REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: NICHOLAS D. MASCIA, PE, Assistant City Manager
Interim Director - Capital Projects Department
SCOTT L. MOZIER, PE, Director
Public Works Department
BY: KEVIN GROSS, PE, Assistant Director
Capital Projects Department, Transportation Project Management Division
AUSTIN M. BAIN, PE, Licensed Professional Engineer
Capital Projects Department, Transportation Project Management Division
SUBJECT
Title
Approve Third Amendment to the Consultant Services Agreement with BKF Engineers, a California Corporation in the amount of $107,376.00 for a total increased contract amount of $1,143,125.00, with $3,700.00 remaining contingency, for additional professional engineering services required for the design of plans and general construction documents for the Herndon Avenue Widening between Polk Avenue and Milburn Avenue Project. (Council District 2)
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council approve Third Amendment to the Consultant Services Agreement with BKF Engineers, a California Corporation, in the amount of $107,376.00, for civil engineering design services and preparation of construction documents for additional professional engineering services required for the design of plans and general construction documents for Herndon Avenue Widening between Polk Avenue and Milburn Avenue Project and authorize the Capital Projects Director or designee to sign the Third Amendment on behalf of the City of Fresno.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Fresno (City) is proposing to widen Herndon Avenue between Polk Avenue to Milburn Avenue (Project). The City entered into the Consultant Services Agreement with BKF Engineers, a California Corporation, (BKF) to provide professional engineering services for the design of plans and general construction documents for the Project on March 23, 2017. As part of design coordination efforts with BKF it has been identified that additional professional engineering services are required beyond the original scope of the Project. Therefore, the City desires to amend the original Consultant Services Agreement to include additional professional engineering services. This Third Amendment to the Consultant Services Agreement includes additional consultant design work, plan modifications, and updates to meet the current Caltrans 2023 Standards. Staff recommends approval of the Third Amendment to the Consultant Services Agreement with BKF in the amount of $107,376 for a total increased contract amount of $1,143,125.00. The project is funded with Measure C Tier 1 funds and local Development Fees. Approval of Local Partnership Program formulaic funding is also in process through the Fresno County Transportation Authority (FCTA) and State of California.
BACKGROUND
Herndon Avenue is designated as a six-lane expressway in the City of Fresno 2035 General Plan. Over the past twenty years, the City has widened Herndon Avenue from four to six lanes in segments as funds became available through Federal and State grants, Measure C and development impact fees. The remaining four-lane segment of Herndon Avenue between Polk Avenue and Milburn Avenue is anticipated to begin construction in the next year. The existing four-lane segment between Polk Avenue and Milburn Avenue is the only remaining bottleneck along the route.
The scope of work includes widening Herndon Avenue between Polk Avenue and Milburn Avenue from two lanes to three lanes in each direction, widening the existing bridge over the railroad, constructing a Class I bicycle and pedestrian trail on the north side of Herndon Avenue, utility relocations, retaining walls and associated barrier fencing.
Measure C Tier 1 Urban program funding in the amount of $1,435,000.00 was amended by the Fresno County Transportation Authority (FCTA) in the 2016-17 fiscal year for an Advance Planning Study (APS) to perform preliminary engineering work to better define the project scope and cost estimate related to the widening of the Herndon Avenue and Burlington Northern and Santa Fe (BNSF) overpass and associated roadway approaches. The preliminary engineering work included topographic survey work, project management, and engineering consultant costs for the preparation of the APS. The APS was completed in November 2014. In March 2017, City Council approved a contract with BKF to provide professional engineering services for the design of plans and general construction documents for Herndon Avenue Widening between Polk Avenue and Milburn Avenue.
The original agreement dated March 23, 2017, with BKF totaled $869,526.00 with a $52,000.00 contingency. During the development of design, City Staff identified the need to field verify existing utilities to assure there were no impacts with the proposed improvements and requested BKF to provide positive utility locations (potholing) throughout the project area. On December 4, 2020, City Council approved the First Amendment to the Agreement with BKF in the amount of $117,923.00. On July 30, 2024, the Second Amendment to the Agreement with BKF was executed for additional project management costs needed to coordinate with the City and BNSF after the anticipated project end date. The Second Amendment to the consultant services agreement increased the total fee by $48,300.00 for a revised contract amount of $1,035,749.00 with $3,700.00 remaining contingency.
The project is progressing towards final construction documents. As part of the design coordination efforts with BKF it has been identified that additional professional engineering services are required beyond the original scope of the project. Therefore, the City desires to amend the original Consultant Services Agreement to include additional professional engineering services. This Third Amendment to the Consultant Services Agreement includes additional consultant design work, plan modifications, and updates to meet the current Caltrans 2023 Standards. Staff recommends approval of the Third Amendment to the Consultant Services Agreement with BKF in the amount of $107,376 for a total increased contract amount of $1,143,125.00 and authorize the Capital Projects Director or designee to sign the Third Amendment on behalf of the City of Fresno. The project is funded with Measure C Tier 1 funds and local Development Fees. Local Partnership Program funding is in the approval process through the FCTA and State of California.
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed and approved the Third Amendment as to form.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
This project is statutorily exempt per Sections 21080.13(a) of the California Public Resources Code, and 15282(g) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference was not considered because this item does not include a bid for or an award of a construction or service contract.
FISCAL IMPACT
The proposed Herndon Widening Project from Polk Avenue to Milburn Avenue is within Council District 2. This amendment will have no impact to the General Fund. All project costs for the engineering design phase are funded with Measure C Regional Tier 1 Urban and Local Developer Fees. The construction phase is programmed with Measure C Regional Tier 1 Urban program funds, along with Measure C Trail funds, local development impact fees and developer cash-in-lieu fees collected from adjacent developments. All funds necessary for the consultant agreement amendment are included in the current fiscal year budget for the Public Works Department as previously adopted by City Council.
Attachments:
Third Amendment to Agreement
Vicinity Map
Consultant Services Agreement
First Amendment to Agreement
Second Amendment to Agreement