Agenda Report
Fullerton City Council
MEETING DATE: DECEMBER 20, 2022
TO: CITY COUNCIL / SUCCESSOR AGENCY
SUBMITTED BY: Meg mcwade, public works director
PREPARED BY: DAVID GRANTHAM, PRINCIPAL civil ENGINEER
NICK ESPOSITO, ASSOCIATE ENGINEER
SUBJECT: ORANGETHORPE AVENUE INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTs
SUMMARY
Award $2,774,023 construction contract to Sequel Contractors Inc. for the Orangethorpe Avenue Infrastructure Improvements project. Project limits are Harbor Boulevard and Lemon Street.
RECOMMENDATION
Approve plans and specifications for the Orangethorpe Avenue Infrastructure Improvements Project.
Approve the following budget transfers and appropriations:
Transfer $733,000 of RMRA / SB1 Funds from Project 44400 Annual Arterial Street Program to Project 44054 Orangethorpe Avenue Infrastructure Improvements Project Street Funds (Fund 74) Transfer $1,560,000 of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds (Fund 38) from Project 53250 Water Main System Replacement and Upgrade to Project 44054 Orangethorpe Avenue Infrastructure Improvements Project Water Funds (Fund 44) Transfer $1,000,000 of County of Orange Street Funds from Project 44400 Annual Arterial Street Program to Project 44054 Orangethorpe Avenue Street Improvements (Fund 74).
Award $2,774,023 construction contract for the Orangethorpe Avenue Infrastructure Improvements Project to Sequel Contractors Inc. and authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute the contract, in a form approved by the City Attorney.
Authorize Public Works Director to approve any future change orders for construction and professional engineering construction support services within the approved project budget.
CITY MANAGER REMARKS
This project is consistent with the City Council priority on enhancing the City’s infrastructure.
PRIORITY POLICY STATEMENT
This item matches the following Priority Policy Statement:
Infrastructure and City Assets.
FISCAL IMPACT
This item generates no fiscal impact to the City as the FY 2022-23 CIP Budget has sufficient funding for the project. Staff recommends the following budget transfers:
$1,560,000 of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds from Project 53250 Water Main System Replacement and Upgrade $733,000 of RMRA / SB1 Funds from Project 44400 Annual Arterial Street Program $1,000,000 of County of Orange Street Funds from Project 44400 Annual Arterial Street Program.
Staff has attached a Budget Data Sheet / Summary of Bids and the Contractor’s Bid Schedule reference (Attachments 1 and 3, respectively).
DISCUSSION
The City programmed rehabilitation of this segment of Orangethorpe Avenue in the FY2021-22 CIP Budget as a result of both City and County response efforts to the Coronavirus pandemic. The agreement between the City and County included $1 million in County street funds to use on the portion of Orangethorpe Avenue between Harbor Boulevard and Lemon Street. See Attachment 2 for project limits which include approximately 0.28 miles.
This roadway segment is an ideal candidate for rehabilitation per the Orange County Transportation Authority and its Pavement Management Program (PMP) guidelines. The current Pavement Condition Index (PCI) score for the proposed roadway segment is 52 (Poor).
Project improvements will include:
Full depth replacement of the existing roadway pavement for the westbound travel lanes.
Pavement rehabilitation involving grind and overlay of the roadway pavement for the eastbound travel lanes and intersections of Harbor Boulevard and Lemon Street.
Replacement of deteriorated curbs, gutters, sidewalk, cross gutters, spandrels and construction of new ADA access ramps.
Reconstruction of center medians to improve traffic flow.
The project will remove several median trees to facilitate reconstruction of the medians. The City Arborist inspected these trees and recommended removal due to health of the trees and liability concerns upon project completion. One median will shrink and will no longer have the capacity to accommodate trees. Public Works Landscape Division will schedule tree replacement for the second median.
Although identified in the 2012 Bicycle Master Plan, this project will not install bike lanes along this section of Orangethorpe Avenue due to right of way constraints, traffic and safety impacts as outlined in a presentation to the Active Transportation Committee scheduled on November 16, 2022 but postponed due to lack of quorum.
The project will upgrade the traffic signal at Pomona Avenue to provide vehicular video detection. This improvement will eliminate the need for, and maintenance of, in-ground detectors upon project completion.
The existing water main is in the westbound traffic lanes and due to the extensive scope of pavement rehabilitation combined with the age and condition of the existing water pipes, this project will also replace the existing water infrastructure. City Council approved the use of ARPA Funds for replacement of the water infrastructure as part of the City budget process on February 15, 2022.
This project will require significant night work, including at the intersections of Harbor Boulevard and Lemon Street. The City has begun coordination with neighboring businesses to minimize impacts during construction.
The City received seven bids on November 17, 2022 for the Orangethorpe Avenue Infrastructure Improvements Project. Sequel Contractors Inc. of Santa Fe Springs, CA submitted the lowest responsible bid in the amount of $2,774,023. The low bid as submitted is approximately 34% above the engineer’s estimate of $2,072,000. Asphalt and concrete improvement costs have increased significantly more than anticipated this year, accounting for the increase in cost. Staff has reviewed the bid documents and considers them acceptable. Staff recommends award of the contract to Sequel Contractors Inc.
Two private development projects in the permitting process will also contribute funds to the project. The first project, located on the southwest corner of the intersection of Orangethorpe Avenue and Lemon Street, will contribute funds towards the repairs of the adjacent driveway. The second project will contribute to the cost of street rehabilitation on the north side of Orangethorpe Avenue from Pomona Avenue to Lemon Street. These private development contributions will essentially reimburse funds used from Project 44400 Annual Arterial Street Program.
Construction costs for asphalt and concrete related improvements have increased significantly, with costs much higher than recent projects. The budget currently has sufficient funding for this and other programmed street projects. However, continued rising costs may impact the City’s ability to fulfill all programmed projects.
Staff anticipates construction will begin in late January 2023 and conclude in April 2023.
Staff has prepared an environmental assessment in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines and determined that the project is categorically exempt.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 – Budget Data / Summary of Bids
Attachment 2 – Project Location Map
Attachment 3 – Bid Schedule
Attachment 4 – Standard Contract/Agreement
cc: City Manager Eric J. Levitt
Orangethorpe Avenue Infrastructure Improvements Project December 20, 2022 - Page 2