Call to Order

Call to Order

Pledge of Allegiance

Roll Call

Item 1

Approval of November 8, 2018, Minutes
Presenter: Gary Fickes, RTC Chair
Item Summary: Approval of the November 8, 2018, minutes contained in Reference Item 1 will be requested.
Background: N/A

Consent Agenda

2.1.
Clean Fleets North Texas 2018 Call for Projects Funding Recommendation
Presenter: Lori Clark, NCTCOG
Item Summary: Staff will request approval of funding recommendations for an additional application received under the Clean Fleets North Texas 2018 Call for Projects (CFP).
Background: The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) opened the Clean Fleets North Texas 2018 CFP to award grant funds for diesel vehicle or equipment replacement projects in North Central Texas. Applications are accepted on a modified first-come, first-served basis with monthly application deadlines. Staff completed review and emissions quantification of one additional application received since the last Council approval and recommends funding for this project. This CFP is funded through the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Supplemental Environmental Project. This initiative is an extension of clean vehicle efforts listed as weight-of-evidence in the Dallas-Fort Worth 2016 Eight-Hour Attainment Demonstration State Implementation Plan. Electronic Item 2.1.1 provides an overview of the call for projects. Electronic Item 2.1.2 provides additional detail on recommended projects.

2.2
Transportation Improvement Program Modifications
Presenter: Ken Bunkley, NCTCOG
Item Summary: Regional Transportation Council (RTC) approval of revisions to the 2019-2022 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and the ability to amend the Unified Planning Work Program and other planning/administrative documents with TIP-related changes will be requested.
Background: December 2018 out-of-cycle revisions to the 2019-2022 TIP are provided as Electronic Item 2.2 for the Council’s consideration. These modifications have been reviewed for consistency with the Mobility Plan, the air quality conformity determination, and financial constraint of the TIP.

Item 3

Orientation to Agenda/Director of Transportation Report
Presenter: Michael Morris, NCTCOG
1. 2018 Accomplishments and a Season of Giving
2. Recognition of 2018 Short Course Award Winners: Clean Sweep for the Dallas-Fort Worth Region
• Dewitt C. Greer Award – Theresa Poer, Director of Transportation Operations, TxDOT Fort Worth District
• Gibb Gilchrist Award – Ceason Clemens, Deputy District Engineer, TxDOT Dallas District
• Luther DeBerry Award-Duane Milligan, Director of Construction, TxDOT Dallas District
• Raymond E. Stotzer, Jr. Award – Tim Powers, Recently Retired from the TxDOT Dallas District
3. US 75 Correspondence (Electronic Item 3.1)
4. Dallas Morning News Letter to the Editor by Michael Morris on Preston Center (Electronic Item 3.2)
5. Census 2020 Participant Statistical Areas Program (www.nctcog.org/census2020psap)
6. 2019 Regional Transportation Council Meeting Schedule (Electronic Item 3.3)
7. Transportation Development Credit Annual Report Correspondence (Electronic Item 3.4)
8. Texas Department of Transportation Request for Proposals for FY2020 Traffic Safety Grants Due January 10, 2019 (www.txdot.gov/apps/eGrants/eGrantsHelp/rfp.html)
9. Metropolitan Transportation Plan Policy Bundle (www.nctcog.org/trans/plan/mtp/policy-bundle)
10. Air Quality Funding Opportunities for Vehicles (www.nctcog.org/trans/quality/air/funding-and-resources/fundingvehicle)
11. Dallas-Fort Worth Clean Cities Events (www.dfwcleancities.org/dfw-clean-cities-meetings)
12. Positive Train Control Implementation Update (Electronic Item 3.5)
13. Update on Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Discretionary Grant Program Related to Haslet Parkway
14. November Public Meeting Minutes (Electronic Item 3.6)
15. December Online Comment Opportunity Notice (Electronic Item 3.7)
16. Public Comments Report (Electronic Item 3.8)
17. Recent Correspondence (Electronic Item 3.9)
18. Recent News Articles (Electronic Item 3.10)
19. Recent Press Releases (Electronic Item 3.11)
20. Transportation Partners Progress Reports

Item 4

2017-2018 CMAQ/STBG Funding Program: Strategic Partnerships Round 3, Intersection Improvements, and MTP Policy Bundle TDC Program
Presenter: Christie Gotti, NCTCOG
Item Summary: Staff will request Regional Transportation Council (RTC) approval of the proposed projects to be funded under the Strategic Partnerships Round 3, Intersection Improvements, and Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) Policy Bundle Transportation Development Credits (TDC) Program. These projects are contained in the 2017-2018 Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ)/Surface Transportation Block Grant Program (STBG) Funding Program.
Background: Over the past several months, staff received requests for funding from agencies around the region. These requests were split into three categories. The first is Strategic Partnerships, which is comprised of projects that are leveraging non-RTC funds. The second category is Intersection Improvements. Finally, there is a category for project requests from agencies that were awarded TDCs through the MTP Policy Bundle Initiative.

The projects were broken down by project type (e.g., roadways, intersections, bicycle/pedestrian) and evaluated by North Central Texas Council of Governments staff on technical merit. Electronic Item 4.1 contains the staff funding recommendation, organized by project type, as well as information on the scoring criteria. Additional details on the funding program can be found in Electronic Item 4.2.

