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1 Benefit Cost Analysis Narrative for Capital Construction Grants The design is 30% or more complete and the budget contains contingencies and scheduling considerations. Please see the “BCA Calculations” Excel spreadsheet for details and calculations. The Watson Road project costs by category are as follows: Planning and Design $ 2,500,000 Land Acquisition (ROW) $ 14,000,000 Construction $ 45,360,000 Contingency (5%) $ 3,093,000 Total Cost $ 64,953,000 The project is designated as urban and 100% of the cost of the project and benefits are in historically disadvantaged community census tracts 507.01 and 507.02. In all likelihood, a project this large would go unfunded and not be constructed without this grant. Regarding cost overruns, Buckeye has built in a 5% contingency into the budget. Any cost overruns beyond the budget and contingency would require an alternative source of funding. Since the maximum BUILD grant is $25,000,000, Buckeye will need to fund $39,953,000 of the budget from the General Fund, which Buckeye is prepared to fund if awarded, subject to final Buckeye City Council approval. Buckeye has used the US DOT BCA spreadsheet to calculate the BCR. The project is estimated to commence in 2027 and be completed within 36 months, sometime in 2029 or 2030. The capital cost is planned at $64,953,000, with $25,000,000 funded by federal funds and $39,953,000 to be funded by the City of Buckeye. For BCR purposes, the operational period is 20 years. Safety is calculated at the value of crashes with possible injury at the estimated number of Watson Road accidents based on historical values. Travel times were calculated at the All-Purpose value for the estimated number of vehicles of 3,000 over the expected 250 trips per year. Vehicle operating cost savings are based on the light-duty vehicle value for the 5.6 miles to be reduced by the project for the number of 3,000 vehicles for the 250 trips incurred. Emissions reduction was calculated at the All-Vehicles rate for 3,000 vehicles at 250 trips per year for the 5.6 miles reduced. Other avoided externalities include the All Vehicles - All Locations value for the 3,000 vehicles for 250 trips per year. Health benefits were calculated for cycling for an estimated round trip of 4 miles for 250 trips per annum. The final results ended with the benefits outweighing the costs by 5.45 to 1. Below, please find the following additional information regarding this project. Based upon the Arizona Deptartment of Transportation (ADOT) 2023 crash facts, the cost of all accidents in Arizona was $21,638,265,446. There were 122,247 accidents, which equates to $177,004 per accident. Applying that to Watson Road accidents of 147 in 2023 equates to 2 $26,019,657 cost of accidents ($177,004 per accident x 147 accidents = $26,019,657). Therefore, there is a cost benefit to reducing and eliminating accidents, and of course, there is the unquantifiable benefit of reducing or eliminating injuries and fatalities. Buckeye aims to eliminate fatalities and reduce injuries by 25%, while reducing accidents by 25%, thereby reducing the cost of accidents by $6,504,914. Additionally, separating traffic from the railroad tracks, by way of the overpass, eliminates train versus vehicle/pedestrian accidents. North of the railroad tracks and irrigation canal along the west side of Watson Road is a Walmart warehouse distribution center with approximately 1,500 employees. Ross Dress for Less, a distribution center on the east side of Watson across from the Walmart distribution center has an estimated 1,300 new jobs. Additionally, it is expected that potential new development will provide at least 1,300 additional new jobs. These 4,100 jobs, at minimum wage of $15.15 per hour wage, will provide $128 million annually in economic benefit to this area (4100 x 15.15 x 2080). The existing available route from Watson Road and Southern Avenue to Watson Road and Maricopa County Route 85 (MC85) is 3.5 miles because there is no pathway directly down Watson Road from Southern Avenue to MC85 due to barriers to connectivity of railroad tracks and an irrigation canal. Once the barriers overpass of 0.7 miles is completed, the distance of travel will be reduced from 3.5 miles to 0.7 miles. The proposed multi-modal improvements make the new roadway accessible to vehicular and non-vehicular traffic. The proposed improvements reduce the distance by 2.8 miles and reduce travel distance and travel time, thereby reducing greenhouse emissions, decreasing reliance on automobiles, providing direct access to employment, and benefiting the disadvantaged community. The average car produces 348 grams of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per mile, and by reducing daily work roundtrips by 5.6 miles (2.8 miles each way) will reduce CO2 emissions by 487,200 grams or 1,074 pounds (5.6 miles per round trip x 348 grams x 250 round trips per year) in a single year for just one car. If the average daily traffic were only 3,000 vehicles, that would reduce CO2 emissions by over 3 million pounds per year. There are over 4,000 jobs available along this route, therefore, daily traffic counts of 3,000 per day are reasonable. The projected daily volumes on Watson Road are over 23,000 vehicles for 2040. The