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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/21/2025 Item 6g, Floyd and Ebe - Staff Agenda CorrespondenceCity of San Luis Obispo, Council Memorandum City of San Luis Obispo Council Agenda Correspondence DATE: October 21, 2025 TO: Mayor and Council FROM: Aaron Floyd, Interim Director of Public Works Prepared By: Dana Ebe, Transportation Planner/Engineer VIA: Whitney McDonald, City Manager SUBJECT: ITEM 6g - AWARD A CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT FOR THE GRAND AVENUE SIGN & STRIPING MODIFICATIONS, SPECIFICATION NUMBER 2000615-01 Staff received the following questions regarding the Grand Avenue Sign & Striping Modifications Project. The questions are below with staff’s response shown in italics: 1) The staff report mentions northbound queuing issues at the Grand Avenue and Slack Street intersection during the heaviest 15 minutes of the morning commute into Cal Poly, particularly in the early weeks of each quarter. This issue was first raised shortly after the pilot project was completed, when construction for Cal Poly’s Vista Meadows housing development was also underway at the intersection. Can you provide data on how many times these northbound queues have been observed, the duration of delays, and how often they have extended back to McCollum or beyond (the US 101 on/off ramps), including the dates of these occurrences? Following completion of the pilot project improvements in January 2025, staff received feedback from representatives of San Luis Obispo Classical Academy, local residents, and Cal Poly expressing concerns regarding vehicle queuing on northbound Grand Avenue during the peak morning commute and during large events at Cal Poly. In response, staff conducted several rounds of in-person and video traffic observations over longer periods, including weekday mornings, evenings, and weekends during Cal Poly events. Staff observed that during the heaviest 10–15 minutes of the weekday morning commute (typically between 8:00 and 8:15 a.m.), northbound vehicle queues routinely extended from the Cal Poly entrance back past Loomis Street and, on several occasions, approached the US 101 ramps. These queues typically cleared quickly by approximately 8:20 a.m. Similar, but shorter, queuing was observed during certain evening periods when multiple Cal Poly events occurred simultaneously. ITEM 6g - AWARD A CONTRACT FOR THE GRAND AVE SIGN & STRIPING MODS. Page 2 This queuing pattern has been observed consistently across all monitoring periods, including follow-up observations conducted in October 2025 after the reopening of the east sidewalk on Grand Avenue north of Slack Street. Construction activity related to Cal Poly’s Vista Meadows project may have temporarily worsened queuing earlier in the year. For example, when the east sidewalk on Grand was closed, more pedestrians were funneled to cross Grand Avenue at Slack Street, which in turn slowed vehicle flow into campus. However, staff’s most recent observations confirms that the queuing issue continues to occur even with the sidewalk reopened. Because queues extending near or onto the US 101 ramps present a safety concern, striping modifications are proposed to extend the two -lane northbound section further south, to just north of McCollum Street, increasing queuing capacity during peak morning periods and Cal Poly special events. 2) Could the project be delayed to after the Cal Poly project on Slack is complete allow for additional data collection on vehicle queuing? Are the suggested improvements still considered part of the pilot project? Will there be a permanent design proposed for the 2027 paving plan? If so, when would ATC and City Council see that plan? Although construction for Cal Poly’s Vista Meadows project is not yet complete, the east sidewalk on Grand Avenue north of Slack Street reopened prior to the start of the Fall 2025 Quarter. Since then, in-person traffic observations conducted in October 2025 confirmed that vehicle queuing continues to occur even with the sidewalk reopened. Based on these observations, delaying the project until after completion of the Cal Poly Vista Meadows project or waiting for the permanent roadway improvements planned for future years would not address the ongoing safety concerns in the near term. Data collection has already been completed with the sidewalk open, and existing northbound queuing and improper right -turn movements at the US 101 southbound on -ramp continue to present safety issues that should be mitigated as soon as feasible. The suggested improvements included in the Grand Avenue Sign & Striping Modifications Project directly address feedback received from Cal Poly, Teach Elementary, SLO Classical Academy, Love To Learn Preschool, SLO Garbage, and various community members. These refinements utilize lower-cost, temporary materials and remain part of the ongoing pilot project, allowing staff to evaluate their effectiveness before permanent roadway changes are implemented. A