Item 5

Legislative Update
Presenter: Amanda Wilson, NCTCOG
Item Summary: Staff will provide an update on federal and State legislative actions related to transportation and air quality issues affecting the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Action will be requested to approve the draft Regional Transportation Council (RTC) Legislative Program for the 86th Texas Legislature and the draft 2019 RTC Principles for the Federal Surface Transportation Authorization.
Background: Transportation issues continue to be a focus for both the United States (US) Congress and the Texas Legislature. The 2nd session of the 115th US Congress convened on January 3, 2018, and the 1st session of the 116th US Congress will convene in January 2019. The Texas Legislature is not in session but continues to hold hearings on interim committee charges. The 86th Texas Legislature will convene on January 8, 2019. The RTC Legislation and Finance Partnership Subcommittee met in November 2018 to review and provide direction on the draft federal and State legislative programs. Reference Item 5.1 contains the draft 2019 RTC Principles for the Federal Surface Transportation Authorization. Reference Item 5.2 contains the draft RTC Legislative Program for the 86th Texas Legislature.

Item 6

Alternative Fuel Corridor Nomination
Presenter: Lori Clark, NCTCOG
Item Summary: Staff will present an overview of current alternative fuel corridor designations, along with updates on a recently adopted Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) policy regarding alternative fuel station signage, new infrastructure, and developments in hydrogen technology. Staff will request approval of corridor and signage recommendations to TxDOT.
Background: The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act included a requirement for the Secretary of Transportation to designate national electric vehicle charging, hydrogen, propane, and natural gas fueling corridors. The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) submitted an extensive statewide nomination in July 2016, much of which has been designated by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). In 2017, TxDOT took the lead for a statewide submittal. The Regional Transportation Council requested inclusion of several additional corridors in TxDOT’s 2017 nomination. FHWA has released another request for nominations to add to the national corridor network. TxDOT is again coordinating a submittal for the State of Texas, and
NCTCOG staff has begun collaborating with TxDOT to identify appropriate corridors for submittal. Staff will provide technical support for TxDOT as needed. Electronic Item 6 provides additional details.

Item 7

Trinity Railway Express Shuttle
Presenter: Shannon Stevenson, NCTCOG
Item Summary: Staff will request Regional Transportation Council approval for Trinity Metro to operate services between Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW Airport) and the Trinity Railway Express (TRE) Centreport Station and to provide funding from previously approved transit funding for this project to Trinity Metro for implementation.
Background: In August 2015, the Regional Transportation Council awarded Federal Transit Administration formula funds through the Transit Call for Projects to DFW Airport to provide shuttle service between the TRE Centreport Station and the Remote South Parking Lot at the airport. This project is a continuation of an existing shuttle service operated through a partnership with Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and Trinity Metro. DFW Airport notified the North Central Texas Council of Governments in March 2018 that it will discontinue this service once TEXRail service is fully operational. In coordination with DFW Airport, DART and Trinity Metro, staff worked to identify replacement services through Trinity Metro to ensure this critical last-mile connection is maintained. Trinity Metro will assume responsibility for continued service in 2019. Additional details can be found in Electronic Item 7.

Item 8

Volkswagen Settlement Update and Regional Input
Presenter: Lori Clark, NCTCOG
Item Summary: Staff will present an overview of the final Beneficiary Mitigation Plan for Texas and will request approval of proposed comments for expenditure of funding.
Background: The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) was designated by the Governor as the lead agency for administration of Texas’ share of funds under the Environmental Mitigation Trust (Trust), which is approximately $209 million. The Trust was established as part of the Volkswagen Clean Air Act Civil Settlements and requires each beneficiary to submit a Mitigation Plan. The TCEQ published
the Draft Beneficiary Mitigation Plan for Texas on August 8, 2018, and the Regional Transportation Council submitted formal comments on September 13, 2018. The TCEQ published the final Beneficiary Mitigation Plan for Texas on November 16, 2018. Electronic Item 8.1 provides an overview of the Trust, a summary of changes to the final Beneficiary Mitigation Plan for Texas, and proposed comments. Staff will request approval of proposed comments addressing funding priorities for the Dallas-Fort Worth region, as requested by the TCEQ (Electronic Item 8.2).

Item 9

Mobility 2045 Status, Transportation Conformity Determination, and Ozone Standards Update
Presenters: Kevin Feldt and Jenny Narvaez, NCTCOG
Item Summary: Staff will provide an update regarding work efforts to implement Mobility 2045 including the recent Transportation Conformity determination by the United States Department of Transportation (US DOT). In addition, staff will provide and update on other air quality actions that impact North Central Texas.
Background: The Clean Air Act of 1990 requires metropolitan planning organizations with a nonattainment designation to perform an air quality analysis when a new metropolitan transportation plan is developed to ensure the multi-modal transportation system complies with applicable Motor Vehicle Emission Budgets (MVEB). Staff has conducted a successful transportation conformity analysis for the required MVEB analysis year (2018), the Metropolitan Transportation Plan horizon year (2045), and interim years (2022, 2028, and 2037). Electronic Item 9.1 contains the US DOT conformity approval. Updates on both the 2008 and 2015 ozone standards have been announced for the Dallas-Fort Worth region during the month of November. Additionally, the end of November concluded another ozone season. Staff continues to track information on the standards applicable to the region and exceedance days at each monitor and will provide summaries to the Council. Electronic Item 9.2 includes further details.

Item 10

Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program Call for Projects
Presenter: Karla Weaver, NCTCOG
Item Summary: Staff will provide information and the schedule for the 2019 Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program (TA Set-Aside) Call for Projects for the North Central Texas region.
Background: Approximately $7.9 million is anticipated to be available to fund TA Set-Aside Program projects in the North Central Texas Council of Governments Metropolitan Planning Area. Projects eligible under this program include on- and off-road pedestrian and bicycle facilities, multimodal connections to public transportation, and pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure that will substantially improve safety. Staff will present a program overview, the amount of funding available in the eastern and western subregions, and the schedule for the call for projects. Additional information is provided in Electronic Item 10.