Title
Recommendation to Award a One-Year Contract in the Amount Not to Exceed $261,544, including Contingency, to Park Engineering for Construction Management Services during the Construction Phase for the Cross Alameda Trail Project (Main Street to Constitution Way), No. P.W. 03-18-11; and Receive an Update on the Status of Completion of the Cross Alameda Trail (Main Street to Constitution Way). (Public Works 310-91402)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Elizabeth D. Warmerdam, Acting City Manager
Re: Recommendation to Award a One-Year Contract in the Amount Not to Exceed $261,544, including Contingency, to Park Engineering for Construction Management Services during the Construction Phase for the Cross Alameda Trail Project (Main Street to Constitution Way), No. P.W. 03-18-11; and Receive an Update on the Status of Completion of the Cross Alameda Trail (Main Street to Constitution Way)
BACKGROUND
Since 1991, the City has worked to implement the Cross Alameda Trail (CAT) project, with many segments now in design or constructed. Once completed, the entire CAT will be a premier east-west walking and bicycling corridor, with many sections completely separated from cars that stretches from the Seaplane Lagoon at Alameda Point to the Miller-Sweeney Bridge at Tilden Way for a total of four miles. Earlier this year, the Jean Sweeney Open Space Park segment from Constitution Way to Sherman Street was completed and it will open this fall.
The development of the Ralph Appezzato Memorial Parkway (RAMP)/Atlantic Avenue segment from Main Street to Constitution Way began in 2014. In 2015, the Transportation Commission (TC) and Planning Board approved the preliminary design for the Main Street to Webster Street segment, but the project was put on hold pending further soil analysis and the development of a soil remediation plan to meet the requirements of the Alameda County Department of Environmental Health (ACDEH). Meanwhile, in late 2015, City staff began working on a design concept for the Webster Street to Constitution Way segment, a critical one-block connector between the CAT RAMP and Jean Sweeney trail segments. Staff did extensive analysis on this section worked diligently with key stakeholders and responded to feedback. The TC and City Council approved a final concept plan for this one-block segment in March and April 2017, respectively.
The CAT RAMP segment and the one-block connector will be constructed as one project, between Main Street and Constitution Way that totals approximately 0.9 miles. The design features of the concept plans, as approved by the TC and City Council for the two segments, include:
• RAMP (Main Street to Webster Street) - Construct separate walking and bicycling paths, plus a decomposed granite jogging path, in the City-owned abandoned railroad right-of-way with the following additional features:
o Connector trails to two intersecting streets: Fifth Street and West Campus Drive;
o Pedestrian, bicycle and Americans with Disability Act (ADA) improvements as well as signage at the intersecting streets;
o New plazas at Main Street and Webster Street with hardscape and landscape features;
o Landscaping with trees and shrubs; and
o Traffic signal modifications at Fifth Street.
• Atlantic Avenue (Webster Street to Constitution Way) - Construct separated two-way bicycle lanes on the south side of this short urban block, one half of which will be at sidewalk-grade (west of driveway), and the other half of which will be at street-grade (east of driveway). Make improvements at the intersections at both ends of the segment to increase safety for people walking and bicycling. Install a mid-block pedestrian crossing. Create an expanded eastbound bus stop.
DISCUSSION
After the CAT Atlantic one-block segment concept plan was approved in April 2017, staff and their consultants combined the plans for the two CAT segments into one project, finalized the real estate transactions for easements and lease amendments, worked on the extensive soils remediation requirements with ACDEH, coordinated with neighboring property owners and key stakeholders, completed a peer review of the construction plans, refined the design, applied for additional grant funding, and developed the plans, specifications and estimates in preparation for going to construction in October/November 2018.
