Transportation Technical Committee

All items on the consent agenda are considered to be routine and non-controversial by COG staff and will be approved by one motion if no member of the Committee or public wishes to comment or ask questions. If comment or discussion is desired by anyone, the item will be removed from the consent agenda and will be considered in the listed sequence with an opportunity for any member of the public to address the Committee concerning the item before action is taken.

City of Fresno - FAX TDA Claim 2024-25 (004)

2024-37 City of Fresno 2024-25 Claim Resolution

Action: Staff requests TTC/PAC recommend the Policy Board approve Resolution 2024-37 adopting the City of Fresno’s 2024-25 Transportation Development Act claims totaling $59,889,272.

Summary: In 1991 Fresno COG entered into agreements with the City of Fresno, City of Clovis, and Fresno County for traffic count funding passed through the Overall Work Program. Those agreements were updated and superseded in 2017 to address changes in Federal regulations. These agreements are set to expire in December 2024, and are being extended another seven years.

Recommendation 1: Authorize the executive director to sign amendment No. 1 to the Overall Work Program agreement with the City of Fresno extending it to Dec. 31, 2031.

Recommendation 2: Authorize the executive director to sign amendment No. 1 to the Overall Work Program agreement with the City of Clovis extending it to Dec. 31, 2031.

Recommendation 3: Authorize the executive director to sign amendment No. 1 to the Overall Work Program agreement with the County of Fresno extending it to Dec. 31, 2031.

2024 Fresno COG 2023-2060 Growth Projections Draft

Summary: Fresno COG has updated its demographic forecasts, which includes detailed jurisdiction-level forecasts for residential and employment growth and is a critical element of scenario development for the 2026 Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS).

In preparation for the 2026 RTP/SCS, and in response to significant changes in the field of demographics and economy (e.g. the COVID-19 pandemic and the CA Department of Finance’s downward adjustment of their population projections), staff has developed a draft update to the demographic forecast that incorporates new observed data, projections from various sources, and permit information from local agencies.

The updated report is included for review.

Action: Staff and the RTP Roundtable request that the TTC/PAC recommend the Policy Board approve the revised demographic forecast report for use in Fresno COG’s modeling and planning efforts, most notably the 2026 RTP/SCS.

2024 FCOG Regional OnBoard Survey Report

2024 FCOG OnBoard Survey Report_FAX

2024 FCOG OnBoard Survey Report_Clovis Transit

2024 FCOG On Board Survey Report_FCRTA

Draft_FCOG-Transit OD Presentation_10-30-2024

Summary: Fresno Council of Governments (Fresno COG) in partnership with Fresno Area Express (FAX), Clovis Transit, and Fresno County Rural Transit Agency (FCRTA) conducted a comprehensive transit on-board survey in Fresno County in spring 2024. The survey represented all fixed-transit routes operated by the three transit providers within the county. The survey provided a detailed overview of rider travel patterns and collected important information regarding transit customers, including: (a) socio-demographics, (b) fare payment, (c) travel purpose, (d) means of access and egress to/from the system, (e) time of travel, and (f) ultimate origins and destinations.

The survey’s main purpose is to update the transit components of Fresno COG’s activity-based model (ABM) and improve its transit ridership forecasting capability. The survey will also be used to assist transit agencies in planning future service improvements, and to reveal changes in transit riders’ travel behaviors after the COVID pandemic.

Accurate and reliable transit usage data are required as inputs to develop, calibrate, and validate the regional activity-based travel demand model. To support this, the transit on-board survey was designed and conducted in accordance with Federal Transit Administration (FTA) guidelines, ensuring the data can be used in federal grant applications and decision-making processes, and to ensure the overall accuracy and utility in the regional model. The on-board surveys also offer detailed insights into hard-to-measure transit markets, such as students, eventgoers, and downtown business circulation.

The sample targets within each of the transit agencies were proportional to actual ridership by route/line, time, and direction. Approximately 3,000 completed and valid survey records were collected, exceeding the targeted sample plan by 10%.

This project prepared the following:

1. Final origin-destination data file for the activity-based model that can be used by Fresno COG to update the model.
2. Individualized reports, including executive summaries, for each of the three transit agencies and for the region with four reports in total (all attached).

Action: Staff requests that TTC/PAC recommend the Policy Board receive and file the final reports for the Fresno County Regional Transit On-Board Survey.

25-26 Cycle Final Draft STBG Application Packet

FINAL_STBG Guidelines 25-26 Cycle

FINAL_CMAQ Guidelines 2025-26 Cycle

FINAL_CMAQ Application 2025-26 Cycle

Summary: The Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) and the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement programs (23 U.S.C. 149) are authorized in the Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). STBG promotes flexibility in State and local transportation decisions and provides flexible funding to best address State and local transportation needs. CMAQ provides funding directed to transportation projects and programs that contribute to attaining or maintaining National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) in nonattainment or air quality maintenance areas for ozone, carbon monoxide, or particulate matter (PM) under provisions in the Clean Air Act (Title 42, United States Code).

Fresno Council of Governments (Fresno COG), in its role as a metropolitan planning organization (MPO), is responsible for programming future federal transportation revenues for the Fresno region in the Federal Transportation Improvement Program (FTIP). STBG and CMAQ funds are reimbursable Federal-aid funds, subject to the requirements of Title 23, United States Code.

Program guidelines describe the policies, standards, criteria, and procedures for developing, managing, and adopting Fresno COG’s STBG and CMAQ program. The 2025/2026 STBG and CMAQ program will cover four years of programming, 2026/27 through 2029/30. All funds are distributed through a competitive, regional bid program based on scoring criteria and evaluated by a scoring committee.

