DATE: 07/01/2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Public Works Department
2026-253
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
SECOND AMENDMENT TO THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH CNS ENGINEERS, INC. FOR THE MAGNOLIA AVENUE BRIDGE AND ROADWAY
WIDENING PROJECT
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to approve the Second Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement with CNS Engineers, Inc., for additional design and right-of-way engineering services. The Second Amendment will also extend the contract term and increase the contract value from $1,240,776 to $1,892,923, for a total increase of $652,147 for the Magnolia Avenue Bridge and Roadway Widening Project.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council:
a. Approve the Second Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement with CNS Engineers, Inc, in the amount of $652,147, along with a 10% contingency of $189,292 and a term extension through November 30, 2029, to continue to provide engineering design services for additional work and right-of-way services for the Magnolia Avenue Bridge and Roadway Widening Project.
b. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute the Second Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement with CNS Engineers, Inc. to increase the contract amount by $652,147, amending the total contract amount to $1,892,923, including any non-substantive extensions, change orders, purchase orders, and amendments up to $189,292, which is equivalent to 10% of the revised contract amount.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
On July 17, 2019, the City Council executed a Professional Services Agreement with CNS Engineers, Inc. to provide engineering design services for the Magnolia Avenue Bridge and Roadway Widening Project. The completion of the project would widen Magnolia Avenue from El Camino Avenue to approximately Leeson Lane, including the bridge over the Temescal Wash Channel. The project would also include improvements to the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad grade crossing, construction of sidewalk/pedestrian curb ramps to meet compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), roadway rehabilitation, striped class II bike lanes, and raised landscaped medians throughout the corridor.
On March 30, 2024, the City executed the First Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement, which increased the total contractual fee from $1,167,083 to $1,240,776, for a total increase of $73,692. This amendment included additional design services such as the relocation of a 10-inch waterline that lies underneath the Temescal Wash Channel, redesign of the street improvement plans due to private development on 1375 Magnolia Avenue (McWayne Property), design for upgrading the existing traffic signal and installing a new traffic signal as part of the BNSF grade crossing improvements, and numerous revisions of the Air Quality Conformity Analysis (AQCA) and Air Quality Conformity Report (AQR). The AQCA and the AQR were the last remaining environmental documents that needed approval from Caltrans and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Lastly, the amendment extended the agreement term with CNS from November 30, 2022, to November 30, 2026.
ANALYSIS:
In March 2025, City staff informed CNS Engineers, Inc. about the need for right-of-way appraisal and acquisition services in connection with the Magnolia Avenue Bridge and Roadway Widening Project. CNS Engineers informed the City that they would include Monument as part of their consulting team to provide right-of-way services. Monument specializes in right-of-way and utility services for large and small public infrastructure projects, including numerous transportation, utility, pipeline, and flood control projects. To complete the necessary improvements, the project will require the acquisition of partial fee and temporary construction easements from 7 properties. The Second Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement includes services to be performed by Monument for the right-of-way acquisition services and utility coordination.
In September 2025, City staff received additional comments from Caltrans regarding the AQCA and the AQR. Since the project is federally funded, both documents require approval from Caltrans and FHWA prior to proceeding to the next project phase, right-ofway. The latest comments received from Caltrans in September required the project team to return to the Transportation Committee Working Group (TCWG) for approval at the January 27, 2026, meeting. The purpose of the meeting was for the TCWG to declare that the project is not of an air quality concern. The project had received approval from the TCWG back in January 2021. The initial 2021 application submitted to the TCWG had traffic data with an opening year of 2026 and horizon year of 2040. Both were recently revised to remain consistent with the latest FTIP (Federal Transportation Improvement Programs) per comments received from Caltrans. Therefore, with the traffic study data being revised, the application would need to be reviewed by TCWG for approval once again, since the documents needed to remain consistent. The Second Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement includes additional services performed by CNS and Compass Consulting Enterprises, an environmental subconsultant, to revise the AQCA and AQR per the latest comments received by Caltrans.
In January 2026, City staff from the Public Works Department and the Utilities Department met with the project design team to discuss the various options for the relocation of the 10-inch waterline and the relocation of the 30-inch waterline, which serves as a transmission line throughout the City. The 10-inch waterline is currently beneath the Temescal Wash Channel, and the 30-inch waterline is currently attached/supported to the south end of the bridge. During construction of the bridge, temporary bypasses would need to be constructed while the south end of the bridge is being widened. This presents several issues, specifically with the temporary bypass being exposed within the construction zone, which would be more susceptible to disturbance or breaks. During the meeting, it was determined that the best approach would be to construct a utility bridge, relocating the 30-inch waterline before commencing bridge widening to reduce the risk of disturbance or breaks to the bypass and to increase contractors’ access to the bridge deck. The utility bridge would provide easy maintenance and access for Staff and include space for a future waterline to be installed, if needed. The 10-inch waterline would be protected in place during construction and maintain service. Once the north side of the bridge has been widened/constructed, a new 12-inch waterline will be installed on the bridge, and the 10-inch waterline will be decommissioned. The Second Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement includes additional services to be performed by CNS and Engineering Resources, a project subconsultant, for the design of the utility bridge, costs for utility potholing, and bridge design modifications for waterline protection and bracket support of the 12-inch waterline.
In May 2026, City staff reached a major milestone and were informed by Caltrans that the AQCA and the AQR had been reviewed and approved by the FHWA. The AQCA and the AQR were the last remaining environmental documents that needed approval prior to closing out the environmental phase of the project. With this achievement, City staff submitted a request for authorization (RFA) to Caltrans to begin the next phase of the project, right-of-way.
City staff recommends that the City Council approve the Second Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement with CNS Engineers, Inc. This approval will allow CNS to finalize the design for the waterline relocation, provide modifications to the bridge design, design a utility bridge for the 30-inch waterline, utility relocation, and include Monument as a subconsultant of the project to perform right-of-way acquisition services.
The approval will also include additional potholing and disposing of hazardous waste materials, as directed by Riverside County Flood Control. Approval of the changes will allow City Staff to proceed with the next phase of the project, right-of-way, and to finalize the design in preparation for construction.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Funding for the recommended actions is available in the Magnolia Avenue Bridge and Roadway Widening, Capital Improvement Project No. ST-2015-01, within the Measure A Fund (FD_1227). These funds will cover the cost of the second amendment, which includes the additional design and right-of-way services in the amount of $652,147, plus a 10% contingency of the revised contract amount, totaling $189,292.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the general rule that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. The recommended actions are accepting new funding sources, and there is no possibility that accepting the funding will have a significant impact on the environment. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required. As mentioned above, the project has finalized the environmental phase of the project and has received CEQA/NEPA approval and is categorically exempt.
PREPARED BY: ISMAEL RIVERA, ASSOCIATE ENGINEER
REVIEWED BY: JAVIER LUNA, P.E., ACTING PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 – Second Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement with CNS Engineer, Inc.