City staff summarized the status of several federal transportation grants, answered committee questions about review of older awards under the current federal administration, and described progress on the Safe Streets master plan and several capital projects.

Chris (presenter) listed active grants with signed agreements and those still pending. Active, signed projects include a HSIP roundabout project at Fourth/Cedar/Locke (under construction), the Butler Avenue complete-streets conversion, an "infra downtown mile" project with crossings at BNSF and Route 66, an ADOT Transportation Alternatives Safe Routes to School planning effort in partnership with MetroPlan and Mountain Line, a Federal Transit Administration first-mile/last-mile project, and the SS4A (Safe Streets and Roads for All) master planning award (about $2.4 million) that will go to procurement later in spring. Pending awards without signed agreements included a RAISE grant award for Butler Avenue and a HSIP project to add streetlights and retroreflective backplates along Highway 89; staff said these have been awarded but do not yet have signed grant agreements.

Staff and the committee discussed the possible effects of the new federal administration’s executive orders on pending grants. Martin told the committee that grants with signed agreements and those where funds have already been obligated give the city more protection from federal review, and he said the city’s FHWA contacts indicated reviews were under way for some awards but that staff did not expect cancellations for projects that are already obligated or that do not conflict with the administration’s priorities. He used a planned streetlight/retroreflective backplate project as an example of an effort unlikely to draw review.

On the Safe Streets master plan, staff said the grant agreement was finalized in December 2024, a scoping team of interagency stakeholders (city, Mountain Line, county, MetroPlan) has conducted about 30 stakeholder interviews, and scoping will be finalized ahead of a procurement expected in the coming month or two. Staff said public engagement events have not yet occurred but will be scheduled and circulated to the PAC and BAC when the project is ready for public input.

Staff also gave brief status notes on other projects: the Butler Avenue conversion is moving to procurement for environmental review and then design; Safe Routes to School work is beginning with traffic counts and data collection; the city plans to replace or repair about eight miles of asphalt foots trails this summer, focusing first on school access segments; and the micro-mobility share outreach phase is wrapping up with vendor outreach and cross-committee input expected soon.

Committee members asked where to find more public information about the Safe Streets master plan and were told that public meetings and outreach will be announced once the project reaches the public-participation stage.