Staff Report
City Council
Item No. 4.M
Meeting Date: September 10, 2025
From: John A. Corella, Director of Public Works
Title: Amendment No. 1 to the Professional Services Agreements with STC Traffic, Inc. for Design of the Highway Safety Improvement Program Cycle 11B, 11C, and 11D Projects (CIP No. C08755, C08756, and C08757) RECOMMENDATION:
To approve Amendment No. 1 to three (3) Professional Services Agreements with STC Traffic, Inc. (STC) for the design of the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Cycle 11B, 11C, and 11D Projects (CIP No. C08755, C08756, and C08757, respectively), extending the term of each agreement by an additional twelve (12) months to allow for bidding assistance and construction support; and, authorize the City Manager to execute the amendments.
BACKGROUND:
The HSIP program is a core federal aid program with the purpose of achieving significant reduction in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads, including non-state- owned public roads and roads on tribal land. The HSIP is one of the programs in the Federal Surface Transportation Act established in August 2005.
The California local HSIP program funds local highway safety improvement projects on a two-year call-for-projects cycle. The timing and size of the call is determined by the program apportionments, current HSIP Federal Transportation Improvement Program (FTIP) capacity, and the delivery of the existing HSIP projects.
The division of local assistance (DLA) manages California’s local agency share of HSIP funds. California’s Local HSIP prioritizes infrastructure projects with nationally recognized crash reduction factors (CRF). Local HSIP projects are ranked based on crash severity, crash potential, crash rate, or other data-supported means.
On June 25, 2021, the city completed the final local roadway safety plan (LRSP) which provides a framework for identifying, analyzing, and prioritizing roadway safety improvements on local roads. The LRSP was the basis for the HSIP Cycle 11 grant application requests.
In August 2022, the City Council approved a task order with the city’s on-call traffic engineering consultant, STC Traffic Inc. (STC), to prepare four (4) grant applications for the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Cycle 11 call-for-projects. The applications were submitted to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) in September 2022.
In March 2023, Caltrans awarded funding for all four applications. Following the award, the City Council approved professional services agreements (PSAs) with STC for the design of three (3) of the four (4) funded projects.
The three (3) HSIP projects currently under design by STC are summarized below, including the estimated project cost submitted to Caltrans, the date of professional services agreement (PSA) approved by the City Council, and the not-to-exceed amount for design services. HSIP 11B – Signalized Pedestrian Crossing Upgrades (Project No. C08755) oEstimated project cost: $1,066,300
oPSA approved date: October 23, 2024
oDesign services amount: not to exceed $104,377.61
HSIP 11C – Citywide Traffic Signal Hardware Upgrades (Project No. C08756) oEstimated project cost: $1,120,000
oPSA approved date: May 22, 2024
oDesign services amount: not to exceed $84,688.93
HSIP 11D – School Pedestrian Crossing Upgrades (Project No. C08757) oEstimated project cost: $277,600
oPSA approved date: October 23, 2024
oDesign services amount: not to exceed $47,499.36
Each design agreement includes the following scope of work: project management, field investigations, utility coordination, preparation of environmental documentation, development of plans, specifications and estimates (PS&E), as well as bidding assistance and construction support.
As the design phase progresses for these three (3) HSIP projects, staff have reviewed the current progress, identified challenges, and determined that extending the professional services agreements is necessary to ensure successful project completion.
DISCUSSION:
The city executed professional services agreements with STC for the design of the HSIP Cycle 11B, 11C, and 11D projects, each with an initial one-year term. As of August 2025, the design phase has progressed as follows:
For HSIP 11B, additional time is needed to complete the plans, specifications, and estimates (PS&E), as well as to provide bidding assistance and construction support. For HSIP 11C and HSIP 11D, STC has completed the PS&E, and both projects have been advertised for bid. However, additional time is required to complete bidding assistance and construction support services.
STC has performed satisfactorily on all three projects and has been instrumental in their design. To ensure project continuity and successful delivery, staff recommend extending each agreement by twelve (12) months.
Amendments No. 1, each extending the term of the respective PSA agreements with STC, are attached to this report. The revised expiration dates are as follows:
HSIP 11B – Signalized Pedestrian Crossing Upgrades (Project No. C08755) Expiration date: October 23, 2026
HSIP 11C – Citywide Traffic Signal Hardware Upgrades (Project No. C08756) Expiration date: May 22, 2026
HSIP 11D – School Pedestrian Crossing Upgrades (Project No. C08757) Expiration date: October 23, 2026
Staff recommend that the City Council approve Amendment No. 1 to three (3) professional services agreements with STC Traffic, Inc. (STC) for the design of the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Cycle 11B, 11C, and 11D Projects (CIP No. C08755, C08756, and C08757), extending the term of each agreement by an additional twelve (12) months to allow for bidding assistance and construction support; and, authorize the City Manager to execute the amendments.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action.
Amendment No. 1 associated with each project does not modify the original scope of work or increase the approved budget amount. It solely extends the term of the agreement to provide additional time for the completion of professional services as outlined in the original scope of work.
The tables below provide a summary of the funding authorized by the City Council for professional design services associated with each project.
HSIP 11B - Signalized Pedestrian Crossing Upgrades (Project No. C08755) FISCAL
YEAR
DESCRIPTION GENERAL LEDGER
ACCOUNT CODES
PROJECT
CODE
AMOUNT ONE TIME or
ONGOING
2025-26 HSIP 11B
Grant Fund 331-100-150-156-8600-8601 C08755 $ 94,500 ONE TIME 2025-26 Traffic Safety Fund
(Local Match) 233-100-150-156-8600-8601 C08755 $ 20,315 ONE TIME 2025-26 Total $114,815
HSIP 11C – Citywide Traffic Signal Hardware Upgrades (Project No. C08756) FISCAL
YEAR
DESCRIPTION GENERAL LEDGER
ACCOUNT CODES
PROJECT
CODE
AMOUNT ONE TIME or
ONGOING
2025-26 HSIP 11C
Grant Fund 331-100-150-156-8600-8601 C08756 $76,220.04 ONE TIME 2025-26 Traffic Safety Fund
(Local Match) 233-100-150-156-8600-8601 C08756 $ 8,468.89 ONE TIME 2025-26 Total $84,688.93
HSIP 11D – School Pedestrian Crossing Upgrades (Project No. C08757) FISCAL
YEAR
DESCRIPTION GENERAL LEDGER
ACCOUNT CODES
PROJECT
CODE
AMOUNT ONE TIME or
ONGOING
2025-26 HSIP 11D
Grant Fund 331-100-150-156-8600-8601 C08757 $42,750 ONE TIME 2025-26 Traffic Safety Fund
(Local Match) 233-100-150-156-8600-8601 C08757 $ 9,499 ONE TIME 2025-26 Total $52,249
FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN:
Goal B – Community Investment
Objective: Cathedral City roads, gateways, public spaces, and other city infrastructure are well planned, designed, constructed, and maintained.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. HSIP 11B, 11C, and 11D Project Vicinity Maps
2. STC Traffic, Inc.: HSIP 11B Design Professional Services - Amendment No. 1
3. STC Traffic, Inc.: HSIP 11C Design Professional Services - Amendment No. 1
4. STC Traffic, Inc.: HSIP 11D Design Professional Services - Amendment No. 1