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CITY OF VANCOUVER ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT |
Date: |
April 5, 2004 | |
Author: |
Doug Manarin | |
Phone No.: |
604.873.7283 | |
RTS No.: |
04098 | |
CC File No.: |
5768 | |
Meeting Date: |
May 4, 2004 |
TO: |
Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic |
FROM: |
General Manager of Engineering Services |
SUBJECT: |
City's Participation in the Canada - B.C. Infrastructure Program for the Burrard Bridge Seismic Upgrading Project and the Broadway Corridor Reconstruction Project |
RECOMMENDATION
A. THAT Council endorse the City's application to the Canada - B.C. Infrastructure Program for the Burrard Bridge Seismic Upgrading and the Broadway Corridor Reconstruction projects.
B. THAT upon confirmation of Federal and Provincial funding, staff report back to Council seeking a formal allocation of funds to cover the City's share of the Burrard Bridge Seismic Upgrading project costs.
C. THAT upon confirmation of Federal and Provincial funding, staff report back to Council seeking a formal allocation of funds to cover the City's share of the Broadway Corridor Reconstruction project costs.
D. THAT Council approve "in principle" the allocation of $2.5 million from the Burrard Bridge Bikeway project capital budgets for the City's portion of funding for the Burrard Bridge Seismic Upgrading project under the Canada - B.C. Infrastructure Program.
E. THAT Council approve "in principle" the allocation of $2 million from the Streets Capital budgets in the 2003 - 2005 Capital Plan for the City's portion of funding for the Broadway Corridor Reconstruction project under the Canada - B.C. Infrastructure Program.
CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The City Manager supports the above recommendations.
COUNCIL POLICY
In 1985, Council endorsed the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) initiatives to take steps to halt the significant decline in the condition of infrastructure in urban areas, placing emphasis on maintenance and reconstruction as opposed to new construction, in partnership with senior governments.
In 1997, Council endorsed extending the 1993 Canada Infrastructure Works Program, reiterated that there should be municipal representation on the Management Committee and noted that the only priority should be for projects that replace existing, deteriorating municipal infrastructure.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this report is to reaffirm Council support for City participation in the Canada - B.C. Infrastructure Program for the Burrard Bridge Seismic Upgrading Project and the Broadway Corridor Reconstruction project, and for approval in principle for sources of funding for the City's share of the program costs. The purpose of the Infrastructure Program application is to secure matching funds from the Federal and Provincial Governments.
BACKGROUND
The Canada - B.C. Infrastructure Program provides funding for Green and Other Local Government infrastructure projects. The Other Local Government Projects classification includes cultural and recreational infrastructure, infrastructure supporting tourism, rural and remote telecommunications, high-speed Internet access for local public institutions, local transportation infrastructure, and affordable housing. For Other Local Government Projects, the Provincial and Federal governments will each fund one third (1/3) of a project's costs, up to $1 million each (up to $2 million in total funding).
Council has previously endorsed a prioritized list of Green and Other Local Government Infrastructure Projects for submission to the Canada - B.C. Infrastructure Works Program, and authorized staff to submit applications to the Provincial Government. The Burrard Bridge Seismic Upgrading project and the Broadway Corridor Reconstruction project were included in those endorsed projects, and applications were made to the program. The Burrard seismic upgrading project is currently our second-highest ranked unfunded project in the "Other" category, and the Broadway corridor project is currently our third-highest ranked unfunded project in the "Other" category.
The City has been informed that both projects have now been short-listed for consideration by the program. The City has been requested to confirm our endorsement of these projects, confirm sources of funding for our portion of the project costs, and submit a more detailed technical application for final review.
DISCUSSION
Phase one of the City of Vancouver's Bridge Seismic Upgrade Program has completed upgrades for the First Avenue Viaduct, the Granville Bridge, and the central portion and north approach of the Burrard Bridge. All that remains to complete this program are six support bents on the south approach of the Burrard Bridge. This work would greatly reduce the impact of a major earthquake on Vancouver from a safety, transportation, tourist and economic point of view. Not only does the Burrard Bridge provide a critical crossing immediately after a seismic event, it is required for business continuity during the recovery period afterwards and it is an irreplaceable historic landmark.
The Broadway Corridor Reconstruction project would be an addition to our current Arterial Rehabilitation Program for our major roads. An integral part of the Broadway project is to upgrade the existing transportation facilities to include Intelligent Transportation Systems and various forms of additional transit infrastructure. This project would provide a comprehensive reconstruction of the transportation and street infrastructure in three sections of Broadway: MacDonald to Alma, Granville to Oak, and Cambie to Nanaimo. The Broadway reconstruction will also provide the City an opportunity to coordinate with other branches to replace aging sewer and water infrastructure before the road reconstruction takes place, as part of the on-going capital replacement programs in these areas. The reconstruction of this corridor is a part of our on-going commitment to the maintenance and rehabilitation of the City's arterial streets included in the region's Major Road Network.
If the City is not successful in obtaining funding from the infrastructure program for these projects at this time, the two projects would have to be financed through current or future capital programs as part of the City's overall infrastructure replacement program, as funding and priorities permit.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
The estimated cost for the Burrard Bridge Seismic Upgrade project is $4.5 million. If successful, the Canada - B.C. Infrastructure program will fund $2 million of the cost of the project. The City's share of funding for the project would then be $2.5 million. The project has not been budgeted in the current 2003 - 2005 Capital Plan, but it is proposed to fund this project from the existing capital budgets for the Burrard Bridge Bikeway project. Staff recommend that Council approve, in principal, the allocation of $2.5 million from the bikeway project to fund the seismic upgrade project, contingent on the project being awarded funding from the infrastructure program. If the application is successful, additional funding may be required in future capital plans for the bikeway projects.
The estimated cost for the Broadway Corridor Reconstruction project is $4 million. If successful, the Canada - B.C. Infrastructure program will fund $2 million of the cost of the project. The City's share of funding for the project would then be $2 million. The City's portion of the project is proposed to be funded from the Streets Capital Budget. Funding would be provided by adjusting current project schedules, and would result in a change in timing for the undertaking of other projects on the Major Road Network. Staff recommend that Council approve, in principal, the allocation of $2 million from the Streets Capital Budgets in the 2003 - 2005 Capital Plan to fund the corridor reconstruction project, contingent on the project being awarded funding from the infrastructure program.
Funding the City's share of the costs for the two projects from the $20 million of borrowing authority approved by the voters for the City's share of projects receiving senior government cost sharing was considered, but it is currently proposed to fund these projects from within existing capital authorizations in the Streets capital budgets.
If the City is successful in obtaining grants, staff will report back to Council seeking a formal allocation of funds to cover the City's share of the project costs as outlined in recommendations B and C.
CONCLUSION
The Burrard Bridge Seismic Upgrading Project and the Broadway Corridor Reconstruction Project have been short-listed for grants under the Canada - B.C. Infrastructure Program. The Program was developed to encourage Cities to maintain and protect aging infrastructure at an appropriate level to reduce future costs.
If successful, the City would contribute $2.5 million and receive an additional $2 million in funding from the Federal and Provincial Governments for the Burrard Bridge Seismic Upgrade project, and the City would contribute $2 million and receive an additional $2 million in funding from the Federal and Provincial Governments for the Broadway Corridor Reconstruction project.
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