Title
Interlocal Agreement between the City of Gainesville and Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at the University of South Florida (B)
This item involves a request for the City Commission to authorize the City Manager to execute a new Interlocal Agreement with the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at the University of South Florida and Regional Transit System (RTS) to conduct a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) study.
Explanation
The Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at the University of South Florida was created by the Florida Legislature under Florida Statute, Chapter 334.065 to conduct research on issues relating to urban transportation problems in Florida. Chapter 163.01 of the Florida Statutes authorizes, among other things, intergovernmental Agreements between state universities and local governments.
In 2001, a joint effort was made between the University of South Florida, the CUTR, and the University of California at Berkley to establish the National Bus Rapid Transit Institute (NBRTI). The NBRTI was created to complement the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) Bus Rapid Transit Initiative and facilitate the sharing of knowledge, innovation, and implementation strategies of BRT systems throughout the United States.
CUTR has carried out transit research and planning services through Interlocal Agreements with many local transit systems all across Florida, including Brevard County, Dade County, Hillsborough Area Regional Transit, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, Escambia County, Key West, and many more.
The BRT study will consist of the development of a public involvement plan, collection of various local transportation and land use data, coordination with existing local plans, identification and evaluation of corridors within the Gainesville urban area that have potential for implementing a successful BRT service, development of selection criteria for corridors, assessment of current BRT technologies, and the final corridor selections for further analysis. The personnel at CUTR and NBRTI will work in conjunction with the RTS staff on all aspects of the BRT Feasibility study.
In summary, the Interlocal Agreement will provide the City of Gainesville with an extension of the RTS staff capability while taking advantage of state and federal funding that CUTR can leverage to assist public transit development here in the Gainesville metropolitan area.
Fiscal Note
The BRT Feasibility study will be conducted using a congressional earmark, which is administered through the Federal Transit Administration's Section 5309 program. Approximately $195,499 is currently available to conduct the BRT study with the potential for two additional annual allocations.
Recommendation
The City Commission authorize the City Manager to execute the Interlocal Agreement with the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at the University of South Florida to conduct the BRT Feasibility Study, subject to approval by the City Attorney as to form and legality.
Alternative Recommendation: The City Commission deny authorization for the City Manager to execute the Interlocal Agreement with the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at the University of South Florida to conduct the BRT Feasibility Study.