Item Number: 10
City Council / Board of Directors
WRITTEN COMMUNICATION(s)
Meeting of: March 19, 2024
Submitted By:
Fredy Bonilla, City Engineer
Subject:
Award of Construction Contract – Seventh Street Traffic Signal Modifications and Village Drive at Puesta Del Sol Drive Traffic Signal
Recommendation:
That the Honorable City Council award a construction contract to Elecnor Belco Electric, Inc., in the amount of $3,996,873 for the Seventh Street Traffic Signal Modifications and Village Drive at Puesta Del Sol Drive Traffic Signal.
Fiscal Impact:
The recommended action will result in a fiscal impact of $3,996,873. There are sufficient funds in the budget to cover the planned expenses. This project will be funded by the following funds: Street Lighting, Fund 200; Measure I, Fund 250; and State HSIP grant, Funds 275 and 270. The FY 22/23 and 23/24 budgets included these Capital Improvement Projects (CIP). The budgeted funds in excess of the contract amount will be utilized for construction management purposes. The account numbers ending with 62070 are for Village Drive and the account numbers ending in 62064 are for Seventh Street. Please refer to the table below that shows the fund account numbers, available budget amounts, and the total budget.
Account No. Available Budget:
2004500-55330-62070 $98,500.00
2504500-55330-62070 $9,033.23
2754500-55330-62070 $526,500.00
2004500-55315-62064 $144,066.60
2504500-55315-62064 $2,585,401.40
2704500-55315-62064 $680,500.00
Total $4,044,001.23
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Strategic Plan Goal:
This project aligns with “Goal E Invest in Infrastructure” in the City of Victorville Strategic Plan 2023-2026 by increasing vehicular and pedestrian safety with the signal modification improvements to the 7 th Street Signals at Lorene Drive, Victor Street, Mojave Drive, Forest Avenue and B Street; and the installation of the new traffic signal at Village Drive and Puesta Del Sol Drive.
Background:
This contract will be composed of two (2) separate capital improvement projects combined. The first CIP is the Seventh Street Traffic Signal Modifications project.
Attachment A, a vicinity map showing the location of the existing traffic signals has been provided for reference. The history and scope of work is as follows.
In October of 2020, City staff submitted an application to Caltrans for a Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) grant to fund the modification of five (5) traffic signals along Seventh Street at the intersections of Lorene Drive, Victor Street, Mojave Drive, Forrest Ave, and B Street. To be eligible for the grant, Engineering staff identified deficiencies common to all five intersections to come up with a scope of work. In general, the project scope includes upgrading the traffic signals and lighting to meet current City standards.
Traffic signal poles and equipment will be replaced for the east and west cross streets facing Seventh Street to include a pole hanging over the street with a signal light where none currently exist for improved visibility. Other improvements will include upgraded emergency vehicle detection systems, video detection for automobiles and bicycles, and pedestrian crossing systems. Upgrades to curb ramps will be made to meet current City accessibility standards. In March 2021, Caltrans notified the City that the application for the HSIP Cycle 10 grant was selected for funding for the requested amount of $680,500 of State funds.
In April 2022, Engineering staff submitted a request to the City Council to approve an agreement with AGA Engineers, Inc., for the preparation of the traffic signal modification plans and received that approval. The draft plans and specifications for the project were received in August of 2023.
In September 2023, Engineering staff submitted a request to City Council to open and conduct a Public Hearing to receive testimony regarding the proposed project and approve the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Notice of Exemption (NOE).
The project was determined to meet the conditions for a categorical exemption as defined in the California Code of Regulations, CEQA §15301(c), with reference to existing highways and streets. The City Council approved the NOE in the meeting and the executed document was filed with the County Clerk. Following the approval of the NOE, the construction documents including plans, specifications, right of way certification, and NOE were submitted to Caltrans in order to receive the finance letter and approval to advertise the project. In December of 2023, Caltrans provided the finance letter confirming the grant funded portion of the project was allocated. 3 5
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The second CIP is the Village Drive at Puesta Del Sol Drive Traffic Signal project. Please refer to Attachment B, a vicinity map showing the location of the proposed new traffic signal. The history and scope of work is as follows.
