1 STAFF REPORT
DATE: November 1, 2022
TO: Justin Hess, City Manager
FROM: Patrick Prescott, Community Development Director BY: David Kriske, Assistant Community Development Director
SUBJECT: Approval of the Ninth Amendment to Agreement for Engineering Services with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. to Provide Final Design Services for the San Fernando Bikeway Project; and Amend the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Budget in the Amount of $159,160
RECOMMENDATION
Approve the Ninth Amendment to Agreement for Engineering Services with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. in the amount of $159,160 to Provide Final Design Services for the San Fernando Bikeway Project, Authorize the Community Development Director, as the City Manager’s Designee, to Execute the Amendment, and Amend the Fiscal Year 2022- 2023 Budget (Attachment 1).
BACKGROUND
The San Fernando Bikeway Project is a three-mile Class I bicycle path located along San Fernando Boulevard, Victory Place, and the Burbank Western Channel between the northern City Limits and the Downtown Burbank Metrolink Station. The project would provide one of three completely separated , off-street bike paths planned as part of the Bicycle Master Plan and serve as the backbone to the City’s “8-to-80” fully-protected bike network, where riders of all ages (from age 8 to 80) and abilities are able to travel with minimal conflicts with vehicles. When complete, the Project will close a critical gap in the regional bikeway network by extending a 12- mile regional bike path from Sylmar, south through the cities of San Fernando and Los Angeles to Burbank. Further, the Project also completes the final gap of the related Chandler Bikeway Extension, which is also currently in the planning stages. A map of the proposed Project alignment, along with other related facilities, is attached as Attachment 2.
COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
2 In 2007 the City received a Metro Call for Pr ojects grant which secured $6,595,000 in federal funds to construct the project, along with a local match of $1,644,000 funded with Transportation Development Impact Fees. Since that time, the City has been pursuing preliminary and final design for the pr oject, and in 2013 , the City Council approved an Agreement for Engineering Services with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. (Kimley Horn) in the amount of $699,921 to prepare plans, specifications, and estimates for the project.
In addition, the Project is included in the City Council’s adopted Capital Improvement Program (Attachment 3).
A majority of the project corridor lies within the Metro/Metrolink railroad right of way along San Fernando Boulevard and Victory Place. The bike path and related landscaping is planned to be constructed in this railroad right of way between the City street and the existing rail line. Since 2012, this right of way has been part of the construction zone for the Interstate 5 North High Occupancy Vehicle / Empire Interchange, and the area has been subject to ongoing utility construction, installation of a temporary railroad line, construction of railroad elevated grade separations at Buena Vista Street and Empire Avenue, and adjacent freeway construction. Because of this, design and construction of the San Fernando Bikeway has been significantly delayed because the adjacent freeway project was also significantly delayed by Caltrans. With freeway construction complete, in 2021 staff resumed active design of the bike project and restarted the work of its consultant, Kimley-Horn. In addition, because of the significant delays, staff also secured an extension of the grant funds from the Federal Highways Administration and Caltrans so that design activities can be completed. As part of that grant extension and the need to preserve the majority of the grant funds , a portion of the project alignment that was disturbed by the Interstate 5 project was removed from the project scope of work (Exhibit B), and the grant funds for the project were reduced from $6,595,000 to $6,172,836 to account for the scope modification.
DISCUSSION
Staff and its consultant have resumed design and have advanced the bikeway plans to the 90% level, while also preparing submittals for review by the Los Angeles County Flood Control District and Metro, who must approve design of the bikeway to be built on their property. As part of that design, and because of the significant delays in th e project caused by the Caltrans project, Staff recommends the City Council approve an amendment to the consultant’s design contract to conduct additional design work that was not in the original scope of work but that is required due to changed project conditions since 2012. The proposed changes to the design contract would address the following:
• Update the design to the traffic signal at San Fernando Boulevard and Buena Vista Street needed to accommodate the bikeway crossing to address newer traffic signal timing measures available to safely allow cyclists to cross the street. 3 • Update the design plans to reflect changes in the right of way caused by the I -5 project construction between 2012 and 2020.
