U.S. Department of Transportation’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery II (TIGER II) Planning Grant - Grand Boulevard Initiative: Removing Barriers to Sustainable Communities

The San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) was awarded a U.S. Department of Transportation TIGER II Planning Grant in the amount of $1,097,240 to fund the GBI: Removing Barriers to Sustainable Communities project.  The TIGER II grant will support the development of concrete strategies for removing barriers to implementation of the GBI vision.  The TIGER II grant is funding three distinct, but interrelated, projects that will effectively address key challenges facing the corridor.

• Designing El Camino Real as a Complete Street (Complete Streets Project) – The Complete Streets Project facilitates the design of demonstration projects on El Camino Real to integrate the roadway with sustainable development and pedestrian/transit activity to provide safe and efficient travel for all users (motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders).  Preliminary designs (up to 40%) for Complete Streets segments on El Camino Real will be developed for four case studies in Daly City, South San Francisco, San Bruno, and San Carlos; these will serve as model projects for the corridor.  The case studies will apply the GBI Street Design Guidelines (from the Grand Boulevard Multimodal Transportation Corridor Plan, October 2010) and demonstrate how to address challenges common to transforming auto-dominated state highways into balanced multimodal corridors. Click here to learn more about Complete Streets.

• Economic & Housing Opportunities Assessment (ECHO) Phase II – ECHO Phase I, completed in December 2010, examined market trends and demonstrated the corridor’s capacity to accommodate job/housing increases and estimated the economic benefits of infill development.  ECHO Phase II will address development scenarios and potential barriers, assess urban design strategies to achieve revitalization and redevelopment, and analyze multimodal access and circulation.  ECHO Phase II encompasses four case studies to create a common understanding of the effects of development patterns and streetscape enhancements and to develop guidance that addresses the “how to” of implementation.  Click here to learn more about ECHO Phase II.

• Infrastructure Needs Assessment and Financing Strategy - This project evaluates the level of readiness of infrastructure to accommodate transit-supportive development along El Camino Real and investigates strategies for providing and financing infrastructure to accommodate the desired density and intensification. A cost estimate for all corridor infrastructure improvements, including identification of funding sources for unfunded improvements, will be prepared.  The financing strategy will also identify and prioritize necessary improvements to leverage other local investment programs.  This project will position communities and service providers along the corridor to move forward with planning, engineering, and financing activities to achieve the GBI vision.