Public Works and Transportation Committee
September 22, 2026
RECOMMENDATION
AGENDA REPORT
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution Awarding A Construction Contract To Gruendl Inc. dba Ray’s Electric, Inc., For The Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Cycle 10, 98th Avenue Crossing Improvements, Project No. 1006186, The Lowest, Responsible, And Responsive Bidder In Accordance With Project Plans, Specifications, And The Contractor’s Bid In The Amount Of Two Million, One Hundred Eighty-Four Thousand, Five Hundred Sixty-Six Dollars And Fifty-Eight Cents ($2,184,566.58); And Adopting Appropriate California Environmental Quality Act Findings.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Adoption of this resolution will authorize the City Administrator to execute a construction contract in the amount of two million, one hundred eighty-four thousand, five hundred sixty-six dollars and fifty-eight cents ($2,184,566.58) with Gruendl Inc. dba Ray’s Electric, Inc., the lowest, responsible, and responsive bidder, for the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Cycle 10, 98th Avenue Crossing Improvements, Project No. 1006186, to implement pedestrian traffic safety improvements on 98th Avenue. Safety improvements include installation of new rectangular rapid flashing beacons, signal mast arms, crosswalk enhancements including advanced stop lines, and streetlights, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Safety Improvement Examples
Rapid Rectangular
Flashing Beacon Signal Mast Arm Advanced Stop Line
TO: Elizabeth Lake FROM: Josh Rowan
Interim City Administrator Director, Department of
Transportation
SUBJECT: Construction Contract Award for
Highway Safety Improvement
Program (HSIP) Cycle 10, 98th
Avenue Crossing Improvements
DATE: September 8, 2026
City Administrator Approval Date: Elizabeth Lake (Sep 11, 2026 08:11:40 PDT) Sep 11, 2026 Elizabeth Lake, Interim City Administrator
Subject: Construction Contract Award for Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Cycle 10, 98th Avenue Crossing Improvements
Date: September 8, 2026 Page 2
Public Works and Transportation Committee
September 22, 2026
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
In 2020, the City of Oakland (City) submitted a grant application to Caltrans for the 98th Avenue Crossing Improvements based on collision history at the project intersections extending back five years. The project intersections have the highest quantity and severity of reported crashes involving pedestrians as compared with all other intersections in the City of Oakland (City). On March 30, 2021, Caltrans awarded a grant to the City in a competitive process based on an evaluation of the overall effectiveness of proposed measures that can reduce the number and severity of collisions for pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicles on 98th Avenue between Pearmain Street and Birch Street.
In June 2021, the City Council authorized the acceptance and appropriation of the HSIP Cycle 10 grant for the 98th Avenue Crossing Improvements in the amount of two million, one hundred eighty-two thousand, five hundred ninety dollars ($2,182,590) (Resolution No. 88685 C.M.S) with a City local match of fifty-nine thousand six hundred ten dollars ($59,610).
The project scope of the HSIP Cycle 10 project identifies improvements between Pearmain Street and Birch Street, and includes:
- Rectangular rapid flashing beacons,
- Signal mast arms,
- Crosswalk enhancements, including advanced stop lines, and - Streetlights.
For a map and additional details on project locations, please refer to Attachment A.
Currently, staff are seeking Council adoption of a resolution to award the construction contract to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, Gruendl Inc. dba Ray’s Electric, Inc.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
On April 2, 2026, the Office of City Clerk received three bids for the construction contract of the Project (Attachment B) from McGuire & Hester, Redgwick Construction Co, and Gruendl Inc. dba Ray’s Electric, Inc. as shown in Table 1.
Table 1: Project Bids Received
BIDDER LOCATION BASE BID
Gruendl Inc. dba Ray’s Electric, Inc. Oakland $2,184,566.58 McGuire & Hester Oakland $2,563,164.70
Redgwick Construction Co. Oakland $2,592,056.00
All bids were reviewed by the Department of Workplace and Employment Standards (DWES), and all bids were deemed responsive to meet the minimum 50% Local & Small Local Business Enterprise (L/SLBE) as shown in Table 2.
Elizabeth Lake, Interim City Administrator
Subject: Construction Contract Award for Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Cycle 10, 98th Avenue Crossing Improvements
Date: September 8, 2026 Page 3
Public Works and Transportation Committee
September 22, 2026
Table 2: Project Bids & Credited L/SLBE Analysis
BIDDER BASE BID Credited
Total
L/SLBE
Earned Bid
Discounts
Adjusted Bid
Amount
Gruendl Inc. dba Ray’s
Electric, Inc. $2,184,566.58 91.60% 5% $2,075,338.25
McGuire & Hester $2,563,164.70 144.74% 5% $2,435,006.47 Redgwick Construction
Co. $2,592,056.00 135.34% 10% $2,332,850.40
With the bid discounts, Gruendl Inc. dba Ray’s Electric, Inc. was found to be the lowest, responsible, and responsive bidder. The bid proposal was compliant with the City’s Equal Benefits Ordinance (EBO), and the Compliance Analysis Memorandum is included in Attachment C. Gruendl Inc. dba Ray’s Electric, Inc. is recommended to be awarded the contract.