The Fresno COG Programming Subcommittee met two times in September and October to update and finalize the guidelines, application packets, and scoring criteria for the upcoming 2025/26 STBG and CMAQ calls-for-projects. New updates for the STBG guidelines include the scoring system and minor changes to the application and changes to CMAQ guidelines, include funding distribution policies, changes to the scoring system, rotation of representation to the scoring committee, and minor changes to the language in the application.

The STBG and CMAQ program guidelines and application packets can be found on Fresno COG’s website and are attached to this agenda item. Upon Board approval of the guidelines and application packets, the call-for-projects will be initiated.

Action: Staff and the programming subcommittee request the TTC/PAC recommend the Policy Board approve both the STBG and CMAQ guidelines and application packets and initiate the call-for-projects.

FINAL Draft FCOG Project Delivery Policy and Procedures

Summary: The Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG), Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement, Carbon Reduction (CRP) and Active Transportation (ATP) programs, as well as other State and Federal funds, are subject to regional project delivery policies. These policies and procedures are critical to ensure that the region can use its State and Federally apportioned transportation funding in a timely manner. By meeting delivery targets, the region can maximize its use of all funding on transportation projects. If the region is successful in meeting state mandated delivery deadlines, it may be rewarded with supplemental transportation dollars through the “August redistribution” process. Projects in each Federal-aid program are awarded based on individual program guidelines and scoring criteria including project merit, eligibility, and deliverability, within the established deadlines.

The Fresno COG Programming Subcommittee met in September to update and finalize the Project Delivery Policy and Procedures. Updates include minor changes to procedures and dates. The Project Delivery Policy and Procedures can be found on Fresno COG’s website and is attached to this agenda item.

Action: Staff and the Programming Subcommittee request the TTC/PAC recommend the Board approve the final draft of the 2025-26 Project Delivery Policy and Procedures.

Summary: On Sept. 26, the Fresno COG Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Subcommittee convened to discuss goals for SRTS funding and safety improvements. Following the Subcommittee’s direction, Fresno COG staff has explored the feasibility of amending the Measure C Expenditure Plan to potentially reallocate funding for Safe Routes to School projects.  

Fresno COG staff met with the Fresno County Transportation Authority (FCTA) to discuss potential funding opportunities in the existing expenditure plan. FCTA and Fresno COG identified four potential programs in the expenditure plan that are forecast to not be fully expended by the 2027 sunset of the current Measure. These programs are 1) Senior Scrip, 2) Ag/Farmworker Vanpools, 3) Car/Vanpools, 4) New Technology Reserve carryover from FY 24-25 cycle.  

Based on historical trends of expenditures and demand for these programs, FCTA and Fresno COG anticipate a sufficient remaining balance to support both existing and future demand for these programs until the 2027 sunset and the one-time $8.5 million infusion of funding for a Safe Routes to School Program.  

At this stage, this proposal to potentially reallocate $8.5 million in funding across the four programs outlined above into Safe Routes to School is simply a concept. Should the Board advise Fresno COG to proceed with an amendment to the Measure C Expenditure plan, this would entail further discussion with FCTA and the SRTS Subcommittee regarding logistics of the program as well as amendment approval by the FCTA Board. Additionally, Fresno COG has suggested a similar item be presented to the FCTA Board in December as a conceptual item. If approved, this item would return to the Board in the first quarter of 2025 and include program guidelines and a formal amendment.  

Action: Staff recommends TTC/PAC recommend the Policy Board authorize Fresno COG to begin an amendment to the Measure C Expenditure Plan to reallocate $8.5 million total from Senior Scrip, Ag/Farmworker Vanpools, Car/Vanpools, and the New Tech FY 24-25 cycle carryover, to a one-time infusion for Safe Routes to Schools and begin developing guidelines for a Safe Routes to Schools Program. 

Summary: Following Board direction to begin developing the expenditure plan for the 2026 Measure C renewal effort, Fresno COG and Fresno County Transportation Authority (FCTA) staff have produced a list of stakeholder categories recommended to solicit for seats on the Measure C Renewal Committee.

The MC3 Committee, as it is being called generically at this point, is a work in progress that is envisioned to potentially subdivide to form one or more subcommittees based on particular categories of expenditures.  While its membership has not yet been identified, Fresno COG and FCTA staff have homed in on broad groupings of stakeholders that have a particular interest in helping shape the revised expenditure plan and the broader renewal effort generally.

The Committee would be loosely structured in the beginning, guided closely by a strong facilitator, with the expectation that additional parameters and guidelines for discussion, along with specific actions, products or deliverables, would become a regular outcome of each meeting.

Furthermore, to maximize flexibility in meeting arrangements and allow for hybrid in-person and telecommute options, staff recommends that the Committee not be formally approved by this Board or FCTA to avoid Brown Act requirements that would constrain assemblies to only in-person arrangements.

Staff recommends the Committee membership include the following stakeholder categories: all 16 local jurisdictions within Fresno County; active transportation interests; Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)/seniors; agriculture; aviation; building and development; business; Caltrans; community-based organizations; construction; education; emergency services/public safety; environmental organizations/interests; trucking industry; health and welfare interests; organized labor; political advocates; transit; and the public.

Fresno COG and FCTA staff would attend each meeting in a technical capacity to answer questions and clarify information, but not play a role in deliberations.

Action: Information and discussion