To assist the City with managing the construction of this large transportation infrastructure project, the Public Works Department sent out a Request for Proposal (RFP) on May 1, 2018 for construction management services for the CAT RAMP. To solicit the maximum number of bids and most competitive price, the construction management services RFP was provided to 19 separate builders exchanges throughout the Bay Area. A notice for the RFP was sent out to all the consultants on the Public Works listing, published in the Alameda Journal, and on the City’s website. Five consultant teams submitted proposals, which were opened on Thursday, May 17, 2018, see below:
|
Bidder |
Location |
Proposal |
|
4LEAF, Inc. |
Pleasanton, CA |
$183,628.00 |
|
Mack5 |
Emeryville, CA |
$248,550.00 |
|
Park Engineering |
Orinda, CA |
$249,089.90 |
|
Consolidated CM |
Oakland, CA |
$254,340.00 |
|
Anchor CM |
Lafayette, CA |
$254,490.00 |
Staff held selection interviews on Thursday, May 31, 2018. The selection was based on the consultant teams’ past experience, quality and experience of key staff, understanding of work scope, cost competitiveness, and ability to meet contract requirements. Therefore, staff recommends awarding a contract to Park Engineering for $261,544, which includes a 5% contingency of $12,455. Park Engineering is not guaranteed any of the contingency amount, and use of the contingency will be at the sole discretion of the Public Works Director for work not originally anticipated in the plans and specification. The RFP also informed the successful bidder that they shall pay not less than the prevailing rate of per diem wages as determined by the Federal Government. The contract with Park Engineering is attached as Exhibit 1.
Status of CAT Project
After many years of work, the project construction bid is expected to open in August 2018. Staff will bring the award of a construction contract to the City Council in October/November 2018. Construction is anticipated to be complete by early summer 2019.
Over the past year, several elements of the project have been refined or modified in response to various factors including requirements of ACDEH for soil remediation, budget limitations, work with key stakeholders and neighboring property owners, and a peer review by a consultant firm specializing in bicycle and pedestrian engineering. Below is a list of the major refinements, by segment. The latest project construction plans, which are in the final plan check review stage, can be found on the City’s project web page: <https://alamedaca.gov/public-works/cross-alameda-trail>:
• Main Street to Webster Street:
o Soil remediation: Per the approved work plan with ACDEH, the entire right-of-way must be remediated by capping it with two feet of clean soil or hardscape (concrete/asphalt), to reduce exposure to the Marsh Crust, which is close to the surface.
o Position of trails: To accommodate the new grades created with the soil capping, the trails were moved 10-20 feet to the north, closer to RAMP, resulting in them being closer to the center of the right-of-way, rather than along the southern edge. This also allowed for the preservation of additional trees.
o Trail surface and widths: To reduce the project costs, the two-foot decomposed granite shoulders on each side of the 12’ bicycle path were removed, and instead the trail will be 14’ wide and all asphalt. Also, as a cost-saving measure, the jogging path was reduced to 5’ from 7’.
o Redesigned Main Street plaza: The design and shape of the plaza has changed, but the overall area is similar. This was made to accommodate trail changes at the Main Street corner, based on input from the neighboring property owner, and the elimination of the bid alternate for a half-basketball court.
o Redesigned Webster Street plaza: The plaza was re-designed, but still serves the same goals of providing a gateway to Webster Street, including space for a future gateway monument, and a gathering and resting area for people walking and biking. These changes were made to address needed changes to the southbound Webster bus stop to allow for the new two-way separated bike lanes on Atlantic, incorporate requested changes from West Alameda Business Association, and allow a more porous connection with the neighboring property owner. The design also includes more trees and landscaping.
o Fifth Street connection: The auto travel lane configuration in the southbound direction was modified to allow safer bicycle movements connecting to the trail. The lanes will now taper, briefly to one lane, before expanding again to two lanes at the intersection.
o Bioretention areas: These areas were replaced throughout most of the segment with “self-retaining areas,” which reduced landscaping and irrigation costs.
• Webster Street to Constitution Way:
o Webster Street/Atlantic Avenue and Constitution Way/Atlantic Avenue signals: The signal plans were redesigned to follow current best practices, based on expert advice from the bicycle/pedestrian engineering consultant who performed the peer review. With the new design, right (auto) turns across the combined bicycle and pedestrian crossings at both intersections will not be allowed if the signal is activated by a bicyclist or pedestrian. The original plan included a protected left turn phase at Constitution Way and this was deemed not necessary and removed. The two eastbound Atlantic Avenue travel lanes will now include a right turn-only lane and a combined through/left turn lane (as opposed to a left turn-only lane and a combined through/right turn lane).
