracks before the train gates go down; cost for these improvements is $3,125,000.
Additionally, the Railway-Highway Crossings grant includes funds for the City to implement various improvements within the City's right-of-way at a cost of $698,625; The Railway-Highway Crossings grant was awarded to Caltrain, therefore a reimbursement agreement (Attachment 1) is required for the City to complete the work within its jurisdiction. A new project titled "Mary Avenue and Caltrain Track CPUC No. 105E-37.90, Federal DOT No. 755037B Safety Improvements" will be created. The scope of work for the City improvements i...
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