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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/20/2004, BUS 3 - PRADO ROAD BRIDGE AT SAN LUIS CREEK AND STREET WIDENING council MnfimDet 4/20/04 j agenda Repo�2t 3 CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO y"*4� FROM: Michael D. McCluskey, Director of Public Works " Prepared By: Barbara Lynch, Supervising Civil Engineer SUBJECT: PRADO ROAD BRIDGE AT SAN LUIS CREEK AND STREET WIDENING CAO RECOMMENDATION 1. Approve a request for proposals (RFP) for engineering design services for widening the Prado Road bridge and roadway from the proposed Prado Road freeway interchange to South Higuera Street, with staff to return to Council for approval of the contract award. 2. Accelerate funding for this work in the 2003-07 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) by one year by appropriating $680,000 from 2005-06 for design services to 2004-05, to be funded from transportation impact fees. 3. Authorize staff to advertise for proposals upon completion of additional structure investigation to determine eligibility for federal funding. DISCUSSION Prado Road has been planned for many years to be a four-lane road to carry traffic from the 101 freeway over to Broad Street in accordance with the City's.adopted Circulation Element. While portions of Prado Road have been widened, the bridge at San Luis Obispo Creek west of Higuera continues to be a significant restriction. It provides just enough room for one vehicle lane each way, with a small shoulder on each side to accommodate cyclists and foot traffic in the area. The 2003-05 Financial Plan includes a capital improvement project to widen Prado Road Bridge. The project design funding was set in year three of the budget, due to the uncertainty associated with the Marketplace project. If the Marketplace project continues to move forward, including the completion of a new interchange with the freeway, the City can expect an increase in traffic on Prado Road between Higuera and the freeway in the near future. The RFP for design services will allow the City to begin the process toward eventual widening. Existing Conditions The Department of Transportation Division of Structure Maintenance inspected the Prado Road Bridge in April of last year. At that time, there were some indications of active deck corrosion. A final determination could not be made on the condition of the structure because of the presence of an asphalt overlay. At this time, the bridge rating is not such that it qualifies for federal rehabilitation or replacement funds. The current rating is 83 and a rating of 80 or lower is required to be eligible for rehabilitation funds. Without federal funding,the General Fund would be responsible for the entire cost of the project. It is likely, based on the State investigation report that the existing deck is in poor condition and a new deck will need to be constructed on the existing foundation. Further investigation may Prado Road Bridge and Street Widening Page 2 determine that the whole structure is not worth rehabilitating. Staff is recommending that the "further investigation" take place immediately, so as to provide enough information to possibly allow federal funding and/or give the designer better data to use. The Request for Proposals (RFP) outlines preliminary work to make the determination as to what the best strategy is to deal with the existing structure in its current condition. There is a distinct possibility that it will be more expensive to rehabilitate and widen the existing structure than it will be to replace the entire crossing with a new bridge. Prado Road is somewhat of a patchwork of paving and widening. There are portions that will need to be widened to the final width as part of this project to allow full use of the street and the new structure. Timeline The timeline for the Marketplace project now indicates it would be advisable to accelerate the timing of the City's Prado Bridge project to allow for it to be constructed closer to the time the Marketplace opens. The tentative schedule for the Marketplace puts the approval of the EIR before the City Council in July of this year. Construction on the Marketplace and the interchange would then follow in the spring of next year, with the interchange complete the following year(2006). Construction of the Prado Road Bridge would not likely occur before the summer of 2007 because of the time needed to obtain permits for the work in the creek. Because access to Prado Road is limited, it will be better for businesses in the area that the two projects do not follow the same timeline. Staff is recommending releasing the RFP after completion of additional structure investigations that might take about two months. The information gathered will be forwarded to the Caltrans Division of Structure Maintenance and Investigations. They will