CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
DATE: AUGUST 26, 2026 CONSENT CALENDAR
SUBJECT: APPROVAL OF PLANS, SPECIFICATIONS, AND ESTIMATE (PS&E) AND
AUTHORIZATION TO BID RAMON ROAD WIDENING (FROM SAN LUIS REY DR. TO LANDAU BLVD.) INCLUDING THE WHITEWATER RIVER BRIDGE WIDENING, CITY PROJECT NO. 08-25, FEDERAL AID
PROJECT NO. BHLS-5282 (040)
FROM: Scott C. Stiles, City Manager
BY: Department of Engineering Services
SUMMARY:
The construction documents (Plans, Specifications, and Estimate) for this project have been prepared and in accordance with Section 7.03.04 of the Procurement and Contracting Code, the City Council shall approve and adopt the plans, specifications, and work details and authorize the bid request for all public projects exceeding $220,000.
Approval of this item will allow the Staff to proceed with soliciting bids for the Ramon Road Widening (San Luis Rey Dr. to Landau Blvd.) including the Whitewater River Bridge Widening, City Project No. 08-25, Federal-Aid Project No. BHLS-5282 (040), (the “Project”).
RECOMMENDATION:
1) Approve the plans, specifications and estimate and authorize Staff to advertise, and solicit bids, pending federal authorization, for the Ramon Road Widening (San Luis Rey Dr. to Landau Blvd.) including the Whitewater River Bridge Widening, City Project No. 08-25, Federal-Aid Project No. BHLS-5282 (040).
2) Authorize the City Manager to execute all necessary documents.
BACKGROUND:
In 2008, the City of Palm Springs, the City of Cathedral City, and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians submitted a letter to CVAG requesting funding for a Project Study Report (PSR) to identify the Project details and overall scope for the widening of Ramon Road to its full 6-lane width, extending from San Luis Rey Drive to Landau Boulevard,
City Council Staff Report
August 26, 2026 -- Page 2
Authorize Request for Bids for The Ramon Bridge Project including widening of the existing bridge over the Whitewater River. A location map is provided in Figure 1 for reference.
Figure 1 – Location Map
Subsequently, CVAG funding was approved and the City entered into a Professional Services Agreement with CNS Engineering Inc. (CNS) to prepare the Project Study Report, which would detail the overall Project scope and funding package to submit to the Federal Highway Bridge Program (HBP), which is administered by the State of California Department of Transportation (“Caltrans”).
The federal funding request was ultimately approved by Caltrans, with the HBP funds covering 88.53% of eligible Project costs, requiring an 11.47% local match. Pursuant to a previous funding agreement with CVAG and Cathedral City, the local funding amounts were funded by CVAG with 75% Regional Measure A funds with the remaining 25% appropriately split between Palm Springs and Cathedral City. Any costs that are not eligible per HBP funding requirements will be split between CVAG and both Cities. The budget with Caltrans has been revised over time as additional scope and costs have been identified.
On May 6, 2009, the City Council approved Agreement No. A6190 with CNS Engineers, Inc., for the Project’s environmental and design phase. The construction documents were substantially completed by January 2026, with 100% completed documents pending a constructability review once a Construction Management firm was selected ahead of obtaining authorization to bid for construction.
On March 11, 2026, the City Council approved Agreement No. 26P046 with Accenture Infrastructure and Capital Projects LLC (Accenture). Onboarding a construction management firm early allows the City to complete the required pre-construction surveys
City Council Staff Report
August 26, 2026 -- Page 3
Authorize Request for Bids for The Ramon Bridge Project (biological and environmental), as well as provide a constructability review, in-depth traffic control staging layout review, and public outreach well in advance of going out to bid for construction. Since early summer, Accenture has been performing public outreach and has been meeting with impacted businesses. There are planned public meeting events in October before construction starts.
In August 2026, Accenture completed their review of plans, specifications, and traffic control staging layout. Public outreach is still on-going. A copy of the construction plan set is included as Attachment A.
STAFF ANALYSIS:
With City Council approval, Staff will advertise the Project in The Desert Sun and utilize the procurement site, PlanetBids™, to allow the submission of bids electronically. The contract documents will be provided free of charge to prospective bidders through the PlanetBids™ system. The anticipated dates of the Project bidding and Award are shown below, pending federal authorization anticipated in August 2026:
Notice Inviting Bids to be Posted: August 27, 2026 Deadline for Receipt of Bids: September 24, 2026 Contract Awarded by City Council: November 2026 This schedule is subject to change depending on preconstruction delays, questions from bidders, and the quality of bids received. In addition, the City has not yet received Authorization to Proceed with Construction from Caltrans, though the request was originally submitted to Caltrans in March 2026. In accordance with the Local Assistance Procedures outlined in the Master Agreement for this funding, the City must receive authorization prior to advertising the project for bid.
To prevent further delay, Staff recommend that the City Council approve the contract documents and grant authority to formally bid the subject Project for construction once the authorization from Caltrans is received.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
Section 21084 of the California Public Resources Code requires Guidelines for Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”). In accordance with the CEQA Guidelines, the City acting as “Lead Agency” pursuant to CEQA, previously completed an environmental analysis of the potential impacts resulting from construction of the Project. On May 7, 2014, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 23544, adopting and ordering the filing of a Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Project. Subsequently, on May 14, 2014, Staff filed a Notice of Determination with the Riverside County Clerk and State Clearinghouse.
The Project is funded, in part, by federal funds, requiring local oversight by Caltrans. As a federally funded project, the Project is subject to environmental review pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”).
City Council Staff Report
August 26, 2026 -- Page 4
Authorize Request for Bids for The Ramon Bridge Project On June 9, 2014, Caltrans, acting as the lead agency pursuant to NEPA, made an environmental determination that the Project does not individually or cumulatively have a significant impact on the environment as defined by NEPA and is excluded from the requirements to prepare an Environmental Assessment (“EA”) or Environmental Impact Statement (“EIS”), and that it qualifies for a Categorical Exclusion in accordance with 23 USC 327. Subsequently, on January 21, 2016, Caltrans completed a NEPA re-validation of the Project, confirming that the prior NEPA determination for the Project remains valid.
ALIGNMENT WITH STRATEGIC PLANNING:
This item aligns with the following City Council Strategic Plan Broad Goal: Infrastructure and Facilities.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Following the bidding process, the Project will be submitted to the City Council for approval. At that time, a detailed breakdown of the Project costs, including construction, consultant services, and staff costs, will be presented for Council review and approval.
The City will finance the initial upfront costs, however, through reimbursements with the other Agencies, the City is expected to pay only a portion of the total Project costs. The approximate funding breakdown is shown below:
Highway Bridge Funding Source (88.53% - Caltrans share) Regional Measure A 134-Fund (75% of 11.47% - CVAG share) Local Measure A 134-Fund (10% of 11.47% - City share)
Capital Project 261-Fund (15% of 11.47% - Cathedral City share) For construction costs, the federal funds are only reimbursing the City for bridge related work. Work outside of the bridge limits will be split between CVAG and the Cities. Further, the split between the City of Palm Springs and Cathedral City will vary as it is dependent upon how much construction is taking place within the right-of-way of each City. As such, this split may be updated once the construction bids are received.
REVIEWED BY:
Acting City Engineer: Francisco Jaime
Assistant City Manager: Flinn Fagg
City Manager: Teresa Gallavan for Scott Stiles
ATTACHMENTS:
A. The construction plans for City Project 08-25 are available on the City’s Website using the following link:
https://publicportal.palmspringsca.gov/WebLink/Browse.aspx?id=1464312&dbid= 0&repo=CityHall-Primary