Staff Report.SS4AGrantApplication
PREPARED BY: Tracy Wang
Transportation and Mobility Manager
Reviewed by: Town Manager, Assistant Town Manager, Town Attorney, Finance Director, and Director
of Parks and Public Works
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● (408) 354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: 06/20/2023 ITEM NO: 15
DATE: June 5, 2023
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Laurel Prevetti, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Staff Recommends the Town Council:
a. Authorize the Town Manager to Prepare a Joint Jurisdiction (Los Gatos
and San José) Grant Application to the Safe Streets and Roads for All
Program for a Corridor Study of Blossom Hill Road from Union Avenue to
Camden Avenue;
b. Authorize Town Manager to Execute a Second Amendment to the
Agreement for Consultant Services with Fehr and Peers for a Total
Contract Amount Not to Exceed $124,999.14; and
c. Authorize an Expenditure Budget Transfer in an Amount of $25,000 from
Available Fiscal Year (FY) 2023/24 Funds in in Project No. 911-9901 –
Street Repair and Resurfacing to Project 812-0132 – Local Road Safety
Program.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the Town Council:
a. Authorize the Town Manager to prepare a Joint Jurisdiction (Los Gatos and San José) Grant
Application to the Safe Streets and Roads for All Program for a Corridor Study of Blossom
Hill Road from Union Avenue to Camden Avenue;
b. Authorize Town Manager to execute a Second Amendment to the Agreement for
Consultant Services with Fehr and Peers (Attachment 1) for a total contract amount not to
exceed $124,999.14; and
c. Authorize an expenditure budget transfer in an amount of $25,000 From available FY
2023/24 funds in in Project No. 911-9901 – Street Repair and Resurfacing to Project 812-
0132 Local Road Safety Program.
PAGE 2 OF 5 SUBJECT: Authorize Preparation of Joint Jurisdiction Grant Application of Blossom Hill Road, Authorize Execution of a Contract Amendment with Fehr and Peers, and Associated Budget Actions DATE: June 5, 2023
BACKGROUND:
Blossom Hill Road provides a continuous east-west connection across the Town as well as
to/from the City of San José. Certain segments of Blossom Hill Road are under shared
jurisdiction by the City of San José and the Town of Los Gatos. It is an arterial street with a
posted speed limit of 35 miles per hour. On the 1.5-mile segment from Union Avenue to
Camden Avenue, there were 47 collisions in a five-year period from 2017 to 2021, resulting in
51 injuries, with the top violation being red light running. (Collision data from 2022 is not yet
publicly available.)
In addition, there were two fatalities in this corridor the first three months of 2023. One
occurred in Los Gatos in January at Blossom Hill Road and Belgatos Road. The other occurred in
San José in March at the signalized intersection of Blossom Hill Road and Leigh Avenue.
The 2022 Los Gatos Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP), adopted by Town Council on April 19,
2022, identifies Blossom Hill Road at Cherry Blossom Lane as a Key Collision Location and
Blossom Hill Road from Roberts Road to Hillbrook Drive as a Key Collision Corridor. The
segment of Blossom Hill Road where the fatalities occurred is not identified as a Key Collision
Corridor.
The community adjacent to Blossom Hill Road from Union Avenue to Camden Avenue has
expressed concern about speeding and other concerns along the corridor. As such, Los Gatos
and San José staff have worked to identify short-, mid- and long-term improvements that might
improve driver behavior.
Short-Term Action Items
Los Gatos staff intends to enhance signage and markings along the Town-owned portions of
Blossom Hill Road and is evaluating the Town’s ability to embark on a speed reduction
campaign by adapting materials developed by the City of San José through the Vision Zero
Program. The San José plan for short-term improvements includes additional striping,
enhancements to crosswalks, and changes in traffic signal timing. Short term improvements in
both communities are expected to be completed by Fall 2023.
Mid-Term Action Items
Recognizing that long term improvements may be costly and take years to implement, San José
may complete a lane reduction analysis to evaluate the benefits of narrowing travel lanes and
enhancing bike lanes through a quick-build program. The Los Gatos portions of Blossom Hill
Roads are slated for paving in 2025 which could provide an opportunity to implement
improvements in certain areas. San José will consider scheduling their portions of this corridor
for paving in 2025 to match the Los Gatos schedule.
