City Council
259 N. Wilma Avenue
Ripon, CA 95366
MEMO
To: Honorable City Council
From: James Pease, Public Works Director
Date: 08/11/2026
Subject: St. Francis Electric, LLC
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Approve and authorize the Mayor to sign the contract with St. Francis Electric, LLC to replace a traffic signal pole and arm at the Main Street and Jack Tone Road intersection, in the not to exceed amount of $55,725 (funding source: Street and Road Operating Fund).
BACKGROUND
The signalized intersection of Main Street and Jack Tone Road is one of the City's most highly traveled. It is the first intersection encountered by commuters in Ripon when using West Ripon Road as an alternate route to Highway 99 and the volume has steadily increased in recent years.
The existing northwest traffic signal pole is located on the roadways edge and has sustained multiple impacts from vehicles, primarily large trucks making right turn movements from south bound Jack Tone Road to west bound Main Street.
These repeated collisions have damaged the pole and created an ongoing maintenance and public safety concern. To reduce the risk of additional damage while maintaining operation of the traffic signal, the City previously installed a concrete K-rail barrier around the existing pole.
Although the barrier has, to some extent, helped protect the pole from further impacts, it was only intended as a temporary measure.
DISCUSSION
The existing traffic signal pole has now reached a point where replacement is necessary. Staff has evaluated options to improve the intersection and is proposing to relocate the new pole farther from the edge of the roadway while still within the current City right-of-way to better protect the pole from vehicle impacts.
Staff requested proposals from qualified traffic signal contractors to complete the work. After reviewing the proposals received, St. Francis Electric, LLC was determined to be the lowest responsible contractor and submitted the most competitive cost for the project. Attached is a contract with St. Francis Electric, LLC to install a new pole, longer arm and other necessary items. The current lead time for the pole and arm is 6 months once submittals have been approved.
Other modifications to enhance the flow and safety of the intersection include moving the eastbound West Ripon Road to northbound Jack Tone Road left hand turn lane limit line further to the west, which has provided additional space for large trucks to make the turning movement and avoid hitting the pole.
The City has also installed a new smart camera detection system to replace the existing in-road vehicle loop detectors, which were damaged and resulted in the signal timing to no longer correctly operate. This system allows for quicker operational adjustments, improved vehicle detection, and automated outage notifications. Staff is working with a traffic engineer to modify the current signal timing at the intersection to once again meter traffic during times of the day when a high volume of commute traffic is entering the City in order to avoid congestion on local roadways near the Main Street intersection.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The attached contract with St. Francis Electric, LLC in the amount of $55,725 will be paid for through the Street and Road Operating Fund.
Attachments:
1. St. Francis Electric - Main-Jack Contract 8-11-26