construction of the project would reduce the traffic volumes on adjacent congested roadways with a potential CO2 reduction of over 20 million pounds per year, thus providing a significant health benefit to this disadvantaged community in terms of air quality and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, improving environmental conditions and enhancing sustainability. The project will provide high quality choices of lower-carbon transportation such as pedestrian walking, rolling, bicycling, scooters, and other modes of travel that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and encourage active life activities. The project also provides shorter trip distances for access from neighborhoods to retail and business centers. According to the Department of Transportation, installing Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) along Watson Road will help reduce travel time and make travel safer for non-commercial and commercial traffic. ITS provides connectivity between traffic signals along Watson Road to allow Signal and Traffic Engineering staff the ability to monitor and adjust signal operations as necessary for efficiency, reduced travel and wait times, and safety. A secondary benefit to the ITS system is that it provides a connection from the City’s Public Works Facility (home of the traffic signal staff) to the City’s ever growing traffic signal system and the ability to monitor and adjust traffic signal timing as needed during peak hours or incidents to minimize traffic delays, ensure safety, and reduce travel times and emissions. 3 This project will provide new multi-modal pathways for vehicular, pedestrian, handicap, and bicycle traffic. It will also connect to other pedestrian/bicycle/rolling only pathways along the irrigation canal. The following is a list of the basic scope of work. • Survey and Identification of utilities within the project corridor and verifying if prior rights exist. Topographic survey of project limits. • Establishment of horizontal and vertical geometry. • Identification of right-of-way (ROW) needs. • Further development of 30% conceptual plans for the ultimate cross section of Watson Road. • Development of probable costs for ultimate and interim cross section, including ROW, utility, final design and construction administration costs. • Conceptual structural design. • Monthly project meetings with the City and other interested parties. • Prepare traffic impact analysis. • Environmental assessment and historic cultural review. • Coordination with Buckeye Irrigation District for an at-grade bridge over the canal. • Coordination with the Union Pacific Railroad Company for an at-grade bridge over the railroad tracks. • Coordination with APS for the 96” Cooling Line located on the north side of the BID Canal. • Coordination with Maricopa County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) as they have jurisdictional control of MC 85. • Coordination with the adjacent property owners to ensure access is provided. • Identification of utilities within the project corridor and verifying if prior rights exist. • Traffic Impact Analysis. • Environmental clearances. The project consists of a final design, land purchase for right-of-way, and construction of a grade-separated multi-modal structure over an irrigation canal and railroad tracks and establish the vertical and horizontal alignment north and south of the canal and railroad tracks on Watson Road from Southern Ave. to MC85, Buckeye, Arizona. This includes a 16-inch water line, a traffic signal, ITS conduit, pull box and fiber optics, and any other sleeves for utilities. Environmental Sustainability ETC Explorer - State Results | USDOT Equitable Transportation Community (ETC) Explorer (arcgis.com) 4 The above ETC tool for Census Tracts 507.01 and 507.02 indicates that the disadvantaged community is in the 95th percentile for environmental burden. The existing available route from Watson Road and Southern Avenue to Watson Road and MC85 is 3.5 miles because there is no pathway directly down Watson Road from Southern Avenue to MC85 due to barriers to connectivity of railroad tracks and an irrigation canal. Once the barriers overpass of 0.7 miles is completed, the distance of travel will be reduced from 3.5 miles to 0.7 miles. The proposed multi-modal improvements make the new roadway accessible to vehicular and non-vehicular traffic. The proposed improvements reduce the distance by 2.8 miles and reduce travel distance and travel time, thereby reducing greenhouse emissions, decreasing reliance on automobiles, providing direct access to employment, and benefiting the disadvantaged community. The average car produces 348 grams of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per mile and by reducing daily work roundtrips by 5.6 miles (2.8 miles each way) will reduce CO2 emissions by 487,200 grams or 1,074 pounds (5.6 miles per round trip x 348 grams x 250 round trips per year) in a single year for just one car. If the average daily traffic were only 3,000 vehicles, that would reduce CO2 emissions by over 3 million pounds per year. There are over 4,000 jobs available along this route, therefore, daily traffic counts of 3,000 per day are reasonable. The projected daily volumes on Watson Road are over 23,000 vehicles for 2040. The construction