then determine if any change is appropriate in the bridge rating. If there is sufficient information to reevaluate the deck, it is possible the rating will be lowered and the bridge will become eligible for funding. While this means a delay, the cost impact is significant. The federal Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program (HBRR) offers 80% reimbursement for work. Assuming partial participation in the design, environmental and permitting costs along with construction on the existing portion, staff estimates the federal contribution would be about $1,000,000. On the down side, "federalizing" of the project will likely delay the start of construction by an additional year.. If the rating is lowered and the bridge is approved for funding, staff will make minor revisions to the RFP to include required federal language and identify the project as federally funded prior to releasing it for proposals. It is important that the determination of eligibility for federal funding be made before issuing the RFP, as any funds spent prior to approval of eligibility will not be reimbursable. Caltrans strongly recommends that the City contract directly for appraisal and acquisition services in lieu of contracting for them through a prime consultant as we have done in the past. This is because of the level of responsibility the City has on acquisition issues. As a result staff will be contracting for these services separately, most likely using our current list of on-call service consultants. That agreement will be established once Council has approved the contract for design. 3 �� Prado Road Bridge and Street Widening Page 3 To summarize: the project needs to get started but first we need some additional structure investigations and immediately after we know,the results and funding implications, we plan on releasing the RFP in order to start the design process. Due to the time needed to prepare, present, and evaluate the Proposal plus time to interview design professionals, no decision on hiring a design firm will be made prior to a decision on the Marketplace project. If the Marketplace project does not move forward, we will have more structural data available, but will not proceed with the remainder of the RFP process because funding of the Prado Bridge Widening Project is dependent upon bond financing associated with the Marketplace Project. FISCAL IMPACT Funding Already Conceptually Approved in CIP. Design services for the Prado Road street and bridgewidening are set forth in the third year (2005-06) of the City's four-year CIP in the amount of $680,000. (Attachment 3) Based on the current schedule for the Prado Road interchange, we recommend accelerating design for this work by one year. Short-Term Fiscal Impact. There is no immediate fiscal impact in approving the RFP and authorizing the staff to solicit design proposals: no financial commitment will take place until contract award. And as noted above, we do not recommend awarding the contract until after July 2004, when the San Luis Marketplace is scheduled for consideration of its discretionary permits and related development agreement. In short, requesting and evaluating proposals at this time does not in itself result in a direct fiscal impact. However, by starting this process now, we better position ourselves to go forward with this improvement project in a timely way in the event that the City approves the San Luis Marketplace project and related Prado Road interchange. Long-Term Fiscal Impact. As provided in the 2003-07 CIP, we recommend funding this work—and subsequent.construction at an estimated cost of $4:5 million—from transportation impact fees. However, similar to the proposed financing for the Prado Road interchange (which was conceptually approved by the Council on January 6, 2004 as one of the major terms of the proposed development agreement), the best way of financing this work is most likely through lease-revenue bonds. While these will be secured by.the General Fund, we will reimburse the General Fund annually for debt service costs from the Transportation Impact Fee Fund. Depending on the timing, we may include this with the planned debt financing of the "non-Mello Roos" portion of the Prado Road interchange (estimated at 29.9% of total interchange costs), currently planned for January 2005 based on the current project schedule. (In turn, this portion of the Prado Road interchange cost is likely to be combined with the debt financing for the 919 Palm Garage/Offices project). In summary, while we want to "presage" possible actions to come, these are decisions that should be made at a later date when the schedule for all related work components is better known. Investigative studies will be funded from the Engineering Division operating budget.. 