March 17, 2026
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Public Works
DATE: March 17, 2026
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Hillal Hamdan, PE, Senior Civil Engineer
Robert Armijo, PE, Deputy Director of Public Works / City Engineer
Subject:
Contract with CSW|ST2 for Design of the Harbour Way
South and Wright Avenue Transit Junction Project
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The proposed $148,780.77 expenditure is included within the approved fiscal year 2025-2026 Harbour & Wright
Section 130 Rail Crossing project budget (Account
String: 15436431-400733-23022).
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
July 22, 2021
December 19, 2023
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
City staff requests City Council approval of an ATF
contract with CSW|ST2 to allow payment of outstanding
invoices for work performed for the Harbour & Wright
Section 130 Rail Crossing. The previous contract
(number 6881) expired December 31, 2024. Additional
invoices were submitted after the contract expired and
require City Council approval for payment and
continuation of the design completion.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
ADOPT a resolution to APPROVE a sole-source contract
with CSW|ST2 for supporting the Harbour Way South
and Wright Avenue Section 130 Rail Crossing design
phase in an amount not to exceed $148,780.77, for a
term ending December 31, 2028 – Public Works
Department (Hillal Hamdan 621-1612/Robert Armijo 620-
5477).
AGENDA
REPORT
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DISCUSSION:
Background
Located south of Interstate 580 at the intersection of Harbour Way South and Wright Avenue, this project addresses a critical transit junction. The area is set for significant expansion, including various City developments and the Richmond Ferry Terminal, which is expected to open in two years and increase local traffic (Attachment 1).
The site currently faces several infrastructure and safety challenges:
Visibility and Control: The BNSF rail line crosses the intersection at an angle, and sightlines are currently obstructed in all directions. There are no traffic signals or active warning devices currently in place.
High Volume and Multi-modal Use: The crossing is a high-traffic zone for vehicles and serves as part of the Bay Trail, resulting in heavy use by pedestrians and cyclists.
Planned Improvements: The City intends to route a new two-way bicycle lane through the crossing along the east side of Harbour Way. Physical Limitations: Because of a high concentration of underground utilities, traditional safety hardware—such as crossing arms—cannot be installed, necessitating specialized design solutions.
On December 19, 2023, the Richmond City Council adopted a resolution authorizing an engineering and design professional services agreement with CSW|ST2 in an amount not to exceed $255,056, plus a $20,944 contingency (Attachment 2).
Due to an administrative oversight, Contract No. 6881 expired on December 31, 2024, before all phases of the project were completed. Work continued in order to maintain the project schedule; however, invoices for services rendered from January 1, 2025, through the present were submitted after the contract had expired.
There is currently $148,780.77 remaining in the authorized budget to cover these outstanding invoices and complete the project's design and preparation for bid.
Approval of this After-the-Fact contract will allow the City to fulfill these payment obligations and maintain the current project timeline.
Project Schedule
Phases Begin (Target) End (Target)
Final PS&E Phase January 2024 July 2026
Construction Phase March 2027 June 2028
Sole Source Justification
The recommendation for a sole-source contract with CSW|ST2 is primarily driven by the need for project continuity and the specialized nature of the design challenges at the Harbour Way South and Wright Avenue intersection. Having been previously authorized for this project under Contract No. 6881, CSW|ST2 possesses the specific technical
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knowledge required to navigate the site's unique physical limitations, including the high concentration of underground utilities that preclude standard safety hardware.
Furthermore, because the firm has already performed significant work between the expiration of the previous contract on December 31, 2024, and the present, utilizing a sole-source agreement is the most efficient administrative path to fulfill outstanding payment obligations and maintain the current project timeline without the delays and added costs of onboarding a new consultant (Attachment 3).
Recommendation
City staff recommend the City Council adopt a resolution to approve of an After-the-Fact contract with CSW|ST2 to facilitate the payment for and completion of the design phase for the Harbour & Wright Section 130 Rail Crossing project in an amount not to exceed $148,780.77 for a term ending on December 31, 2028 (Attachments 4 and 5).
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Location Map
Attachment 2 – Original Contract No. 6881Expired
Attachment 3 – Sole Source
Attachment 4 – Resolution
Attachment 5 – After-the-Fact Contract