RELATED PLANNING EFFORTS
Local Roadway Safety Plan, Safe Oakland Streets (2022, 2024 HIN Update) The Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP) (City of Oakland - File No. 22-0236) is an equity- and data-driven framework to systematically identify and analyze safety problems and recommend safety improvements on City Streets. The 98th Avenue Crossing Improvements Project area is fully within the 2024 High Injury Network (HIN), a map of the corridors where the most severe and fatal crashes are concentrated. This project is also called out in the LRSP’s 2021 OakDOT Traffic Safety Project Pipeline with the following priority areas: School Zone (fronting a school), High-Priority Equity Neighborhood, and Bike & Pedestrian Plan Consistency.
East Oakland Mobility Action Plan (2022)
The East Oakland Mobility Action Plan is intended to guide the City and other partner agencies in allocating resources for future mobility improvements in East Oakland. This Plan identified 98th Avenue as the 2nd of the top 5 corridors that account for 54% of all fatal and severe injury collisions in East Oakland. This plan also highlighted that 98th Avenue is a “Multimodal Corridor” with modal overlap of vehicles, pedestrians, and trucks. This project supports the goal of providing East Oakland residents with a safe and accessible local transportation system by improving pedestrian and vehicular safety via the implementation of leading pedestrian intervals (LPIs) and installation of signal mast arms, Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs), curb extensions, pedestrian refuge islands, and left-turn-only phases at pedestrian collision locations between Pearmain St and Birch St.
Equitable Climate Action Plan (2020)
This Project supports the 2030 Equitable Climate Action Plan (ECAP) (Resolution No. 88267 C.M.S.) transportation and land use policies and actions (TLU-6) by installing enhanced pedestrian facilities that reduce automobile dependence and encourage low-carbon transportation modes.
Elizabeth Lake, Interim City Administrator
Subject: Construction Contract Award for Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Cycle 10, 98th Avenue Crossing Improvements
Date: September 8, 2026 Page 4
Public Works and Transportation Committee
September 22, 2026
Let's Bike Oakland Bike Plan (2019)
In 2019, City Council unanimously adopted the Let's Bike Oakland Bike Plan (Resolution No. 87808 C.M.S.) which depicts 98th Avenue between Walnut Street and Birch Street as part of the bike network. This Project aligns with the Bike Plan network recommendation by maintaining the existing bike lanes.
Capital Improvement Program
The City's CIP guides the City's long-term, strategic decisions regarding the construction, repair and replacement of the City's assets including libraries, public safety facilities, sewers, recreation centers and parks. Transportation and street improvements are also part of the City's CIP. The City develops a new CIP Budget every two years for inclusion in the overall City Budget, and the assets identified for repair, replacement or purchase in a budget cycle become CIP Projects.
The 98th Avenue Crossing Improvements Project between Walnut Street and Birch Street was funded in part by the CIP to further enhance proposed safety features of the corridor. This corridor is also on the City’s High Injury Network and in a High-Priority Equity Neighborhood, both of which are factors toward prioritizing project improvements by the CIP.
Oakland Walks! Pedestrian Plan (2017)
The Pedestrian Plan was adopted by City Council in 2017. The Pedestrian Plan identified the "High Injury Network," a set of 34 high-injury corridors and 37 high-injury intersections which make up just 2% of Oakland's streets but where 36% of pedestrian collisions happen. This network of high-injury corridors and intersections was identified by analyzing seven years pedestrian crashes (2008-2014) as well as the physical characteristics of the roadway and prioritized based on equity, safety, and walkability.
The 98th Avenue Crossing Improvements Project improvements from A Street to Pearmain Street are on the “High” tier of the 2017 Pedestrian High Injury Network
FISCAL IMPACT
Sufficient funds are available in the Fiscal Year 2025-2027 Biennial Budget for this construction contract. See below for a breakdown of construction fund sources.
Table 3: Construction Funding Sources
Fund Source Name Fund # Project # Amount
State HSIP Grant 2140 1006186 $1,434,566.58
Measure U 5346 1006186 $750,000.00
Total Cost: $2,184,566.58
Sufficient funding for this Project is available in Fund 2140 and 5346, Project 1006186.
Elizabeth Lake, Interim City Administrator
Subject: Construction Contract Award for Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Cycle 10, 98th Avenue Crossing Improvements
Date: September 8, 2026 Page 5
Public Works and Transportation Committee
September 22, 2026
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
The project was presented to the Bicyclist and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC) on September 17, 2020 during the grant application and design phases and received a letter of support thereafter. Vice Mayor Larry Reid of the City Council Offices from Districts 7 also provided a letter of support for this project.