• Modify the design to reflect changes in the railroad right of way near the Burbank Airport North Metrolink Station, which was constructed after the original bikeway conceptual plans were prepared.
• Provide updated structural design plans for the portion of the bikeway along the Burbank Western Channel to conform to the structures that were built as part of the Burbank Channel Bikeway project and to address easement access requirements by Burbank Water and Power.
• Integrate an updated environmental analysis into the final project plans. The updated envi ronmental analysis has been requested by Caltrans to address changed soil conditions along the railroad corridor due to the I -5 project. A separate contract to conduct required soils testing in the amount of $99,957 was previously approved administratively.
Staff recommends the City Council approve the proposed Amendment 9 to the Agreement for Engineering Services with Kimley-Horn to complete these additional tasks that are needed to finish final design, and to amend the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 budget by appropriating additional Transportation Development Impact Fees to the project t o pay for the amendment. Because these design costs exceed the design costs originally estimated for the project, they may not be reimbursed by the project grant unless the construction cost is lower than originally estimated and allows the grant to reimburse for these additional design costs. It should be noted that regardless of reimbursement, all project costs are being paid for by Transportation Development Impact Fees and are not paid for by the general fund.
Approval of this amendment will allow the City to finish final design, seek approval of the plans by Metro and the Los Angeles County Flood Control District, and prepare documents for construction. The City’s grant extension requires that the City proceed to project construction by June 2024; based on that date, the project should be completed by late 2025.
Separate from the San Fernando Bikeway project, staff is currently preparing to release a Request for Proposals to prepare design plans for the Chandler Bikeway Extension.
This related pr oject would extend the Chandler Bikeway from its existing terminus at Mariposa Street via fully protected Class I bikeway and Class IV protected bike lanes along Chandler Boulevard, Victory Boulevard, and Cypress Avenue, including utilizing an unused city street easement to connect Cypress Avenue to the Burbank Western Channel. This would then intercept the lower portion of the San Fernando Bikeway and would carry cyclists to the Downtown Burbank Metrolink Station. Design and construction of this separate project will track closely to the San Fernando Bikeway Project. This 4 project is also funded by a combination of federal grant funds and local transportation funds, which the City Council approved in February 2020. The City Council will be asked to approve a contract for design services for the Chandler Bikeway Extension in early 2023.
In addition to the two bikeway projects, the City recently received an additional $3 million in state funds sponsored by Assemblymember Friedman to provide additional landscaping and right of way cleanup along the bikeway corridor to help clean up the construction “scar” created by the Interstate 5 project construction. Staff will be working with state officials to program the funds to be used by the project.
FISCAL IMPACT
Approving the proposed Amendment requires the City Council to amend the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 budget. Staff is requesting City Council authority to amend the Fiscal Year 2022-23 Budget by appropriating $159,160 from account 127.ND000.30011.0000 (Public Improvements, Non- Departmental, Assigned Fund Balance) to project account 127.CD33A.70002.0000.19056 (Public Improvements, Transportation, Street Improvements, San Fernando Bikeway) for additional design and construction work as part of the San Fernando Bikeway Project.
CONCLUSION
The San Fernando Bikeway project provides an important link in the buildout of the City’s Bicycle Master Plan and Complete Streets Plan to create a backbone of fully -protected, Class I separated bike paths. Funding was secured many years ago, but the proj ect’s design has been significantly delayed due to impacts caused by the Interstate 5 project construction. Now that construction has resumed, additional design services are needed to complete project plans and prepare project plans for construction. The proposed Amendment to the Agreement for Engineering Services with Kimley Horn is required to complete these additional tasks and finish final design plans.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 – Ninth Amendment to the Agreement for Engineering Services with Kimley- Horn and Associates, Inc.
Attachment 2 – San Fernando Bikeway and Chandler Bikeway Extension Project Map Attachment 3 – Original Agreement for Engineering Services with Kimley -Horn and Associates, Inc.