Consideration and Adoption of Resolution No. 2025-11: A resolution of the Flagstaff City Council, authorizing the submission of an application to the State of Arizona for the Arizona State Match Advantage for Rural Transportation (AZ SMART) fund for the Butler Avenue and Fourth Street Safety and Multimodal Improvements Project and authorizing acceptance of award.

1. Read Resolution No. 2025-11 by title only
2. City Clerk read Resolution No. 2025 by title only, if approved above
3. Adopt Resolution No. 2025-11

The City of Flagstaff has been awarded a RAISE Grant through the US Department of Transportation in the amount of $19M.  The City has a $10M local match.  The City’s local match will come from the Transportation Tax, Prop. 419.  The City desires to submit for an AZ Smart Fund Grant Application in the amount of $3.8M.  The $3.8M is 20% of the RAISE Grant and will supplement the City’s local match.  
 
This Butler and Fourth  Improvement project (Project) will construct multimodal improvements along Butler Avenue from I-40 to Sinagua Heights Drive and Fourth Street from Sparrow Avenue to Crest Stone. The improvements include off-street bike lanes, ADA-compliant sidewalks, mid-block crossings, roadway widening, corridor access management solutions with a raised median and two roundabouts, rapid flashing beacons, and increasing drainage capacity with new structures. 
 
The Project converts two conventional intersections along the corridor into roundabouts: Butler Avenue’s intersection with Herold Ranch Road and its intersection with Fourth Street. The Butler Avenue and Fourth Street intersection will be raised to reduce flooding impacts from the Spruce Avenue Wash. The roundabouts will provide access management for the corridor and the Herold Ranch roundabout will facilitate improved truck routing from the Little America Travel Center to I-40.

The approved total budget for the Project is $16,025,278 from the Transportation Tax- Roadway, Pedestrian, Bicycle and Safety Improvements --Street Widening.  The current estimated cost of the Project is $31,166,826. The Project also includes in lieu cash contributions for edge improvements and water system upgrades along the Project corridor.  Contributions received to date is approximately $2.3M.

The City received the U.S. Department of Transportation RAISE Grant in the amount of $19M.  The City has a $10M local match.  If awarded, the AZ Smart Fund Grant in the amount of $3.8M will go towards the City’s local match.

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• On March 29, 2022, this project was presented for discussion at a Council Work Session Meeting.
• On November 1, 2022, the Professional Services Contract was awarded to Burgess & Niple, Inc. 
• On March 4, 2025, Change Order 2 was presented to City Council.

• Approve the AZ Smart Fund Grant Application and acceptance upon award of a Grant Agreement with AZ State Transportation Board for Butler Avenue and  Fourth Street Safety and Multimodal Improvements project.
• Not approve for consideration   the AZ Smart Application   which would prevent $3.8 M of financial benefit to the City of Flagstaff for RAISE Grant City match.  

The Butler Avnue and Fourth Street Safety and Multimodal Improvements Project is located along Butler Avenue from the Interstate 40 (I-40) traffic interchange (TI) to the intersection of Butler Avenue and Sinagua Heights Drive and along Fourth Street from 400 feet south of Butler Avenue to Sparrow Avenue. The project is approximately 1.4 miles in length. The existing Herold Ranch Road will be realigned to a new roundabout along Butler Avenue. The Project will provide improvements to the Flagstaff transportation network by eliminating bottlenecks within the road network and closing infrastructure gaps for pedestrians and cyclists.

The Project will also address congestion related to the driveway configurations of the businesses along Butler by employing access management techniques. In addition to building consensus within the City and garnering public support, the Project team will coordinate with key stakeholders including Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Public Transit Authority (NAIPTA), Flagstaff Unified School District (FUSD), Arizona State Land Department (ASLD), developers, and businesses including Little America.

In 2018, the City proposed Proposition 419 which included a portion of the transportation sales tax to go towards roads, bicycle, pedestrian, and safety improvements.  Proposition 419 was approved by the voters, and in 2020 the transportation sales tax began collection.  In Proposition 419, as part of the road category, there is street widening, current two-lane streets to four lane streets, and Butler Avenue between I-40 and Fourth Street was identified.  The City has also identified Butler Avenue for new pedestrian and bicycle improvements along with elements for street operations.  The City uses a term called “Complete Streets” and it references improving streets to be widened, to receive new multi-modal improvements and increased traffic operations for buses and streetlighting where appropriate. 
 
In 2021 the City began planning for the Butler Fourth Improvement Project (Project).  The City issued a solicitation for a design consultant in 2022 and we are currently nearing 30% design.  In 2024 the City submitted two applications for federal funding through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant program.  The City was notified at the beginning of 2025 that the Project was successful in receiving the RAISE Grant in the amount of $19M.  As part of the RAISE Grant process, additional coordination, conditions, and guidelines will need to be followed as well as Project milestones completed. 
 

•   Deliver outstanding services to residents through a healthy, well maintained infrastructure system.

• Improve mobility and access throughout the region.
• Improve transportation safety and efficiency for all modes.
• Promote transportation infrastructure and services that enhance the quality of life of the communities within the region.
• Increase the availability and use of pedestrian infrastructure, including FUTS, as a critical element of a safe and livable community.
• Design infrastructure to provide safe and efficient movement of vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians.

• Encourage vibrancy, appropriate density, and attainability in existing neighborhoods, so that more residents live within walking distance of their daily needs.
• Create inclusive networks for walking and biking that are continuous, attractive, safe, comprehensive, and convenient for people of all ages.

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