City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: May 14, 2024
Agenda Item: 5.C
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Anuj Gupta, Director of Transportation, Mobility (DOT) Subject: Award of Agreement to Michael Baker International to conduct the Santa Monica Blvd Safety Enhancement Study supported by a Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of categorical exemption pursuant to Section 15252 of the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines.
2. Award RFP # 389 to Michael Baker International to provide transportation planning and traffic engineering services for the Santa Monica Boulevard Safety Enhancement Study for the Department of Transportation.
3. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement with Michael Baker International in an amount not to exceed $590,000 (including an 11.6% contingency) for two years, with an additional one-year no-cost renewal option on the same terms and conditions, for a total amount not to exceed $590,000 over a three-year period. Any additional future year funding would be contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
Santa Monica’s Department of Transportation (DOT) continues to advance Vision Zero safety improvements, which will help achieve the City’s priorities of Clean and Safe Santa Monica and Sustainable and Connected Community; and the City Council’s Vision Zero commitment to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries caused by traffic collisions by 2026. On November 14, 2023, the Council accepted $522,327 in grant funds from the California Department of Transportation’s (Caltrans) Sustainable Communities Planning Grant Program for the Santa Monica Boulevard Safety Enhancement Study to evaluate collisions and identify targeted safety enhancements along the Santa Monica Boulevard corridor (Attachment A). To conduct this study, staff 2 of 6
recommends contracting with Michael Baker International for a total amount not to exceed $590,000 (which includes a 11.6% contingency) over a two-year period, with an option to renew for one year. This contract would fund the consultant team to conduct the walk audits, surveys, data analysis, and community engagement process in support of creating a final City Council-adopted safety improvement plan for Santa Monica Boulevard. The transportation planning and engineering services will be funded by a combination of grant and local funds. The safety study would be completed and presented to Council for adoption by April 2026 per grant requirements.
Discussion
Santa Monica Boulevard is one of the City’s principal east-west arterial roads, with an abundance of connections to transit, jobs, housing, services, and destinations along this active and developed corridor. As part of Santa Monica’s Vision Zero program, the City analyzed eleven years of crash data to create a “Priority Network” to prioritize roadway safety enhancements. In the analyzed period from 2006 to 2016, the 2.4-mile Santa Monica Boulevard corridor was identified as a priority corridor that experienced 8 fatal or severe injury crashes.
In 2022, the City completed its Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP), which analyzes the most recently available crash data to further prioritize safety improvements (Attachment B). During the analysis period of 2015 to 2019, Santa Monica Boulevard was once again identified as a priority corridor that experienced 206 crashes resulting in 1 fatality and 9 severe injuries. The LRSP identified six intersections (three signalized and three unsignalized) along Santa Monica Boulevard as priority intersections.
Recognizing the importance and potential of Santa Monica Boulevard, the City’s Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) calls for the transformation of the corridor into a pedestrian-preferred transit street with a mix of local-serving commercial and retail uses, housing, and regional health care services; emphasizing the need for enhanced sidewalks, crosswalks, streetscape, and transit amenities that provide for safe and accessible linkages and encouraging active modes. Building on this vision, the 2016 Pedestrian Action Plan (PAP) recognized a high density of destinations along the 3 of 6
corridor that include: community amenities such as the Santa Monica Main Public Library, Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center, McKinley Elementary School, high density residential in the Mid-City and Downtown neighborhoods; and high-density employment districts including the Downtown and Healthcare District, anchored by UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center and Providence Saint John’s Health Center.
To improve access to the activity centers, the PAP identified pedestrian safety enhancements along Santa Monica Boulevard as priority projects to be completed within 15 years. Additionally, Big Blue Bus and Metro bus services provide a critical transportation link between activity centers, and the corridor is within walking distance of three Metro E-line train stations, with the Downtown Santa Monica and 17th Street/SMC stations, and 26th Street/Bergamot Station, being located a 1/4-mile and 1/2-mile south of the corridor, respectively.
