REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
September 24, 2020
FROM: SCOTT L. MOZIER, PE, Director
Public Works Department
THROUGH: Randall W. Morrison, PE, Assistant Director
Public Works Department, Engineering Division
BY: AUSTIN BAIN, EIT, Engineer I
Public Works Department, Engineering Division
SUBJECT
Title
Actions pertaining to the Veterans Boulevard State Route 99 Interchange and Extension Project (Council District 2):
1. ***RESOLUTION - 25th Amendment to the Annual Appropriation Resolution No. 2020-159 appropriating $523,800 for the Veterans Boulevard Project (Requires 5 affirmative votes) (Subject to Mayor’s veto)
2. Approve Amendment No. 5 to Cooperative Project Agreement Short-Term Regional Transportation Program Project N1 Urban, Veterans Boulevard / State Route 99 Interchange and Grade Separation, in the amount of $36,347,000, with the Fresno County Transportation Authority
3. Approve Cooperative Project Agreement Short-Term Regional Transportation Program Urban Project N2, Veterans Boulevard Connect State Route 99 Interchange, in the amount of $4,544,000, with the Fresno County Transportation Authority
4. Approve Cooperative Agreement 06-1720 with the California Department of Transportation for construction oversight of the Veterans Boulevard / State Route 99 Interchange Project
Body
RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends that the City Council (1) adopt the attached 25th Amendment to the Annual Appropriation Resolution (AAR) No. 2020-159, (2) Approve Amendment No. 5 to Cooperative Project Agreement Short-Term Regional Transportation Program Project N1 Urban, Veterans Boulevard / SR 99 Interchange and Grade Separation with the Fresno County Transportation Authority (FCTA), (3) Approve Cooperative Project Agreement Short-Term Regional Transportation Program Urban Project N2, Veterans Boulevard Connect SR 99 Interchange with the FCTA, (4) Approve Cooperative Agreement 06-1720 with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) for construction oversight of the Veterans Boulevard / SR 99 Interchange Project and authorize the Public Works Director or designee to execute the three agreements on behalf of the City of Fresno.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Fresno continues to progress the delivery of various phases of the Veterans Boulevard Project from Shaw Avenue to Herndon Avenue. Project Phase 1-Bullard Extension was recently completed, while the Phase 2-Veterans Boulevard Grade Separation and Phase 4a-Veterans Boulevard South Extension are both in construction. The proposed Measure “C” Amendment and Agreement provide necessary project funding to proceed with construction on the remaining phases of the Veterans Boulevard Project. The proposed Cooperative Agreement 06-1720 with Caltrans establishes the roles and responsibilities for work within the state highway system for the construction of Phase 3-Veterans Boulevard/SR 99 Interchange Project.
This item also includes a budget action to allocate the necessary Veterans Boulevard project funding to complete the design work for the current fiscal year.
BACKGROUND
Veterans Boulevard, originally referred to as the Herndon-Grantland Diagonal, was part of the 1984 General Plan and is now a planned six-lane super arterial in the 2035 General Plan. In recent years, staff has completed the Project Study Report (PSR), Project Report and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and progressed the design of the various phases of Veterans Boulevard from Shaw Avenue to Herndon Avenue with the help of Fresno County Transportation Authority (FCTA) and Fresno Council of Governments (FCOG) with the funding for completing the final design and right-of-way acquisition. The Project proposes a new partial cloverleaf interchange connecting State Route 99 and Veterans Boulevard. The new roadway will have six travel lanes, a Class I bicycle lane/pedestrian trail on one side and Class II bicycle lanes on both sides. The Project will include three bridge structures, one to cross over State Route 99, one to cross over future Golden State Boulevard and one to cross over the existing UPRR tracks and the future HSR tracks. Phases 1 and 2 of the Veterans Project are in construction or were recently completed and the Phase 4a construction contract was awarded by City Council on August 27, 2020.
The original cooperative agreement for the Veterans Boulevard/State Route 99 Interchange and Grade Separation, Urban Project N1, between the City and FCTA, was approved by the Council on March 31, 2009 for the Environmental Impact Report and Caltrans Project Report, totaling $1.5 million in Measure “C” funds. On December 11, 2011, the Council approved Amendment No. 1 which provided $8.8 million for the design phase of the Project. On October 10, 2012, the City entered into Amendment No. 2 to proceed with right-of-way acquisition for the Project. On November 21, 2013, Council approved the Amendment No. 3 which provided additional funding in the amount of $3,421,000 bringing the total “not to exceed” amount of allocated project funding to $29,556,000 of Measure “C” funds (Original and Extension) and Regional Transportation Mitigation Fee (RTMF) funds. On October 8, 2015, Council approved Amendment No. 4, which shifted funding from the right-of-way phase to the design phase of the Project, but did not change the total “not to exceed” amount of allocated project funding.
The overall project design is nearly complete and each phase is scheduled to move into construction over the next year and a half. The proposed Amendment No. 5 for Urban Project N1, Veterans Boulevard/State Route 99 Interchange and Grade Separation, again shifts funds between the design and right-of-way phase to accurately reflect the costs needed to complete those phases and allocates $36,347,000 in Measure “C” funding for construction of Phase 3, the Veterans Boulevard/SR 99 Interchange Project, which brings the total “not to exceed” amount of allocated project funding to $65,903,000 of Measure “C” funds (Original and Extension) and RTMF funds. The proposed Cooperative Project Agreement for Urban Project N2, Veterans Boulevard Connect State Route 99 Interchange, allocates $4,544,000 for the construction of the Veterans Boulevard North and South Extension Projects.
The Veterans Boulevard/SR 99 Interchange Project includes a new interchange and associated improvements on the state highway system and within Caltrans right-of-way. As such, Caltrans is a key stakeholder on the Project and partner in the project delivery. The City and Caltrans entered into Cooperative Agreement 06-1502 on July 24, 2012, for the design and right-of-way phases of the Project. As the Project moves into the construction phase the City and Caltrans propose to enter into Cooperative Agreement 06-1720 to establish the oversight role of Caltrans and the roles and responsibilities of the City and our Contractor through construction.
Staff is recommending Council approval of these three Veterans Boulevard Project agreements and to authorize the Public Works Director or designee to sign and execute them on behalf of the City of Fresno. The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed and approved all three agreements as to form.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
The California Department of Transportation, as Lead Agency, prepared an EIR for the Veterans Boulevard/State Route 99 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. A resolution will be brought forward for each phase of the Project at the time of the award of a construction contract for the City Council to adopt the findings related to the specific phase.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference is not applicable because these agreements do not include a bid or award of a construction or services contract.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Veterans Boulevard Project is located in Council District 2 and will have no impact to the General Fund. The two Cooperative Project Agreements provide the necessary Measure “C” funding to fully fund the Veterans Boulevard Project. The Project also includes funding by State Local Partnership Program grants, Federal BUILD grant, and local Developer Impact Fee funding. The Cooperative Agreement 06-1720 will have little fiscal impact to the project for Caltrans furnished materials and those costs are included in the overall project funding plan. Adoption of the attached AAR amendment resolution will appropriate the necessary Measure “C” funding to continue the design work on the Veterans Boulevard Project in the current fiscal year.
Attachments:
Vicinity Map
Location Map
25th Amendment to AAR No. 2020-159
Urban Project N1 Cooperative Project Agreement Amendment No. 5
Urban Project N2 Cooperative Project Agreement
Cooperative Agreement 06-1720