3�3 1 Prado Road Bridge and Street Widening Page 4 Approved Preliminary Costs: Design, Environmental Studies and Permits $660,000 Temporary Easement Acquisition $ 20,000 Estimated Construction Costs: Bridge Construction: $3,400,000 Road Construction: $500,000 Contract Inspection& Monitoring: $600,000 Miscellaneous Testing & Printing $20,000 Total Cost: $5,200,000 If for some reason, the City decides to significantly delay this project after completing the design, a certain portion of the preliminary expenses will be lost. Environmental documents would have to be updated and new permits issued if the project was delayed more than two years. ALTERNATIVES The project could be delayed untila later date. Waiting to complete construction for several years will likely have a far greater impact to traffic circulation and, if past history is any indicator, costs for environmental studies, permitting and mitigation will be higher. ATTACHMENTS Attachment I - Location Map Attachment 2 - Excerpt from RFP: Workscope for Design Services Attachment 3 - Excerpt from 2003-07 CIP: Project Description for Prado Road Bridge Widening AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW IN THE COUNCIL OFFICE Request for Proposals g:\_current projeets%ridges\prado_san luis crk bridge\_documents\7-staff reports\prado br rfp adv.doc Shortcut on Ldrive 3 ice' �C'�� '.`r ���` y` `` •�h _ - ,, �,�r� ►�101`�'',,1:�. 1 � ,q-Ha.chrn.e.nt z - �I SECTION A DESCRIPTION OF WORK Background: Prado Road is a two lane street extending a little over two blocks. Over the years it has been widened in spots as development occurred. It provides a link between one of the City's major arterials, Higuera Street, and the northbound State Route 101. Route 101 currently has only a northbound off and on ramp at this location. The City's circulation element shows Prado Road extending to become a much more important link in the road system. Ultimately it will connect across the lower portion of the City linking the State Route 227 with the Route 101. A recently approved development for the other side of Route 101 will be constructing, as part of their project, a complete interchange between Prado Road, Route 101 and Dalidio Drive on the other side of the freeway. This will connect this new shopping center, along with several others in the same area, to the eastern portion of the freeway. Traffic is expected to increase substantially on Prado Road as a result. Traffic is expected to increase again when the street is put through to Route 227. San Luis Obispo Creek winds through much of San Luis Obispo and crosses Prado Road in the vicinity of Higuera Street. The existing bridge is a narrow, two lane, reinforced concrete structure on pile bents. The most recent Bridge Inspection Report from the.State Department of Transportation Structure Maintenance Division gave the bridge a sufficiency rating of 83.4. However, the report also rated the structure "Structurally Deficient" due to indications of active deck corrosion. The existing structure has been estimated to pass the XX year storm. The City wishes to incorporate bridge lengthening to pass the 100 year storm if feasible given the site constraints. The timing of the construction of the freeway interchange is such that the City believes it is appropriate to begin work on the expansion of the bridge at San Luis Obispo Creek to accommodatethe ultimate street width. Work Scope: The City is looking for a qualified consulting firm to complete the environmental, design and right of way services necessary to bring the project to construction. This would include completion of all field survey work and legal descriptions, hydraulic and geotechnical studies and all studies needed for theenvironmentalreport and permitting applications, and obtaining all regulatory agency permits and clearances. Right of way appraisals and acquisition services will be provided by a consultant working directly for the City. Before design begins, the existing structure must be evaluated to determine if it is cost effective to rehabilitate the structure and widen the bridge, or demolish the existing structure and build an entirely new structure. 1. Preliminary Study ❖ Testing and evaluation of existing structure ❖ Recommendation for existing structure, including cost comparisons of rehabilitation vs replacement ❖ Hydraulic study review of structure to determine necessary width for 100 year storm passage 3-LAO fttlack►wch�- z -�i 2. Environmental ❖ Environmental study reports ❖ Initial study and mitigated negative declaration ❖ Permit applications and follow-up ❖ Attendance at meetings for approval of Environmental Document 3. Design ❖ Preliminary design for environmental clearances, permit applications and ROW needs ❖ Study reports ❖ Utility relocation and installation coordination ❖ .Design exceptions ❖ PS& E package ❖ Addendums—if required 4. Right of Way ❖ Determination of the extent of necessary easements for construction and mitigation ❖ Record