REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: SCOTT L. MOZIER, PE, Director
Public Works Department
BY: WILLIAM C. HERR, Assistant Director
Public Works Department, Construction Management Division
BRIAN KUJAWSKI, Senior Engineering Inspector
Public Works Department, Construction Management Division
SUBJECT
Title
Actions pertaining to the Veterans Boulevard Grade Separation Project (Council District 2)
1. ***RESOLUTION - 36th Amendment to the Annual Appropriation Resolution (AAR) No. 2022-154 appropriating $413,500 for the Veterans Boulevard Grade Separation Project (Requires 5 Affirmative Votes) (Subject to Mayor’s veto)
2. Approve Contract Change Order No. 28 in the amount of $218,740 and an increase in contract time of nine (9) working days with Granite Construction Company for the Veterans Boulevard Grade Separation Project, Project ID PW00683
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that City Council adopt the attached 36th Amendment to the Annual Appropriation Resolution (AAR) No. 2022-154 and approve Contract Change Order No. 28 in the amount of $218,740 and an increase in contract time of nine (9) working days with Granite Construction Company for the Veterans Boulevard Grade Separation Project.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Staff recommends City Council approval of Contract Change Order No. 28 for the Veterans Boulevard Grade Separation Project to construct a Concrete Masonry Unit (CMU) wall across the Carnegie Avenue right of way along the east side of the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) corridor. Construction of the proposed wall is a requirement of the project but was not included in the original contract for Granite Construction Company because the work was to be completed by the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA). After further coordination, it was agreed that it makes sense to include this wall in Granite’s contract because they are actively working to reconstruct the portion of Carnegie Avenue where the wall is proposed and remove the current at-grade crossing from the UPRR corridor. Granite has continued to work collaboratively with the City, UPRR, and CHSRA. Contract change order no. 28 increases the contract amount by $218,740 and increases the contract time by nine (9) working days for the Veterans Boulevard Grade Separation Project. The Veterans Boulevard Grade Separation contract and contract change order no. 28 are fully funded by the CHSRA under the HSR 16-57 funding agreement.
BACKGROUND
The Veterans Boulevard Project proposes a new super arterial roadway in northwest Fresno, which will include six travel lanes, a Class I bicycle lane/pedestrian trail on one side, Class II bicycle lanes on both sides and a partial cloverleaf interchange connecting State Route 99 and Veterans Boulevard. The project will include bridge structures for the overcrossing of State Route 99 and future Golden State Boulevard and one to cross over the existing UPRR tracks and the future HSR tracks. The City has broken up the overall Veterans Boulevard Project into five phases, due to funding availability, size and deliverability. All phases are now in construction or have been completed, with the overall project scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023.
The Veterans Boulevard Grade Separation is one of the five phases and was delivered separately due to the coordination with the CHSRA and the State funding for the project. The City Council approved the cooperative funding agreement for the Veterans Boulevard Project with CHSRA on November 17, 2016 in the amount of $28 million. The agreement allows for the City to construct the facility with the CHSRA to pay 100% of all construction costs including City bidding costs, construction management, inspection and testing. The agreement was amended in 2020 to include additional funding when the City awarded the construction contract for the Veterans Grade Separation, increasing the total contract to $29,845,500. The agreement was again amended in 2021 and 2022 to extend the term of the agreement.
