City Council Agenda Report
Meeting Date: March 4, 2025
From: Daniel S. Wall, P.E., Director of Public Works
Department: Public Works
Submitted by: Lissette Melendez, Project Engineer
Subject
Change Order No. 15 to the Consulting Services Agreement (CS-0099) with CNS Engineers, Inc. (CNS) for the Atlantic Boulevard Bridge Rehabilitation and Widening Project Recommendation
A. Find that approval of the proposed change order is within the Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration prepared for this project pursuant to the provisions under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in accordance with Section 15063 of the CEQA Guidelines; and
B. Approve and authorize the City Administrator to execute Agreement Change Order No. 15, in substantially the same form as submitted, for the Atlantic Boulevard Bridge Rehabilitation and Widening Project, Federal Project No. DBPL02-5139(010), Contract No. CS-0099 with CNS, extending the agreement for an additional year to December 31, 2025 and authorizing CNS to provide additional support and coordination services required to complete the design phase of the project for the additional cost of $140,579.50, with a Change Order effective date of December 31, 2024.
Background
The Atlantic Boulevard Bridge over the Los Angeles River was constructed in 1931 and consists of concrete barrel arches with an earth-filled roadway and asphalt concrete pavement. The average daily vehicle count traversing the bridge is over 50,000 per day. Atlantic Boulevard is a vital artery serving not only the City of Vernon, but also the larger southeast community, as it is a gateway for travel within the region. Due to the narrow pedestrian walkway and traffic lanes, the bridge will be inadequate for the projected traffic volume of vehicles and trucks.
The Atlantic Boulevard Bridge over the Los Angeles River Agreement (Agreement) was awarded in November 2009 to CNS via Resolution No. 10,112 for the design of the bridge rehabilitation and right-of-way acquisition support. The Agreement was purposed to develop the plans for the proposed widening and rehabilitation of the bridge, which will include widening of the roadway bridge approaches, modifications of traffic signals, installation of California Public Utilities Commission-approved railroad grade crossings devices, and flood control channel modifications.
Right-of-way activities along Atlantic Boulevard consist of either Temporary Construction Easements (TCE) or permanent Street Easements (SE) to accommodate the widening of the bridge and roadway and construction activities. The project also requires the relocation of conflicting utilities, including power poles from the City’s Public Utilities Department, which is concurrently developing relocation plans. Pursuant to the Agreement, the City is reimbursed
88.53% of the project cost through State and Federal funding.
The Agreement has been extended multiple times due to design delays caused by railroad issues, proposed utility relocations, and right-of-way acquisition requirements which, in each instance, have involved various agencies and subcontractors. Projects of this magnitude are complex, and there are often unanticipated challenges that impact initial plans.
Each Agreement Change Order has addressed such issues and has modified the project schedule timeline and adjusted the project budget as necessary.
The proposed Agreement Change Order No. 15 is required to finalize the intricate and lengthy Construction and Management Agreements with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF); the acquisition of easements; to finalize permits from BNSF, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), Los Angeles County Flood Control District (LACFCD), and private properties; complete utility relocation coordination; and complete the Caltrans Right of Way Certification for the Project. Due to the number of parties involved with this project, each with their own requirements and schedules, the timeline for this phase of the project has exceeded expectations.
Per Caltrans Local Assistance requirements, Change Orders extending a consultant’s contract should be approved before the contract expires. City staff requested the necessary change order estimate and related documents from the consultant prior to the contract expiration date and is processing the change order at the earliest opportunity. In order to comply with Caltrans Local Assistance requirements, Public Works is requesting that the proposed Change Order No. 15 have an effective date of December 31, 2024.
Pursuant to Vernon Municipal Code (VMC) Section 3.32.030(A), all contracts shall be approved only by the City Council with a total value over the lifetime of the contract above $100,000.
Approval of the proposed Change Order No. 15 would increase the total contract cost to $2,597,327.71.
The proposed Agreement Change Order No. 15 has been reviewed and approved as to form by the City Attorney’s Office.
Fiscal Impact
The fiscal impact is estimated at $140,579.50. Sufficient funds are available in General Fund, Federal Grants, Street Operations Division, Capital Outlay Account No. 011-595-430-660000 for the current fiscal year.
Attachments
1. Change Order No. 15