of the project would reduce the traffic volumes on adjacent congested roadways with a potential CO2 reduction of over 20 million pounds per year, thus providing a significant health benefit to this disadvantaged community as to air quality and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, improving environmental conditions and enhancing sustainability. The project will provide high quality choices of lower-carbon transportation such as pedestrian walking, rolling, bicycling, scooters, and other modes of travel that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and encourage active life activities. The project also provides shorter trip distances for access from neighborhoods to retail and business centers. According to the Department of Transportation, installing Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) along Watson Road will help reduce travel time and make travel safer for non-commercial and commercial traffic. ITS provides connectivity between traffic signals along Watson Road to allow Signal and Traffic Engineering staff the ability to monitor and adjust signal operations as necessary for efficiency, reduced travel and wait times, and safety. A secondary benefit to the ITS system is that it provides a connection from the City’s Public Works Facility (home of the traffic signal staff) to the City’s ever-growing traffic signal system and the ability to monitor and adjust traffic signal timing as needed during peak hours or incidents to minimize traffic delays and reduce travel times and emissions. As per the below mapping tool, improved health conditions such as asthma and life expectancy can be expected when improving the air quality. 5 Land use will include green spaces in the design to provide for nature-based storm water drainage, filtering of pollutants, and reduction of surface temperatures. These basins would also function as a park and open green space and utilized for sports fields for community sports programs. Native plants are incorporated into the planned design. Green space can improve mental health by reducing stress, depression, and anxiety, and promoting calm, improved mood, and relaxation. The below maps illustrate the ozone percentile for the proposed Watson Road project, which is currently within the 81st percentile and the Particulate Matter percentile which is currently within the 66th percentile, according to the EPA’s EJScreen. 6 Quality of Life This project will reduce vehicle dependence due to the multi-modal traffic accommodation and is located within and serves an underserved community. The new facility improves public health as it promotes pedestrian walking, biking, and rolling via the dedicated non-vehicular travel lanes and sidewalks (pathways). These non-vehicular pathways also connect to other pedestrian pathways which lead to various destinations within the City of Buckeye. The proposed project improves access to daily destinations like jobs, healthcare, grocery stores, schools, places of worship, recreation, and parks by reducing the miles driven from 3.5 miles to 0.7 miles, thereby reducing the roundtrip travel distance by 5.6 miles. Additionally, quality of life and health are improved within this historically disadvantaged community by the expected reduction in vehicle emissions, as detailed earlier in this Merit Criteria discussion. It is anticipated that CO2 emissions can be reduced by over 3 million pounds per year. The existing available route from Watson Road and Southern Avenue to Watson Road and MC85 is 3.5 miles because there is no pathway directly down Watson Road from Southern Avenue to MC 85 due to barriers to connectivity of railroad tracks and an irrigation canal. Once the barriers overpass of 0.7 miles is completed, the distance of travel will be reduced from 3.5 miles to 0.7 miles. The proposed multi-modal improvements make the new roadway accessible to vehicular and non-vehicular traffic. The proposed improvements reduce the distance by 2.8 miles and reduce travel distance and travel time, thereby reducing greenhouse emissions, decreasing reliance on automobiles, providing direct access to employment, and benefiting the disadvantaged community. The average car produces 348 grams of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per mile and by reducing daily work roundtrips by 5.6 miles (2.8 miles each way) will reduce CO2 emissions by 487,200 grams or 1,074 pounds (5.6 miles per round trip x 348 grams x 250 round trips per year) in a single year for just one car. If the average daily traffic were only 3,000 vehicles, that would reduce CO2 emissions by over 3 million pounds per year. Thereby improving the neighborhood quality of life. Transportation becomes more affordable due to the ability to use free non-vehicular modes of transportation. Also, with the shorter distance and shorter travel time, use of vehicles becomes more affordable. Buckeye is installing a new bus stop between this improvement and the downtown, providing the community with more affordable transportation and more choices of transportation. Mobility and Community Connectivity The project is in coordination with the City Transportation Master Plan to consider environmental sustainability and resiliency, stormwater drainage, and flood risk management. The completed project will