HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/07/2011, C 13 - BOB JONES TRAIL CONNECTION PRADO & SOUTH HIGUERA, MEASURE Y PROJECT SPECIFICATION NO. 90670 council June 7,2011
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CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
FROM: Jay D. Walter, Director of Public Works
Prepared By: Michael J. McGuire, Engineer III MN M
SUBJECT: BOB JONES TRAIL CONNECTION PRADO & SOUTH HIGUERA,
MEASURE Y PROJECT SPECIFICATION NO. 90670
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Approve plans and special provisions for "Bob Jones Trail Connection Prado & South
Higuera, Specification No. 90670,"a Measure Y project.
2. Authorize staff to advertise for bids, and authorize the City Manager to award the contract
if the lowest responsible bidder is within the Engineer's Estimate.
DISCUSSION
Summary
Over a decade ago, the Bob Jones City-to-Sea Bike Trail was established as a recreational path
for cyclists and pedestrians to traverse between San Luis Obispo and Avila Beach without having
to contend with motorized vehicular traffic. Ultimately, the Trail is seen as an important link for
a county-wide bicycle path extending from the Five Cities area northward to Paso Robles. In
2008, the City of San Luis Obispo completed a portion of the Bob Jones Bike Trail, starting from
Prado Road to the south end of the Water Reclamation Facility, where eventually it will connect
to Los Osos Valley Road.
Currently, the trailhead starts to the west of the Prado Road Bridge and adjacent to the Dewar
Fuel facility. The Prado Road Bridge is a narrow structure with only two lanes for a high volume
of vehicles as it links the south end of San Luis Obispo with State Highway 101. There exists
minimal space on either side of the bridge for cyclists and no sidewalk for pedestrians to cross
the bridge. Installation of connecting paved paths and a bicycle/pedestrian bridge will provide
direct access to the existing trail from the southwest corner of the intersection of Prado Road and
South Higuera Street (Attachment 1). The bridge itself will have a clear span of 120 feet, a ten
foot wide path and be prefabricated of weathered Corten steel, similar to many bike/pedestrian
bridges within the City.
LOVR Connection
The original project scope was to provide a continuous path from Prado Road to Los Osos Valley
Road for cyclists and pedestrians to use instead of the busy arterial streets nearby. City staff
began negotiations with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) for a narrow
encroachment into the clear recovery zone of Highway 101 to accommodate the minimum width
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Bob Jones Trail Connection (90670) Page 2
for a Class I bike path at the south end of the existing trail. This would have provided a
connection for the existing trail to Los Osos Valley Road (Attachment 2). Due to safety
concerns, Caltrans has denied the encroachment and the most viable option now is to install a
bridge over Prefirmo Creek to the east of Highway 101. While making the entire trail accessible
from the Los Osos Valley Road end is important, the additional cost of providing a bridge to
make that connection is prohibitive, and staff is not recommending delaying construction of the
trail and bridge at the north end near Prado Road because delays could endanger existing grant
funding.
Conclusion
The plans for the bridge at Prado Road and South Higuera Street are complete, and the project
ready to start construction to utilize the federal grant funding in a timely manner. The City and
County will continue to pursue planning for the extension of the bike trail to the Octagon Barn
and on to the existing trailhead at Ontario Road, taking riders out to Avila Beach.
CONCURRENCES
This project has the concurrence of the Community Development Department and the Bicycle
Advisory Committee. There is also a National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA)
Programmatic Categorical Exclusion, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) "Notice of
Determination" in place and a California Department of Fish & Game (CDFG) "Notification of
Lake or Streambed Alteration Notification"completed.
FISCAL IMPACT
The 2007-09 Financial Plan, Appendix B, page 3-270, identifies $970,000 in the construction
phase to support this project. Currently, there is a balance of $427,800, as the bulk of the
funding was used for construction of the trail from Prado Road to Los Osos Valley Road. This
fund balance consists of a $150,000 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program
(EECBG), $63,547 of State Highway Account (SHA) grant and $214,253 remaining of General
Funds. The project was originally allocated $220,000 of Measure Y funds.
Construction: _ $ 385,000 II_ Funding Sources — _-
Construction Contingencies: I 38,500
Total for Construction: $423,500 EECBG: $ 150,000
— –---- SHA: $ 63,547
Prmtmg. $ 1,000 General Funds: $ 214,253
Materials Testing $ 3,300
Total for other costs: $ 4,300 Total Funding: $ 427,800
Total Cost of Project _ $427,8001__
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Bob Jones Trail Connection (90670) Page 3
ALTERNATIVE
Deny approval for advertising. The City Council could choose to deny approval for advertising.
Staff does not recommend this alternative. Should the approval to advertise be denied or
deferred, the EECBG and SHA grant funding would be lost for this project and reallocated to
other agencies. There would be insufficient funding left to implement the project in the future.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Prado Road—South Higuera Vicinity Map
2. Highway 101 —LOVR Vicinity Map
AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW IN THE COUNCIL OFFICE
Plans& Special Provisions
T:\CounalAgenda Reports\Public Works CAR\2011\CIP\90670 Bob Jones Bridge\CAR Advertise Bob Jones Bridge.doc
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