Title
Roadway Transfer Agreement with Alachua County (B)
The City of Gainesville entered into a Maintenance Agreement with Alachua County for the Section of Main Street (SR 329) from Depot Avenue to University Avenue in 2003. The Roadway Transfer Agreement will transfer ownership of Main Street from South 16th Avenue to University Avenue to the City of Gainesville.
Explanation
The City of Gainesville and the Metropolitan Transportation Planning Organization (MTPO) began working on the concept of converting Main Street to a two-lane roadway with on-street parking as early as 1997. In subsequent years, a series of consultant studies, charrettes and presentations were conducted and motions were approved to direct staff at the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), Alachua County and the City of Gainesville to develop a plan for transferring ownership and maintenance of Main Street in order to facilitate the two-laning option.
The original jurisdictional arrangement agreed to in January 2001 provided that Alachua County would execute an agreement with FDOT to accept ownership of Main Street from State Road 331 north to University Avenue and the City of Gainesville would execute an agreement with Alachua County confirming that the City will maintain Main Street from Depot Avenue to University Avenue (0.51 miles).
Based on that arrangement the City of Gainesville executed a maintenance agreement with Alachua County to maintain Main Street from Depot Avenue to University Avenue in 2003. The City also entered into a maintenance agreement with FDOT for Main Street from University Avenue to N. 8th Avenue.
Due to the number of projects that the City is undertaking along Main Street, staff is recommending that the City pursue accepting ownership of Main Street from South 16th Avenue to University Avenue (1.13 miles). Since the cost for maintenance for the majority of this section of roadway currently falls on the City, the fiscal impact of accepting ownership is minimal.
Alachua County Board of County Commissioners has requested a letter be sent to the City of Gainesville requesting that the City accept ownership of all of Main Street that remains under Alachua County ownership. This would be from Williston Road to University Avenue and from N 8th Avenue to NE 39 Avenue; an additional 4.46 centerline miles. The FDOT continues to own from University Avenue to N 8th Avenue and the City currently owns from NE 39 Avenue to NE 53 Avenue.
In 2007, the City of Gainesville entered into a Landscape/Streetscape Maintenance Agreement with the FDOT for Main Street from SR 331 to SR 226; so the cost of landscape maintenance currently falls to the City. The estimated annual cost associated with assuming ownership and maintenance responsibilities for all of Main Street (except University Avenue to N 8th Avenue) and less those components that the City already has responsibility for is $160,000.
Fiscal Note
Based on statewide averages for mill/resurface and sign/markings maintenance the additional annualized cost for accepting the additional 4.46 miles of roadway is estimated to be $160,000/year. The estimated annualized cost for accepting ownership of Main Street from South 16th Avenue to University Avenue is $37,000. Staff anticipates the cost for mill/resurface will be covered by the gas tax revenue in the capital program and the signs/marking maintenance will be covered in the department's annual operating budget.
Recommendation
The City Commission authorize the City Manager to execute all documents effecting the transfer of Main Street (SR 329) from South 16th Avenue to University Avenue to the City and Landscape/Streetscape Maintenance of Main Street (SR 329) from Williston Road to South 16th Avenue, subject to approval by the City Attorney as to form and legality.
Alternate Recommendation A:
The City Commission authorize the City Manager to execute all documents affecting the transfer of Main Street (SR 329) from Williston Road to NE 39 Avenue (less that segment from University Avenue to N 8 Avenue) to the City, subject to approval by the City Attorney as to form and legality.
Alternate Recommendation B:
The City Commission deny the request to transfer ownership of Main Street and authorize the City Manager to send a letter to Alachua County notifying the Board of County Commissioners of this decision.