benefit the community by removing access barriers and significantly improving connectivity and safety. The project will remove the physical barriers by constructing a multi-modal bridge over connectivity barriers, which are an irrigation canal and railroad tracks, using community and stakeholder engagement for the benefit of Downtown Buckeye and a disadvantaged community. The bridge will be ADA accessible and connect Downtown Buckeye and the disadvantaged community to employment and economic prosperity by means of vehicle, pedestrian walking, bicycling, and rolling. The mitigation of the burdening transportation facility will also improve economic opportunities, air pollution, reduce environmental harm, and improve community accessibility and safety. The project will reduce the distance from 3.5 miles 7 to 0.7 miles from Watson Road to MC 85, a major cross-town roadway connecting downtown neighborhoods to the employers just north of the existing barriers. These employers currently employ over 4,000 people. The average car produces 348 grams of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per mile and by reducing daily work roundtrip distances by 5.6 miles (2.8 miles each way) will reduce CO2 emissions by 487,200 grams or 1,074 pounds (5.6 miles per round trip x 348 grams x 250 round trips per year) in a single year for just one car. If the average daily traffic were only 3,000 vehicles, that would reduce CO2 emissions by over 3 million pounds per year. The new multi-modal direct access over the existing barriers will improve job prospects and allow for access to employment by means other than vehicular. The reduction in miles traveled, as a result of the overpass connection, will decrease vehicle emissions and will equitably distribute the benefits of better air quality, improving the neighborhood environmental and health conditions. Located at a portion of Watson Road are some railroad tracks and an irrigation canal which cuts off Watson Road from the southernmost section of Watson Road just north of MC85. These two obstacles create a barrier to the surrounding disadvantaged community and precludes direct access from MC 85 to Watson Road north of these two barriers. According to the DOT Grant Project Location Verification mapping tool, this entire project is in a rural area that has been designated as an historically disadvantaged community census tracts 507.01 and 507.02. The railroad tracks and the irrigation canal are an existing barrier in this community that cut off residents from freely traveling back and forth between north and south, preventing direct access to employment and community services. North of the railroad tracks and irrigation canal on the west side of Watson Road is a Walmart warehouse distribution center (1,500 employees). Ross Dress for Less is building a distribution center on the east side of Watson across from the Walmart distribution center. Construction of the Ross Dress for Less distribution center is expected to be completed soon and will provide an estimated 1,300 new jobs. Additionally, it is expected that potential new development will provide at least 1,300 additional new jobs. These 4,100 jobs, at $15.15 per hour wage, will provide $128 million annually in economic benefit to this area. The railroad tracks and canal create a barrier to accessing these workplaces, as well as recreation areas, schools, banks, post office, social services, community services, health services, and shopping. The extra time and distance it takes vehicles to travel around these barriers creates higher levels of pollution to accumulate in the area. Non-vehicular travel around these barriers is difficult to impossible. Construction of a multi-modal overpass over the railroad tracks and irrigation canal, and completion of the road connecting Watson Road from Southern Avenue to MC85 will accommodate vehicular traffic, pedestrians, handicaps, and bicyclists. Dedicated bicycle paths and sidewalks for pedestrians will provide pathways for non-vehicular mobility and community connectivity. Using the EPA’s EJScreen geospatial tool, the ozone reading at this area is in the 81st percentile compared to the United States. The project will reduce the driving distance from 3.5 miles to 0.7 miles. The goal is to reduce travel times, reduce distance, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and 8 provide safe pathways for non-vehicular pedestrian traffic. The completed project will benefit the community and provide equity by removing access disparities and significantly improving connectivity and safety. The new multi-modal direct access over the existing barriers will improve job prospects and allow for access to employment by means other than vehicular. The reduction in miles traveled, as a result of the overpass connection, will decrease vehicle emissions and will equitably distribute the benefits of better air quality, improving the neighborhood environmental and health conditions. Based upon the two below snippets from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Equitable Transportation Community Tool (outlined in blue), between 3.6% and 8.6% of the downtown community households do not own a personal vehicle. The City is beginning the planning process of implementing a transit circulator for the portion of Buckeye south