search for existing easements and title reports ❖ Legal descriptions—anticipate 4 temporary and 4 permanent easements 5. Construction Engineering ❖ Answer questions and provide additional details as needed at no additional cost to the city ❖ Revise plans as needed to address unknown conditions, paid for as additional work in accordance with this agreement The Consultant may.or may not be required to provide the following construction engineering services depending on City staffing limitations at the time of construction. The Consultant must be able to provide these services if required. The City Project Manager will provide construction support for approval of change orders and payments. ❖ Full time on site inspection ❖ Structure representative as needed ❖ Environmental Monitoring 2 3 - �l A41*4 m.en+ 3- TRANSPORTATION PRADO ROAD BRIDGE WIDENING CIP Project Summary - Widening and reinforcing the Prado Road Bridge over San Luis Obispo Creek in order to extend the service life of the existing bridge and improve traffic circulation will cost$680,000 for environmental review, design,and land acquisition in 2006-07. Total project cost is estimated at$5.2 million. Project Objectives 1. Prepare for the additional traffic on Prado Road after the Prado Road/Highway 101 interchange is completed and after the Prado Road extension to Broad Street(Highway 227) is completed 2. Improve circulation and safety for bicyclists and pedestrians at the Prado Road Bridge 3. Strengthen the Prado Road Bridge and extend its service life _ Existing Situation — Prado Road has been widened from two lanes to four lanes in bits and pieces over several years. It remains only r partially widened and flares in and out over its length between Highway 101 and South Higuera Street, with full L widening expected in conjunction with the construction of the Prado Road/Highway 101 interchange. The most prominent traffic constriction occurs at the bridge over San Luis Obispo Creek,which has only two traffic lanes and no sidewalks or bike lanes. The project will repair the existing structure and expand the bridge,making it wide enough to match the ultimate street width. This project is near the northern trailhead of the proposed Bob Jones City-to-Sea.Bike Trail. Project work may include further widening of the bridge and construction of a Class I bicycle path between the bridge and South Higuera Street. Goal and Policy Links 1. Transportation Planning and Engineering program goal: Safe and well-maintained streets r 2. 1994 General Plan Circulation Element L 3. 1993 Bicycle Transportation Plan 4. 2001-03 Financial Plan,pages E-7 and E-31 r Project.Work Completed ` Traffic studies have been completed. Environmental Review This project will require at least an initial environmental study and possibly a focused environmental impact report. The most significant environmental issues will probably relate to impacts on the creek beneath the bridge structure and impacts on traffic circulation. Other Special Review Considerations 1. Several permits will be required from agencies responsible for regulation of activities in and around waterways. 2. Coordination with nearby businesses will be necessary. �.- - 1SL _.J TRANSPORTATiON _ PRADO ROAD BRIDGE WIDENING I r1 Project Phasing and Funding Sources I Pro'ect Costs by Type Project Costs To-Date 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 Total Environmental Review 190,000 190,000 Design 470,000 470,000 Land.Ac uistion 1 20,000 _..,, T20,000 otal 680,000 1 680,000 JProject Funding by Source: Transportation Impact Fees Department Coordinator and Project Review/Support Department Coordinator: Jay Walter J Project Review and Support: Project Management—CIP Project Engineering Environmental Document Review — Community Development & Natural Resources Protection Project Review—Barbara Lynch Alternatives J1. Deny ordelay the project. This option would leave the bridge in its existing condition.. Additional traffic generated by completion of the Prado Road/Highway 101 interchange would cause congestion. Lack of sidewalks and bicycle lanes in conjunction with heavier traffic would increase hazards for pedestrians and Jbicyclists. 2. Add only sidewalks to the bridge. This option would lower overall cost from$5.7 million to$1.5 million and ") provide for pedestrian and/or bicycle access. The creek would have to be disturbed again in the future in J order to complete the bridge widening required to fully match the ultimate street width. Operating Program General Street Maintenance (50300) Project Effect on the Operating Budget Staff Resources: CIP Project Engineering: 3,000 hours (over the life of the project) Development Review: 30 hours (over the life of the project) Natural Resources Protection: 20 hours (over life of the project) Operating Costs: Initially, the new structure will require little to no maintenance. 155 ��