The first phase of the Veterans Boulevard Project, the Bullard Extension package, which was also funded by the CHSRA, was opened to traffic on September 24, 2019. The Veterans Boulevard Grade Separation Project is the second phase of the overall project and the last phase needed to complete the HSR related work. The construction work of this package will result in two lanes of Veterans Boulevard; a bridge structure over the existing UPRR and future HSR tracks, and a roadway connection from Veterans Boulevard to future Golden State Boulevard. The project is currently at 99% completion of the original scope items. However, due to the coordination with CHSRA, UPRR and the adjacent business, contract work has progressed at a slower pace than expected in the original contract and the subsequent contract change orders. The Contractor has partnered with the City to work through the key coordination items. Contract Change Order No. 28 provides for the cost to construct a CMU block wall across Carnegie Avenue at the UPRR and City right of way line. Pursuant to California Public utilities Commission (CPUC) General Order 88-B for the Veterans Boulevard Grade Separation Project, a concrete masonry wall is required at the right of way on Carnegie Avenue. Through coordination with CHSRA, it was agreed that it makes sense to include this wall in Granite’s contract because they are actively working to reconstruct the portion of Carnegie Avenue where the wall is proposed and remove the current at-grade crossing from the UPRR corridor.
On March 5, 2020, the Contract was awarded in the amount of $20,038,376 to Granite Construction Company, for the Veterans Boulevard Grade Separation Project. The Notice to Proceed was issued with a starting date of May 20, 2020, and a completion date of October 21, 2020. There have been twenty-seven Contract Change Orders executed to date for a total amount of $1,993,869.39 and an increase in the Contract Time of three hundred and eleven working days (311), fifty-five (55) suspension days and thirty seven (37) weather days for a net change of 9.9% of the original contract price. Contract Change Order No. 28 increases the contract amount by $218,740, which equals a new net change of 11% of the original contract price, and increases the contract time by nine (9) working days for the Veterans Boulevard Grade Separation Project.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
On March 5, 2020, the City Council adopted findings pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15091 and 15093 as required by CEQA Guidelines Section 15096. Based upon these findings, it has been determined that a subsequent EIR is not required for this approval.
The California Department of Transportation, as Lead Agency, prepared an EIR for the Veterans Boulevard/State Route Interchange Project/Veterans Boulevard Grade Separation Project, identified by SCH No. 2010021054 (the “Veterans Boulevard EIR”). The Veterans Boulevard EIR was certified on June 16, 2013, and analyzed several components of the Veterans Boulevard project, including but not limited to a new interchange at State Route 99 and Veterans Boulevard, grade separated crossings to connect Veterans Boulevard and Golden State Boulevard, the construction of Veterans Boulevard as a six-lane super arterial from West Shaw to Herndon Avenues, drainage basins, and landscaping.
An analysis has been performed pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15162 to determine whether subsequent environmental review is required for this project. Based upon this analysis the following findings were made to support the determination that no subsequent environmental review is required:
1. No substantial changes are proposed in the project which will require major revisions to the EIR due to the involvement of new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects because the project is being implemented as planned.
2. No substantial changes occurred with respect to the circumstances under which the project was undertaken which will require major revisions to the EIR due to the involvement of new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects.
3. There is no new information, which was not known and could not have been known at the time of the previous EIR showing that:
a) The project will have one or more significant effects not discussed in the previous EIR;
b) Significant effects previously examined will be substantially more severe than shown in the previous EIR;
c) Mitigation measures or alternatives previously found to be not feasible are now feasible and would substantially reduce one or more significant effects of the project.
Based upon these findings, it has been determined that a subsequent EIR is not required the Project.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference is not applicable because the approval of a Contract Change Order does not entail a competitive bidding process.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Veterans Boulevard Project, which is located in Council District 2, will have no impact on the General Fund. The overall Veterans Boulevard Project is being funded through CHSRA funding, various types of Measure C funding, Regional Transportation Mitigation Impact Fees (RTMF), State and Federal grant funds and City of Fresno Development Impact Fees. This contract falls under the Veterans Boulevard Grade Separation Project scope and is included in the cooperative funding agreement with CHSRA. The overall cost associated with the contract change order is $218,740, which is within the project contingency amount identified in the CHSRA funding agreement. Adoption of the attached AAR amendment resolution will appropriate the necessary funding needed from CHSRA to complete the project.
Attachment:
36th Amendment to the Annual Appropriation Resolution No. 2022-154
Contract Change Order No. 28