The Santa Monica Boulevard Safety Study will mimic the process of the Wilshire Boulevard Safety Study (Attachment C), of which Phase 1 is currently being completed, and Phase 2 has recently been funded by a Caltrans Active Transportation Program Grant. The Study will identify targeted safety enhancements through a data-driven assessment of crash reports, and extensive engagement with first responders and the community. The outcome will be a community-supported safety plan with specific recommendations for cost effective, multi-modal safety measures and transit enhancements for immediate implementation, identification of future measures that will require further engineering and design, and a clear plan for funding and implementation.
Through a robust public outreach process, the project will build on the extensive outreach and community engagement of prior planning efforts (i.e., LUCE, PAP, Bike Action Plan Amendment, and Wilshire Boulevard Safety Study). Engagement will include, but not be limited to, meetings with neighborhood organizations, public hearings, workshops, walk audits, noticing (via website, local paper, local organization mailing/email lists, newsletters), online outreach tools, and presentations to City Council.
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Following the consultant selection described below, staff recommends Michael Baker International for the completion of the work. The project will commence in July 2024 with completion anticipated for April 2026.
Consultant Selection
Bidder Recommendation
Best Qualified Firm Best Qualified Firm
Evaluation Criteria Understanding of the work to be done; Capability of developing innovative or advanced techniques; Experience with similar kinds of work; Project Team; Familiarity with state and federal procedures; Financial responsibility and schedule management; Demonstrated technical ability.
Municipal Code SMMC 2.24.190
RFPs Received
GTS Iteris, Inc. Michael Baker
International
Toole Design Group,
LLC
RFP Data
Posted On Posted On
Advertised In
(City Charter & SMMC)
Vendors
Downloaded
Date Publicly
Opened
2/6/2024 City’s online
bidding
website
Santa Monica Daily Press 34 4
Justification to Award
Staff reviewed proposals and qualifications from the four consultant teams. The vendor responses were reviewed by a selection panel from the Mobility Division and evaluated using the criteria above. Based on these criteria, the selection panel ranked the Michael Baker International team as the best qualified to provide final design services based on their knowledge and experience working on similar projects; expertise of key staff on the project team; and unique and innovative approach to data analysis and community engagement.
Environmental Review
Preparation of the Santa Monica Boulevard Safety Study is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15252 (Feasibility and Planning Studies) which exempts feasibility and planning studies for possible future actions which the agency, board, or commission has not approved, adopted, or funded. The study will identify safety enhancements through analysis and outreach. Implementation of the improvements identified in the 5 of 6
study would be subject to future environmental review and approval. Therefore, award of a contract to conduct the study is exempt pursuant to Section 15252.
Past Council Actions
Meeting Date Description
November 14, 2023
(Attachment A)
Adoption of a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to accept the awarded Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant and execute an agreement with the California Department of Transportation for the Santa Monica Boulevard Safety Enhancement Study
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve funding from the Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant and the Transportation Impact Fee Fund to award a professional service agreement to Michael Baker International for the Santa Monica Boulevard Safety Enhancement Study. The total project cost would be $590,000 (which includes a 11.6% contingency) over a two-year period, with a no-cost option to renew for one additional year.
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Professional Services Agreement Request
Funding Source FY 2023-24
Request Amount
Account # Contract Amount
Caltrans
Sustainable
Transportation
Planning Gran
$522,327 C2008880.689000 $522,327
Transportation
Impact Fees
(TIF).
$67,673 C1008880.689000 $67,673
TOTAL $590,000
Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval.
Prepared By: Kyle Kozar, Principal Transportation Planner Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Staff Report - Nov. 14, 2023 - Santa Monica Blvd Safety Enhancement Study Grant Award Resolution (Web Link)
B. Santa Monica Local Roadway Safety Plan (Web Link)
C. Wilshire Blvd Safety Study (Web Link)
D. 01_OAKS_INITIATIVE_FORM
E. 02_FY23-24_Living_Wage_Certification
F. 05_Levine_Act_Disclosure_Form
G. Written Comments