City Council
259 N. Wilma Avenue
Ripon, CA 95366
MEMO
To: Honorable City Council
From: Christiana Giedd, Associate Civil Engineer
Date: 08/08/2023
Subject: First Amendment to Fehr & Peers Services Agreement RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Approve and authorize the Mayor to sign the Amendment No. 1 to the Professional Services Agreement with Fehr & Peers in order to perform additional traffic analysis to mitigate impacts of cut-through traffic at the East Main Street and Highway 99 intersection in the not to exceed amount of $31,500 (funding source: Transportation PFFP Fund).
BACKGROUND:
In order to install a traffic signal at an intersection, certain minimum warrants are required to be met, as defined by the California Department of Transportation. Staff has analyzed the intersection of East Main Street and Highway 99 and found that this intersection meets the minimum requirements for the installation of a traffic signal.
At the September 10, 2019 City Council meeting, the City Council authorized staff to submit a grant application for the installation of this signal. Ultimately, the City received a $480,000 grant for the intersection improvements that would also include a traffic signal.
At the February 14, 2023 City Council meeting, Council approved the Professional Services Agreement with Fehr & Peers in the not to exceed amount of $35,000 to design the traffic signal for the East Main Traffic Signal Project. The project will install a traffic signal at the intersection of East Main Street and Highway 99 Northbound on/off ramps. Currently traffic is controlled with stop signs.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
Ripon streets have experienced a significant increase in the number of vehicles cutting through Ripon to avoid the congestion that happens during the evening commute on the Highway 99/120 interchange and Highway 99 through Ripon. This large increase in cut-through commute traffic is beyond what Ripon city streets were designed for and is resulting in significant delays to Ripon residents along with an increase in moving violations (e.g., speeding, not stopping at stop signs, etc).
The first phase the City of Ripon implemented to mitigate the impacts of cut-through traffic was to meter the volume of traffic entering city limits at the intersection of Jack Tone Road and West Main Street by adjusting the timing of the traffic signal at this intersection, as this was the primary route for cut-through traffic to enter Ripon city limits, at that time. This has had a positive benefit of reducing the back up of traffic on downtown streets, but has also had a negative impact as a result of drivers using alternative routes to enter city limits, such as North Ripon Road and ultimately going through the East Main Street/Highway 99 intersection to merge on to southbound Highway 99.
Staff has requested for Fehr & Peers to modify the scope of work for the East Main Traffic Signal Project. The purpose of modifying the scope is to further evaluate options to mitigate the impacts of cut-through traffic at the East Main Street/Highway 99 and surrounding area. Any recommended improvements from this study will be incorporated as part of the East Main Street traffic signal.
The following is a summary of the tasks to be completed by LDA Partners as part of Amendment No. 1:
Traffic Impact Study ($31,500)
The study will evaluate the effects of cut-through trips at the East Main Street/Highway 99 intersection and make recommendations how best to time this intersection to reduce the impacts of cut-through traffic in Ripon, along with any other improvements that can reduce congestion on city streets from the cut-through traffic.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The attached Amendment No. 1 to the Professional Services Agreement with Fehr & Peers has a not to exceed amount of $31,500, which will amend the total contract amount to $66,500. This expense will be paid for through the Transportation PFFP fund. The current balance of this fund is $1,841,000.
Attachments:
1. Amendment 1_Fehr Peers