In September 2022, City staff submitted an application to Caltrans for a HSIP grant to fund the installation a new traffic signal at the intersection of Village Drive and Pueta Del Sol Drive. In March 2022, Caltrans notified the City that the HSIP grant application for Village and Puesta Del Sol Traffic Signal Project was approved for the requested amount of $526,500 of State funds with a $98,500 proposed City match.
In May 2023, Engineering staff submitted the request to the City Council to approve the NOE and include of the traffic signal at Village Drive and Puesta Del Sol Drive in the capital improvement plan. This project was determined to meet the conditions for a categorical exemption as defined in the California Code of Regulations, CEQA §15301(c), with reference to existing highways and streets. The City Council approved the NOE in the meeting and the executed document was filed with the County Clerk. Following the approval of the NOE, the construction documents including plans, specifications, right of way certification, and NOE were submitted to Caltrans in order to receive the finance letter and approval to advertise the project. In October of 2023, Caltrans provided the finance letter confirming the grant funded portion of the project was allocated.
After Caltrans approval was provided upon their review of the contract documents to satisfy their requirement to issue the finance letters, both projects were combined into one advertisement.
Discussion:
The purpose of this project is to modify five (5) existing traffic signals along Seventh Street and construct a new traffic signal at the intersection of Village Drive and Puesta Del Sol Drive. The project plans and engineer’s estimate for the five signal modifications on Seventh Street were prepared by a consultant, AGA Engineers Inc. The project plans, specifications and engineer’s estimate for Village Drive were prepared in-house by the Engineering Department. The project was bid using formal bidding procedures in accordance with Victorville Municipal Code Section 2.28.210 and the California Public Contract Code. Advertising of the project started on December 4, 2023. On January 11, 2024, three bids were received and publicly read aloud. The bid results are shown below.
Company Bid Amount
Elecnor Belco Electric, Inc. $3,996,873.00
DBX, Inc. $4,169,353.00
Comet Electric, Inc. $5,327,358.00
After a careful review and tabulation of the submitted bids, staff determined the lowest responsive, responsible bidder was Elecnor Belco Electric, Inc. The latest Engineer’s estimate for the project updated before project advertisement was $3,668,845. The low bid came in at 8.2% above the estimate. The price increase for construction is attributed to current market inflation resulting in greater material costs and higher labor rates. 3 5
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In January 2024, after the bid opening and review of the bids, a request for additional grant funding was submitted to Caltrans with a copy of the bid results. In February, Caltrans responded to the City’s request for additional grant funding indicating additional funds would be provided to help cover the current trend of high bid costs all agencies are experiencing. The additional funding will be approximately $639,500 for the Seventh Street signal modifications portion of the project. No additional funds were approved for Village Drive at Puesta Del Sol Drive. Upon the future receipt of the finance letter from Caltrans, Engineering staff will submit to the City Council a request for a budget amendment and additional appropriation of the increased amount of grant funding. It is anticipated the additional grant funds will bring total HSIP grant funding to $1,320,000 for the Seventh Street Traffic Signal Modifications project.
The Engineering Department will be responsible for the management of the construction for this project. Construction is likely to start in May of 2024. It is estimated the duration of the project may be approximately one year. The duration is dependent upon the current lead time for the procurement of traffic signal equipment including poles, cabinets, and electrical components. This equipment can take up to a year after being ordered to be manufactured and shipped to the job site.
Staff recommends that the City Council award a construction contract to Elecnor Belco Electric, Inc., in the amount of $3,996,873 for the Seventh Street Traffic Signal Modifications and Village Drive at Puesta Del Sol Drive Traffic Signal projects.
Staff remains available for any questions Council may have.
Attachments: A. Location Map – Seventh Street Traffic Signal Modifications B. Location Map – Village Drive at Puesta Del Sol Traffic Signal C. Construction Contract