DATE: November 19, 2024
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Director of Public Works
SUBJECT: Adopt a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Execute a Professional Services Agreement with Fehr & Peers in the Amount Not-to-Exceed $210,000 for the Speed Management Plan, Project No. 06943
RECOMMENDATION
That Council adopts a resolution (Attachment II) authorizing the City Manager to execute a professional service agreement with Fehr & Peers in the amount of $210,000 for the Speed Management Plan, Project No. 06943.
SUMMARY
On July 7, 2023, Staff applied to the U.S. Department of Transportation Safe Streets for All (SS4A) grant program to develop a Speed Management Plan and a High Injury Network Safety Plan, to help advance implementation of the City’s Local Road Safety Plan. On October 27, 2023, the City was awarded $3,252,000 in funding for these two projects, including $187,000 for the Speed Management Plan, which Council accepted on February 6, 2024 and allocated $813,000 in City matching funds to complete the two projects. On August 14, 2024, Staff published a request for proposal for the Speed Management Plan and received four proposals. The staff review panel ranked the Fehr & Peers proposal the highest and recommend awarding a contract for $210,000 to Fehr & Peers to prepare the Speed Management Plan.
BACKGROUND
Launched in 2022, the purpose of the SS4A grant program is to improve roadway safety by significantly reducing or eliminating roadway fatalities and serious injuries through safety action plan development and refinement and implementation focused on all users. The program provides funding to develop the tools to help strengthen a community’s approach to roadway safety and save lives while meeting the needs of diverse local, Tribal, and regional communities.
Council adopted the Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) on June 27, 2023, which assesses and identifies locations and strategies to improve road safety throughout the City. Along with identifying the City’s High Injury Network, the LRSP recommends a set of strategies and countermeasures to address and prevent severe injury and fatal collisions. Council also committed to Vision Zero by 2050, a goal of eliminate fatalities and severe injuries on the City’s roadways.
Action Item 2 of the LRSP recommends the near-term action of pursuing SS4A grant funding. Recognizing the effort needed to achieve Vision Zero by 2050, the City applied for supplemental planning funds from SS4A to develop a comprehensive approach to reduce speeds (Speed Management Plan) and conduct a set of corridor-specific safety plans focused on the City’s high injury network. The Speed Management Plan will help address the LRSP focus area of unsafe speeding and aggressive driving, addressing the significant role that vehicle speed plays in generating serious injuries and fatalities.
On October 27, 2023, the City was awarded the full amount of the $3,252,000 requested in its application to the SS4A grant program. On February 6, 2024, Council adopted a resolution accepting the funding and allocating $813,000 in City matching funds.
DISCUSSION
Staff released an RFP for the Speed Management Plan on August 14, 2024, and received proposals from four firms: DKS, Fehr & Peers, Hexagon Transportation Consultants, Inc., and Parametrix. The staff evaluation team reviewed and scored the proposals on project management, project understanding, approach, qualification of firm and team, and appropriateness of cost. The two top-ranked firms had similar average ratings and staff invited both firms in for interviews. After conducting those interviews, the staff evaluation team reviewed and finalized their scores, with Fehr & Peers receiving the highest ranking of all firms. The table below provides the average score for each of the firms.
Firm
Average Score
Fehr & Peers
83.00 Parametrix
81.33 DKS
73.67 Hexagon Transportation Consultants, Inc.
66.77 Fehr & Peers provides several advantages to the City, including significant experience working at Federal, State, and local levels to develop and implement best practices in speed management; substantial work within Alameda County to develop advanced safety data analysis; and staff with direct experience conducting outreach and engagement on transportation safety issues in the City of Hayward.
The execution of this contract will allow the City to proceed with the development of the Speed Management Plan. The anticipated completion of the plan is June 2026.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
The Speed Management Plan will develop strategies to reduce vehicle speeds in the City, which will help reduce the likelihood of serious injuries and fatalities. Vehicle crashes have a significant economic cost, both to those directly impacted and to other users of the transportation system. By helping to avoid these impacts, the Speed Management Plan will have a significant economic benefit for Hayward residents and visitors.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is sufficient funding in the Speed Management Plan project. Council approved and appropriated $235,000 in project funding in the Transportation System Improvement (Fund 460), which includes $187,000 in grant funding from from the USDOT SS4A program.
Fehr & Peers submitted a cost of $175,435 to develop the Plan. Staff recommend including a 20% contingency in the contract to allow for potential additional data collection and outreach and educational activities to support the development of the Plan. Staff recommends authorizing an agreement with Fehr & Peers for an not-to-exceed amount of $210,000. Any funding not expended for the Speed Management Plan will be incorporated into the High Injury Network Corridor Plan, Project No. 06942, that is also funded by the SS4A grant.
STRATEGIC ROADMAP
This agenda item supports the Strategic Priority to Enhance Community Safety & Quality of Life and the Strategic Priority to Invest in Infrastructure. This item is not specifically related to a project identified in the Strategic Roadmap. Staff is bringing forward this new item to advance implementation of the Council adopted Local Road Safety Plan.
SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES
The Speed Management Plan will help the City implement strategies to reduce vehicle speeds in the City which will reduce the incidence and severity of vehicle crashes.
PUBLIC CONTACT
The Local Road Safety Plan included community engagement, including Council review and acceptance of the strategy to reduce speeds as a core strategy to improve roadway safety in Hayward. The Speed Management Plan will include coordination with internal and external stakeholders and work session and ultimate Council consideration of the plan’s approval.
NEXT STEPS
If Council approves this request, the City Manager will execute a professional service agreement with Fehr & Peers for the Speed Management Plan in a not-to-exceed amount of $210,000.
Prepared by: Hugh Louch, Deputy Public Works Director – Transportation Recommended by: Alex Ameri, Director of Public Works
Approved by:
____________________________________________
Dustin Claussen, Interim City Manager
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