permanent design for Grand Avenue is anticipated as part of the 2027 paving project. A more comprehensive “after study” data collection effort and public outreach process will be conducted in 2026 to guide the development of permanent design recommendations. Permanent design changes will not be implemented without further data collection, extensive coordination with Cal Poly, Teach Elementary and SLO Classical Academy, community workshops, presentations to the ATC and City Council, and a dedicated project website. ITEM 6g - AWARD A CONTRACT FOR THE GRAND AVE SIGN & STRIPING MODS. Page 3 3) Could staff provide photographic slides or other visual aids that illustrate the proposed changes? I found the current striping and flex posts near the US 101 on-ramp confusing. How might the additional flex posts affect nighttime drivers? Additionally, since the Grand/Loomis intersection experiences frequent illegal left turns, why isn’t a “No Left Turn” sign installed? All current and new flex posts are equipped with retroreflective wraps at the top to enhance nighttime visibility and help drivers better recognize lane boundaries and turn restrictions. As for the Grand/Loomis/US 101 SB intersection, a “No Left Turn” sign has not been installed because both left-turn and through movements are prohibited. According to the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CA MUTCD), there are individual signs for “No Left Turn” and “No Through” movements, but not a combined sign. Therefore, a “Right Turn Only” sign was selected as the appropriate standard sign per CA MUTCD guidelines, as it clearly communicates the permitted movement in a single, complia nt sign. As shown below, there are currently two methods of conveying the right turn only restriction: a “Right Turn Only” sign and “Right Turn Only” pavement markings. ITEM 6g - AWARD A CONTRACT FOR THE GRAND AVE SIGN & STRIPING MODS. Page 4 However, even with these measures in place, drivers have still been observed navigating around the flex posts to make illegal turning movements. To address this, four additional flex posts are proposed to be installed to provide a physical deterrent and improve compliance. Westbound Loomis View: Southbound Grand View: ITEM 6g - AWARD A CONTRACT FOR THE GRAND AVE SIGN & STRIPING MODS. Page 5 At the US 101 southbound on-ramp, as shown in the image below, the current pilot design includes a dedicated right-turn lane from southbound Grand Avenue onto the on-ramp. The southbound bike lane is channelized to the left of the right-turn lane. This configuration was intended to allow right-turning vehicles to decelerate outside the through-traffic lane while positioning cyclists to the left to reduce the risk of right-hook collisions. However, in-person observations show that most drivers make a wide, high-speed right turn from the through lane instead of using the designated turn lane. This behavior has also caused confusion for drivers exiting the daycare just north of the on -ramp, as it is unclear whether southbound vehicles are turning right or continuing straight. Current Configuration ITEM 6g - AWARD A CONTRACT FOR THE GRAND AVE SIGN & STRIPING MODS. Page 6 Modifications to the current striping configuration are proposed to eliminate the dedicated right-turn lane at this intersection and instead provide a wide, dashed green bike lane through the intersection. This configuration increases the width of the striped corner bulb-out, tightens the corner to better control turning speeds onto the on-ramp, and creates a more intuitive layout for drivers. Proposed Configuration 4) I’m concerned that the bid amounts greatly exceed the engineer’s estimate. Could staff clarify why the signing and striping improvements are costing more than anticipated? Staff acknowledge that the bid amounts significantly exceeded the engineer’s estimate. Initially, this work was offered to the 2024 Roadway Sealing contractor. However, the contractor declined to complete the additional work. The project was then advertised publicly, and only one bid was received, which significantly exceeded the engineer’s estimate. Staff subsequently re-advertised the project and extended the advertising period to encourage broader participation and more competitive pricing. Two new bids were received, but both still significantly exceeded the engineer’s estimate, with one comparable to the original bid. The higher-than-expected bid amounts are generally consistent with recent trends for smaller striping projects, as staff have observed that bids tend to be elevated due to limited availability of local striping contractors and higher mobilization costs associated with smaller, stand-alone projects. Signing and striping improvements are typically more cost-effective when included as part of larger projects, which benefit from economies of scale. Although the bid amounts were higher than anticipated, the proposed signing and striping improvements are considered substantial safety enhancements that should be implemented as soon as feasible.