PAGE 3 OF 5 SUBJECT: Authorize Preparation of Joint Jurisdiction Grant Application of Blossom Hill Road, Authorize Execution of a Contract Amendment with Fehr and Peers, and Associated Budget Actions DATE: June 5, 2023
BACKGROUND (continued):
Long-Term Action Items
Staff from both jurisdictions agree that consideration of a long-term plan to redesign Blossom
Hill Road is warranted. Any redesign would begin with a planning study to evaluate alternatives
and engage with the community. This potential redesign is the subject of the grant application
for which authorization is requested.
DISCUSSION:
The Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant (SS4A) federal grant program provides funding for the
development, completion, or supplementation of a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan (CSAP) to
develop a holistic, well-defined strategy to prevent roadway fatalities and injuries. The
program offers both Planning and Demonstration Grants and Implementation Grants. Staff
recommends application for a Planning and Demonstration Grant. The application deadline is
July 10, 2023, and award decisions are expected in October 2023.
The SS4A funds would enable the Town to enhance our existing LRSP to meet the criteria for
CSAP identified by the SS4A program, and to provide funding for analysis of the Blossom Hill
Road corridor from Union Avenue to Camden Avenue. The funds would allow both jurisdictions
to jointly address safety and collision risks along Blossom Hill Road and identify potential future
improvements, as well as treatments that can be applicable to other high injury corridors. It
would also identify methods to integrate design features to improve driver behavior into
already funded activities and projects, such as the routine tasks of maintenance and operations
and development review.
When the Town’s LRSP was developed, the CSAP requirements had not yet been identified by
U.S. Department of Transportation. To meet CSAP criteria, the LRSP must be updated to specify
a target year for eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries, incorporate equity
considerations, provide more specificity regarding timelines for implementation actions and for
tracking progress, and document specific changes to Town policies and processes to
incorporate strong road safety practices. Following adoption of the CSAP, the Town would be
positioned to pursue future potential federal funding for implementation.
The Town of Los Gatos would act as lead agency since San José already has another project in
mind for their SS4A submission. However, Blossom Hill Road was recently identified as a safety
priority corridor by San José as of May 2023 due to its higher ranking on the injury network and
higher counts of red light running at Blossom Hill Rd and Camden.
PAGE 4 OF 5 SUBJECT: Authorize Preparation of Joint Jurisdiction Grant Application of Blossom Hill Road, Authorize Execution of a Contract Amendment with Fehr and Peers, and Associated Budget Actions DATE: June 5, 2023
DISCUSSION (continued):
Due to the significant investment of time and expertise required of grant applications, many
municipalities partner with consultants to prepare a successful application, even municipalities
that have dedicated grant staff. The Town has had an existing agreement with Fehr & Peers
since January 20, 2021 for the development of the LRSP. A First Amendment extended the
agreement (Attachment 2) until December 31, 2023 and expanded the scope to include
development of short-term improvements and support grant applications (Attachment 3). The
consultant’s experience in preparing the Town’s LSRP would be beneficial to a successful grant
application. Their services cost $25,000. Staff has identified funds for the consultant work
from the residual 2023/2024 paving Capital Improvement Project (CIP) funds that are available
starting July 1, 2023.
CONCLUSION:
To complete a competitive application for a SS4A grant, staff proposes the assistance of Fehr &
Peers to prepare the multi-jurisdictional grant application with the City of San José. This would
require a Second Amendment to the Agreement, approval to move funds from 2023/2024
paving CIP to the LRSP, and approval to apply for the SS4A grant.
COORDINATION:
This report was coordinated with the Attorney’s Office, Town Manager’s office, Finance
Department, and the City of San Jose.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The proposed action calls for reallocating funding between existing capital projects. There is no
net increase or decrease to overall funding in the capital program as a result of this request.
PAGE 5 OF 5 SUBJECT: Authorize Preparation of Joint Jurisdiction Grant Application of Blossom Hill Road, Authorize Execution of a Contract Amendment with Fehr and Peers, and Associated Budget Actions DATE: June 5, 2023
FISCAL IMPACT (continued):
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
This is not a project defined under CEQA, and no further action is required.
Attachments:
1. Second Amendment to Agreement for Consultant Services – Fehr and Peers
2. Agreement for Consultant Services – Fehr and Peers
3. First Amendment to Agreement for Consultant Services – Fehr and Peers