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County Administrator's Report 14. 2.
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| BCC Regular Meeting |
Discussion |
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| RECOMMENDATION: |
Recommendation Concerning the Pensacola Beach Congestion Management Plan - Phase III Improvements - Roundabouts with Pedestrian Underpasses - Joy Jones, P.E., Public Works Department Director
That the Board take the following action concerning the Pensacola Beach Congestion Management Plan - Phase III Improvements - Roundabouts with Pedestrian Underpasses:
A. Accept the Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA) Board's action at its May 9, 2018 regular meeting to proceed with Phase III design through 100% construction plans; or
B. Reject the SRIA Board's action and provide an alternate direction.
[Funding: LOST IV - Public Works Transportation Fund; $1,341,682.33 - $256,825.00 for Phase II - Additional Parking Areas, and $1,084,857.33 for Phase III Roundabouts with Pedestrian Underpasses.
Phase III total - $1,084,857.33 - $179,575.85 (paid to date) = $905,281.48 (balance as of 03/26/18)] |
| BACKGROUND: |
Meeting in regular session on February 18, 2016, the Board approved a contract with Volkert, Inc., to develop a congestion management plan for Pensacola Beach in efforts to identify traffic-related issues, provide recommendations to relieve those issues, and conduct a strong public involvement phase throughout development of the plan.
Dating back to 2010, multiple studies have been conducted on Pensacola Beach, including the plan initiated by the Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA) and developed by EDSA (the firm which provided the first Pensacola Beach Master Plan) to address the traffic issues. The Pensacola Beach Congestion Management Plan (CMP) is a separate document from the EDSA Master Plan, which provided an extensive public involvement aspect, provided several recommended transportation-related projects (both short- and long-term improvements) in order to alleviate some of the traffic congestion on the Island, and identified the key factors causing the traffic issues.
It has been determined that the traffic congestion on Pensacola Beach is primarily caused by three main components during peak times: the existing traffic signal at the Via de Luna Drive/Fort Pickens intersection, vehicular/pedestrian conflicts, and inadequate parking during peak times.
The CMP has addressed the key components that are causing the congestion on Pensacola Beach with the understanding that all of the key components are equally important and all must be addressed in the long term to have a positive impact on traffic congestion now and in the future.
The Board, at a Special Meeting held May 30, 2017, reviewed and approved the CMP while recommending staff to proceed with design for Phases II (additional parking areas) and III (roundabouts with pedestrian underpasses).
The Board, at a Special Meeting held July 27, 2017, reviewed and approved a contract amendment with Volkert, Inc. for the negotiated amount of $256,825 for Phase II - Additional Parking Areas, and the negotiated amount of $1,084,857.33 for Phase III - Roundabouts with Pedestrian Underpasses, for a total of $1,341,682.33. However, the Board requested at its November 2, 2017 regular meeting that staff "pause" the design process for Phase III at 60% to re-engage the public with additional workshops, then seek SRIA Board recommendation for the BCC on whether to proceed beyond 60% design for Phase III.
Staff received 60% design plans for Phase III from Volkert, Inc. on April 20, 2018, and then held the first of two Pensacola Beach CMP public workshops on April 23, 2018 at the Our Lady of Assumption Church on Pensacola Beach, FL for public involvement and comment. The workshop was well attended, and staff received numerous public comment cards regarding the proposed improvements.
The second public workshop was held Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at the downtown BCC Chambers, which was then be followed by the SRIA Board Meeting for recommendation on May 9, 2018. The SRIA Board recommended (via 5-1 vote) that the County proceed with the design phase for Phase III through 100% construction plans. The Board requested that staff and Volkert be sure to carefully consider the 4 following items through the remainder of the design phase:
1) Detailed construction timeline
2) Impacts to businesses and properties during construction
3) Return on investment
4) Continue to monitor newly installed ATMS traffic signal equipment for operational efficiencies
The Pensacola Beach CMP, Phase III 60% design, and all other meeting materials provided at the public workshops can be found at: myescambia.com/pensacola-beach/congestion-management-plan.
See the attached PowerPoint Presentation including the project materials presented at the April 23rd and May 1st public workshops. |
| BUDGETARY IMPACT: |
Funding Source: Funds available in LOST IV - Public Works Transportation Fund - $1,341,682.33 - $256,825.00 for Phase II - Additional Parking Areas, and $1,084,857.33 for Phase III - Roundabouts with Pedestrian Underpasses.
Phase III total - $1,084,857.33 - $179,575.85 (paid to date) = $905,281.48 (balance as of 03/26/18). |
| LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS/SIGN-OFF: |
| N/A |
| PERSONNEL: |
| N/A |
| POLICY/REQUIREMENT FOR BOARD ACTION: |
| N/A |
| IMPLEMENTATION/COORDINATION: |
| Upon direction, staff will coordinate with Volkert regarding the Board's recommended action, and continue to engage the public throughout the project process. |
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