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Since the original CAT project, from Main Street to Webster Street, was initiated, two major grants were secured (Federal Transit Administration and Countywide Measure B Bicycle/Pedestrian Discretionary), plus several smaller grants. However, as has been described to the City Council via several staff reports, over the past three years, the cost estimates for the CAT from Main Street to Constitution Way have increased for a variety of reasons and additional funds are needed to complete the project. The reasons for the rise in project costs include:
• More extensive soil remediation needs than originally anticipated, on this former railroad right of way.
• Addition of the CAT Gap section (Webster Street to Constitution Way), which has not received any grant funding, and the costs of which are extensive.
• More realistic costs for the entire project as the project design was detailed and refined.
• Capturing all soft costs, so the full costs to City are included.
Since the 2017-2019 Capital Budget was approved, staff has identified and/or successfully applied for several additional funding sources: Measure B/BB Paratransit ($389K); Transportation Development Act Article III ($80K); Community Development Block Grant ($100K); and Transportation Funds for Clean Air Bikeways funds ($139K). The City applied for two other major grants but was not successful. These included (1) $900,000 from the Affordable Housing Sustainable Communities grant program, with the Eden Family Housing project at Site A to add lighting to the project and (2) Urban Greening grant for $2.2 million.
The City’s 2017-2019 Capital Budget included $5.19 million for this project. However, $900,000 of this budgeted amount had been Development Impact Fee (DIF) funds that, in the interim, were loaned to the Jean Sweeney Park segment of the CAT to ensure that the trail could be delivered in time to meet grant deadlines. If the Del Monte development project advances, the City will collect enough DIF fees to pay this project’s loan back. In that event, staff projects an additional $540,000 will be required before a construction contract can be awarded. If the Del Monte project does not advance, then the estimated funding required is $1.44 million. Potential funding sources include General Fund, Measure B, Measure BB, Gas Tax, and/or the Construction Improvement Tax. Staff will bring a funding allocation recommendation to the City Council when it awards the construction contract, which is expected in October/November 2018.
The funds for the construction management contract of $261,544 are budgeted in the Public Works Department Capital Improvement Program project 91402, Cross Alameda Trail, Main Street to Constitution Way. There is no impact to the General Fund.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
The Transportation Element of the City's General Plan <http://alamedaca.gov/community-development/planning/general-plan> shows these streets as bicycle priority streets that provide cross island access to bicyclists and as secondary transit streets. The Transportation Element, specifically Policy 4.1.1.a, requires the City to classify streets according to preferred mode(s) of travel - such as bicycle priority streets - so as to create or preserve connected multimodal networks within the constrained right-of-way of streets. Policy 4.1.7.d from the Transportation Element of the City of Alameda’s General Plan (2009) states: "Pursue opportunities to utilize the corridor of the former Alameda Belt Line railroad for transit, bicycle and pedestrian transportation.” Both the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plans include the CAT as planned pedestrian/bicycle pathways along Atlantic Avenue, connecting to the planned facilities to the east and west. This CAT project will also assist in meeting the goals of the City of Alameda's Local Action Plan for Climate Protection. This action does not affect the Municipal Code.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
In accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), this project is Categorically Exempt under the CEQA Guidelines Section 15301(c) - Existing Facilities and 15304(b) - Minor Alterations to Land and 15304(h). In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, this project is a Categorical Exclusion under 23 Code of Federal Regulations 771.117(c): activity (c)(3) - Construction of bicycle and pedestrian lanes, paths and facilities.
RECOMMENDATION
1) Award a one-year contract in the amount not to exceed $261,544, including contingency, to Park Engineering for construction management services during the construction phase for the cross Alameda trail project (Main Street to Constitution Way), No. P.W. 03-18-11; and
2) Receive an update on the status of completion of the cross Alameda trail (Main Street to Constitution Way).
Respectfully submitted,
Liam Garland, Public Works Director
By,
Rochelle Wheeler, Senior Transportation Coordinator
Jack Dybas, Project Manager II
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Elena Adair, Finance Director
Exhibit:
1. Contract