Staff provided notice to labor representatives, per the terms and conditions of the current Memorandums of Understanding with the International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers (IFPTE) Local 21, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1021 and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1245 prior to the formal issuance of the Request for Bids (RFB).
Public Outreach is part of OakDOT’s Capital Contract Equity Initiative. For this RFB solicitation, OakDOT-Great Streets Delivery Division worked with Oakland Public Works (OPW), Capital Contracts Division (OPW-CCD), and DWES to perform public outreach through legal ads, enhanced notifications, and pre-bid meetings.
Notifications of solicitation were distributed by several means. The first was the City’s iSupplier system, which was utilized to notify Oakland-certified local and non-local professional service providers (e.g., landscape architects, architects, engineers, contractors, and planning firms); regional trade and business groups, including the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Oakland Black Board of Trade & Commerce, Bay Area Business Roundtable, and Construction Bidboard. Within a few days of registering in iSupplier, companies can access and review proposal requests in iSupplier by searching for specific projects based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code.
On March 6, 2026, the City placed a legal notice for the RFB by an advertisement in Oakland Post and The Oakland Tribune inviting construction bids. OPW-CCD held a pre-bid meeting in partnership with DWES and the Project Manager on March 17, 2026, with three (3) contractors in attendance virtually. The contractors in attendance were Curbside Trucking LLC, McGuire & Hester, and OBR Electric. The purpose of the meeting was to inform attendees about the Project, discuss compliance requirements, and provide an opportunity for contractors and subcontractors to network and partner on the proposed work.
COORDINATION
This report and legislation have been reviewed by the Office of the City Attorney and the Budget Bureau. Staff coordinated with the following City Departments and stakeholders as listed below:
• OPW
• Oakland Fire Department
• DWES
Elizabeth Lake, Interim City Administrator
Subject: Construction Contract Award for Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Cycle 10, 98th Avenue Crossing Improvements
Date: September 8, 2026 Page 6
Public Works and Transportation Committee
September 22, 2026
PAST PERFORMANCE, EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP
Gruendl Inc. dba Ray’s Electric, Inc., is a local business enterprise with decades of construction history with the City. Performance evaluation for the most recent projects completed for the Department of Transportation is satisfactory.
RACE AND EQUITY
As walking, biking, and transit riding are relatively inexpensive and broadly accessible forms of transportation, the Project’s pedestrian improvements will especially benefit youth, seniors, lowincome residents, people with disabilities, and people who do not own personal vehicles.
Utilizing OakDOT’s Geographic Equity Tool (GET), the 98th Avenue Corridor between Pearmain Street and Birch Street is located in the highest priority neighborhood.
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA)
On a separate and independent basis, this Project and action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to the following CEQA Guidelines Sections: Section 15162 and 15163 (no further environmental review required); Section 15060(c)(2) (no direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment); Section 15061(b)(3) (no significant effect on the environment); Section 15183 (projects consistent with a community plan, general plan, or zoning), Section 15301 (existing facilities), Section 15302 (replacement or reconstruction), and Section 15309 (inspections), each of which provides a separate and independent basis for CEQA clearance and when viewed collectively provide an overall basis for CEQA clearance. A copy of the CEQA documentation is provided in Attachment D.
Elizabeth Lake, Interim City Administrator
Subject: Construction Contract Award for Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Cycle 10, 98th Avenue Crossing Improvements
Date: September 8, 2026 Page 7
Public Works and Transportation Committee
September 22, 2026
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution Awarding A Construction Contract To Gruendl Inc. dba Ray’s Electric, Inc., For The Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Cycle 10, 98th Avenue Crossing Improvements, Project No. 1006186, The Lowest, Responsible, And Responsive Bidder In Accordance With Project Plans, Specifications, And The Contractor’s Bid In The Amount Of Two Million, One Hundred Eighty-Four Thousand, Five Hundred Sixty-Six Dollars And Fifty-Eight Cents ($2,184,566.58); And Adopting Appropriate California Environmental Quality Act Findings.
For questions regarding this report, please contact AMIT SALWAN, PRINCIPAL CIVIL ENGINEER, at 510-238-7481.
Respectfully submitted,
Megan Wier (Acting for Josh Rowan)
Megan Wier (Acting for Josh Rowan) (Sep 8, 2026 11:35:14 PDT)
JOSH ROWAN
Director, Department of Transportation
Reviewed by:
Megan Wier, MPH
Assistant Director
Reviewed by:
Amit Salwan, P.E.
Principal Civil Engineer
Prepared by:
Jesse Boudart, P.E., T.E.
Transportation Engineer
Department of Transportation
Attachments (4):
A. Location Map
B. Bid Summary
C. Contract Compliance Report
D. CEQA Document