On June 14, 2016, the Garden Grove City Council adopted Resolution No. 9366-16 authorizing the application for grant funds from the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) for the 2016 Bicycle Corridor Improvement Program (BCIP) to improve the Garden Grove on-street bicycle infrastructure by 75 percent.

The BCIP is a $20 million grant program for projects that make bicycling and walking easier and safer in Orange County. Funding for the program comes from the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program, a federal program that provides funding for transportation projects that help meet Federal Clean Air Act requirements. To date, OCTA has awarded $10 million in grant funding through the program to 28 projects.

The City of Garden Grove has received approval of the BCIP Grant proposal to make bikeway improvements on several corridors. The proposed bikeway improvements would improve the on-street bicycle infrastructure by 75 percent and provide a more convenient network by creating 14.85 miles of comfortable bikeways. These improvements would be a major step in accomplishing the goal from the Garden Grove Active Streets Master Plan of a safe, comfortable, network of bikeways.

The bikeway improvement locations identified for this grant include the following streets:

• Brookhurst Street (Trask Avenue – Katella Avenue)
• Gilbert Street (Westminster Avenue – Katella Avenue)
• West Street (Garden Grove Boulevard – Orangewood Avenue)
• Chapman Avenue (Valley View Street – Beach Boulevard)
• Lampson Avenue (Westcliff Drive – Haster Street)

The total 14.85 miles of improved bikeways include the construction of 6.5 miles of new bikeways and improvement of 8.35 miles of existing, but underutilized bikeways. Bicycle facility improvements include creating new bike lanes through road rebalancing (2.66 miles on West Street and Gilbert Street), striping buffers to existing bike lanes (6 miles on Brookhurst Street and Chapman Avenue), striping bike lane network gaps (1.2 miles on Brookhurst Street), and providing bicycle wayfinding signs along all the proposed corridors (14.85 miles).

There is no impact to the General Fund. The BCIP Grant request by the City of Garden Grove was approved for a total of $1,265,883. The required matching funds of 12% will come from specifically designated AQMD Rideshare funds and non-General Fund, Public Works Capital funds. The City’s financial responsibility towards the project is estimated at $151,905.

It is recommended that the City Council:

• Approve the attached Cooperative Agreement with OCTA for the City of Garden Grove Bicycle Corridor Improvements Project; and

• Authorize the Mayor to execute the Cooperative Agreement on behalf of the City. 

By: Erin Webb, Senior Planner