of Interstate 10 and east of SR 85 (the primary commercial and employment areas of the City, which includes this project and the disadvantaged community). Completing Watson Road between Southern Avenue and MC 85 and improving the Watson corridor will allow the transit circulator direct access from the residential areas of downtown Buckeye to the large employers. Bus stops are planned along Watson for the future bus circulator that will pick up non-vehicular travelers for transportation around the community. Dedicated bike paths provide mobility and community connectivity for non-vehicular pedestrian traffic. The project also provides the employment centers that have large shipping warehouses additional routing access for the volume of semi-tractor trucks that flow from the warehouses. These warehouses include Walmart, Ross Dress for Less, and Cardinal Glass, and others planned to build in the area. Buckeye has incorporated community participation by having several public meetings to discuss 9 improvement plans. The bridge on Watson Road over the railroad tracks and the irrigation canal have been a highly desired infrastructure improvement by the community. According to the map below from the EPA’s EJScreen, the affected disadvantaged communities are currently within the 61st percentile in regards to Transportation Access Burden. Through this project, the City of Buckeye seeks to reduce the transportation access burden for the rural and disadvantaged downtown Buckeye residents. Vehicular and non-vehicular modes of travel will be able to utilize Watson Road, including public transit, thus reducing the transportation access burden. Economic Competitiveness and Opportunity The project improves multimodal freight mobility by providing the large warehouse centers that are located just north of the connectivity barriers, additional access to routes for the volume of semi-tractor trucks that flow from the warehouses. These warehouses ship goods nationwide. which include Walmart, Ross Dress for Less, and Cardinal Glass, and others planned to be built in the area. By removing the barriers caused by the railroad tracks and the irrigation canal, the project will open new, good paying jobs to the residents of the Buckeye disadvantaged community. These jobs include the Walmart distribution center with an estimated 1,500 employees, Cardinal Glass, with an estimate 200+ employees next to Walmart, and Ross Dress for Less distribution center, across the road from Walmart with an estimated 1,300 new jobs. Walmart provides workforce development programs for its employees. Ross provides tuition assistance to vocational, undergraduate, and graduate programs for its employees. These programs will further reduce the hardships faced by those in the disadvantaged community and improve the quality of life. The increased access to employment promotes wealth building for the local residents. The project also encourages long-term economic growth by making the area more warehouse friendly by providing multiple accessible shipping routes. The shorter distance to travel to access the employment center aids in the promotion of local hiring preferences. Buckeye is planning to use Project Labor Agreements, when possible, to ensure fair wages will be paid to workers and to encourage that underrepresented and local workers will be hired for project work. This project will be open for bid to all qualified contractors, including Minority Business Enterprises, Minority Owned Businesses, Woman Owned Businesses, and Veteran Owned Businesses. The completed project will support equitable commercial and mixed-income 10 residential development. The image below illustrates the unemployment rate percentile for the affected areas, with much of the downtown Buckeye area’s unemployment rate percentile being within the 80th percentile or higher. The Watson Road project seeks to reduce the unemployment percentiles by improving access to employers. In downtown Buckeye, a new apartment complex is being built 2.4 miles west of Watson Road, called Solana Villas, which will have 200 apartments available for rent. According to census.gov, the average household is comprised of 3.16 persons, thus these 200 new apartments will house approximately 632 people and create a greater need for the connection of Watson Road since it is an arterial roadway which will connect to good paying jobs. Additionally, approximately 1.5 miles southwest of Watson Road is another townhome-style residential development currently being built, called Lanai Living, which will have a total of 444 units available for rent. Based on census.gov, the average household is comprised of 3.16 persons, thus these 444 new townhomes will house approximately 1,403 people and create a greater need for the connection of Watson Road. Many of these new residents of the area will likely traverse via Watson Road since it is an arterial roadway connecting users to Interstate-10 which runs east- west and is approximately 32 west of Phoenix. Additionally, the connection of Watson Road will eliminate the current barrier for first responders as they are unable to quickly respond to calls for service since Watson Road is not a through street at MC 85. Connecting Watson Road will alleviate traffic in Downtown Buckeye and surrounding areas as it will be