County Five Year Federal Aid Construction Program

The County’s Five-year Federal Aid Construction Program is the County’s portion of the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). It consists of the County’s prioritized road or bridge construction projects, the total federal aid cost of which comes from five years of estimated federal funding available to that County.

DEFINITIONS:

Prorata– the federal to local funding percent share (generally 80/20) Safety funds may be up to 100/0.

Surface Transportation Program (STP) – A funding category available to counties to spend on improvements to their federal aid routes. STP is distributed in accordance with K.S.A. 68-402(b).

Bridge Replacement/Rehabilitation (BR) – A funding category available to counties to spend on any deficient bridge in the County.

Fiscal Year (FY) – financial year beginning July 1 for State Government, beginning October 1 for the Federal Government.

Letting – the taking of construction bids on a project.

Preliminary Engineering (PE) – the pre-construction design of a project, generally by a consulting engineering firm.

Rights of Way (ROW) – the necessary land needed to construct a project, either existing or to be acquired.

Utility Adjustments – the required relocations of utilities due to conflict with a project’s construction.

Plans, Specifications & Estimates (PS&E) – the process of gathering, reviewing and approving the necessary final documents just prior to letting.

History of the Five Year Plan

• History (prior to July 1984) - the BLP used a first-come, first-served method of administering the program. The first project with final plans completed, right of way procured, utilities adjusted and permits obtained would be let. Little or no regard was given to the total obligation authority used by any one county during the fiscal year, only the total obligation authority used by all the counties. Larger, more affluent, more aggressive counties were submitting a large number of projects and using an inordinate amount of the total obligation authority available to the counties. Also, counties were making revisions to the priority of their projects within the project development period. This made it difficult to predict the estimated amount of obligation authority projected to be used.
  
  
• History (after July 1984) – a five-year plan with funding distributed to each county was adopted by Local Projects to provide a fairer and better managed program.

 

Requests to Update the Five Year Plan

• Request to Update the County’s Five-year Plan - BLP Memo containing the following information:

1. SAFETEA-LU is the present federal act that legislates funding for the County’s federal aid assistance for their roads and bridges. It went into effect beginning October 1, 2005 and extends to September 30, 2009.

1. The estimated obligation authority available per state fiscal year that the County may use for the federal share of their STP and/or BR projects.
   
   
2. The balance of STP funds available for the current and prior state fiscal years.
   
   
3. A requirement for public input into the project selection process.
   
   
4. An Attachment A indicating the current five-year plan. This is to be updated with any revisions to projects in the last two fiscal years of the current plan (priorities, letting dates or cost estimates) and updated with the addition of the next fiscal year’s projects.
   
   
5. Instructions for updating the five-year plan.
   
   
6. Project request form 1302 to be used for projects added to the plan and submitted with the updated plan.

   NOTE: The project request will contain places to enter the county’s estimated non-participating, pre-construction costs. These will be the preliminary engineering, right of way, and utility adjustment costs incurred by the County. These costs will be included in the total project cost for financial reporting purposes under the State’s Comprehensive Transportation Program (CTP).
   
   

2. Approval of the County’s Five-year Plan.

1. Local Projects reviews the revisions and makes note of the County’s changes to the projects’ priorities, letting dates, and cost estimates.
   
   
2. Upon receipt of all the Counties’ updated five-year plans, Local Projects reviews each one as to the projects’ estimated federal funds required and compares to the estimated obligation authority available.
   
   
3. Local Project will approve only the projects for which estimated available obligation authority will support.
   
   
4. Local Projects will send the County their approved five-year plan, which includes an action checklist, to assist the County in implementing their plan. Also, project schedules will be attached for new projects or those with revised lettings.

3. PS&E After Project Development.

1. Pre-letting activities
   
   

1. Approved Final Plans are expected from the County 4 months prior to letting.

   NOTE: In the future, as a part of the PS&E process, the County will be required to submit their actual non-participating pre-construction costs. These will be the preliminary engineering, right of way, and utility adjustment costs actually incurred by the County. These costs will be included in the total project cost for financial reporting purposes under the State’s Comprehensive Transportation Program (CTP).

2. Forms 1306 (ROW clearance) and 1304 ( Utility Adjustment) and all necessary permits are expected from the County 3 months prior to letting.

2. Local Projects sends the County a letter approximately 2 months prior to letting, indicating the County’s estimated matching share of the project’s construction and construction engineering cost and asks for the County’s concurrence and commitment to continue to the letting.

4. Letting and Post-letting Activities.

1. Project is let by KDOT and awarded to the lowest responsible bidder.
   
   
2. The County is contacted by Local Projects immediately after the letting with the results of the low bid in order the receive tentative approval.
   
   
3. Upon approval of all the bids by the State Transportation Engineer, a "Concurrence in the Award and Commitment of County Funds" resolution is sent the County.

1. The resolution allows the County the opportunity to concur in the awarded low bid. The resolution also contains the County’s share of the construction and construction engineering costs based upon the actual low bid and the maximum upper limit of the executed construction engineering agreement. The County’s share is due to be submitted to KDOT within the specified time in the resolution. The County’s share will be deposited and used, along with State funds to pay the contractor as the project progresses. The State will then voucher the federal government for the federal share.

4. During construction, the County is informed of any over/under runs on the contract.
   
   
5. Immediately after the last payment in made to the Contractor, a Preliminary Statement of Cost on the project is sent to the County. This statement contains a full accounting of the actual and or estimated construction and construction engineering costs of the project to date. It will indicate if any cost is due from or to the County. Any cost due to KDOT may be paid at that time if the County desires.
   
   
6. After audit of the project, which can take up to two years after construction, the County will receive a final voucher from KDOT. The final voucher will give a final accounting of the project’s construction and construction engineering costs and will indicate any payment due from or to the County.

People to Contact about 5 year plans

• Sondra Clark
• Sarah Boyle
• Alison Bell