one of the main arterial roadways connecting downtown Buckeye. The only other arterial roadway in Downtown Buckeye is Miller Road, which will not have the capacity to accommodate commuters in the near future, due to the rapid growth that Buckeye is experiencing. State of Good Repair Buckeye plans to use climate friendly materials such as cool pavement, adaptive street lighting, and low-carbon construction materials. Cool pavement reflects more solar heat and helps to mitigate heat island effects. Cool pavement can also reduce stormwater runoff, improve safety by reducing water spray from moving vehicles, and improve night visibility by reducing lighting 11 requirements. Adaptive street lighting regulates the light intensity based on sunrise and sunset times and weather situations. Low-carbon construction materials improve environmental sustainability and potentially extend the life of roadway surface. 12 The proposed project satisfies Complete Streets approach by completing this new infrastructure on Watson Road, overpassing the railroad tracks and the irrigation canal, thereby creating new infrastructure in this remote community that will be maintained in a state of good repair, fixing an existing system vulnerability for this rural and underserved community. The City will be responsible for the on-going maintenance and state of good repair of this project post- completion. Partnership and Collaboration The project will remove physical barriers by constructing a multi-modal bridge over connectivity barriers, which are an irrigation canal and railroad tracks, using community and stakeholder engagement for the benefit of Downtown Buckeye and a disadvantaged community. From December 2022 through 2024, periodic public meetings were held wherein the public reviewed various proposals regarding Buckeye revitalization. Present at the meeting were City staff, outside planning consultant Olsson Planning, and various community-based organizations, and residents of the community. One item that the public consistently requested was the Watson Road infrastructure improvements requested in this grant application. Additional community engagement will include, but not limited to, news releases, social media releases, further meetings with community-based organizations, and messages on the City website to ensure that considerations for underserved communities are meaningfully integrated throughout the lifecycle of the project. Buckeye is and will be coordinating with other types of projects such as economic development, commercial or residential development, power/electric infrastructure projects, and broadband and fiber deployment. Buckeye is also participating with a non-DOT Federal capacity-building program, Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Justice EPA Targeted Brownfields Assessment on a 40-acre parcel in an adjacent historically disadvantaged community census tract for Brownfields Assessment, to create a public trailhead, park, and wildlife riparian restoration in partnership with Arizona Forestry. Innovation Buckeye will be installing Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), which according to the Department of Transportation, is a national program, using computers and communications to make travel safer by providing travel information to give current, multi-modal information on travel conditions to guide choices on how, when, and where to travel. It also provides in-vehicle maps and automatic notification emergency services regarding serious accidents and their location. Intelligent commercial vehicle systems help public agencies improve safety by inspecting vehicles that need it most. The ITS system provides a connection from the City’s Public Works Facility (home of the traffic signal staff) to the City’s traffic signal system and the ability to monitor and adjust traffic signal timing as needed during peak hours or incidents, to minimize traffic delays and reduce travel times and emissions. Innovative Technologies will be employed to enhance the environment for electric, connected, and automated vehicles to improve the detection, mitigation, and documentation of safety risks. Buckeye will also use practices that facilitate accelerated project delivery such as single contractor design-build arrangements, congestion management, asset management, and long-term operations and maintenance. Buckeye plans to use climate friendly materials such as cool pavement, adaptive street lighting, and low-carbon construction materials. Cool pavement reflects more solar heat and helps to mitigate heat island effects. Cool pavement can also reduce stormwater runoff, improve safety by 13 reducing water spray from moving vehicles, and improve night visibility by reducing lighting requirements. Adaptive street lighting regulates the light intensity based on sunrise and sunset times and weather situations. Low-carbon construction materials improve environmental sustainability and potentially extend the life of roadway surface. Buckeye anticipates that advanced digital construction management systems will be used to help manage the project to improve efficiency and safety. Additionally, accelerated bridge construction and digital as-builts are expected to be used to plan and design and review construction methods to reduce the time and effort.