City Council Meeting: May 8, 2007

Agenda Item: 1-D  

 

To:                   Mayor and City Council 

From:              Eileen Fogarty, Director, Planning and Community Development

Subject:          Award Contracts for the Downtown Advanced Traffic Management System Communication and Traffic Signal Modification Project

 

Recommended Action

Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to:

1.      appropriate $900,000 from revenue account 4.342.312 to the traffic signal upgrade CIP account C040407.589202; and,

2.      award a construction contract to KDC Inc. dba Dynalectric, in the amount $3,194,900 plus a 10% contingency, for a total contract amount of $3,514,390; and,

3.      authorize the City Manager to negotiate a professional services agreement with PSOMAS for construction management services for the project, in the amount $404,000 plus a 10% contingency, for a total contract amount of $444,000, and

  1. authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute modifications to three existing professional services agreements for design support and construction review as follows:

 

a.      amend agreement No. 8497 (CCS) with Meyer, Mohaddes Associates in an amount of $38,000, for a total not-to-exceed exceed amount of $177,008, including 10 % contingency, and

b.      amend agreement No. 1085 with RBF Consulting in an amount of $58,900, for at total not-to-exceed amount of $110,700, including 10% contingency, and

c.      amend agreement No. 1100 with Kimley-Horn and Associates in an amount of $18,000, for a total not-to-exceed amount of $43,644, including 10% contingency, and

5.      authorize the City Engineer to issue any necessary change orders to complete additional work within budget authority.

 

Executive Summary

A multi-phased plan to implement the Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) citywide was presented to City Council in June 2006.  Since then, the phasing plan has been concentrated into five phases as noted in Attachment A    Phase 1 was completed in June 2006 and focused on 4th Street.  This report contains the contract actions required to implement Phase 2 throughout downtown Santa Monica and along Lincoln Boulevard from downtown to the southern City limit.  Phase 3 will cover three major arterials, Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica Boulevard and Pico Boulevard.  Phase 4 will cover most of the remainder of the City except for a few outlying areas that will be implemented in a final Phase 5.

 

The current Phase 2 project, scheduled to be completed in fall of 2008, is critical to addressing downtown congestion and will also implement the first of the transit priority corridors within the City.  The project will install fiber optic communication and other equipment to facilitate detection, coordinate traffic flow and accommodate transit priority.  It includes modifications and upgrades to eleven traffic signal locations in the downtown area.  The contract will also improve five intersections outside of downtown, including implementation of required mitigation measures for the Public Safety Facility, the Civic Center Parking Structure and the Main Library.  

 

Contract actions include award of a construction contract with KDC Inc. dba Dynalectric, authorization for construction management services with PSOMAS, and amendments to three existing design contracts for design and construction review services.  This project is funded through grants, development mitigation fees and general funds.

 

Discussion

Background

The implementation of the Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) will allow real-time management of the City of Santa Monica’s signal system from a centralized traffic management center.  Modernization of the City’s traffic signals will interconnect the signal system to enable integrated operation.   The ATMS system is a way to reduce delay by synchronizing the traffic signals to provide a coordinated progression of traffic.  The traffic management center will also control other devices such as cameras and changeable message signs and enable incident management during special events, construction and traffic accidents. 

 

Implementation of the citywide ATMS requires communication from the Traffic Management Center to all 170 traffic signals citywide.  The communication medium will consist primarily of underground fiber optic cable.  Future phases will include some wireless communication, where appropriate.  Most of the signals will require only minor modifications to be brought onto the ATMS.  However, twenty-six traffic signals will require major upgrades to be brought onto the system.  Some traffic signals may require upgrades sooner than the planned ATMS implementation phase because of their age or in combination with construction already occurring at that location.  

 

The City is receiving a $4.7 million grant form the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) to install equipment to enable transit priority on the four current or future Rapid Bus corridors as indicated in Attachment B.   City staff has worked with Metro and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) for the past year to determine how to best facilitate transit priority along the Rapid corridors while still maintaining local control.  Design and construction of this system is also incorporated into the project.

 

The Advanced Traffic Management System has been divided into a multi-phased implementation plan, as described below, because of the tremendous cost and management demands.  

 

Phase 1: Phase 1 included the downtown section of 4th Street and extended between California Avenue and Olympic Drive.  The project was completed in June 2006.  

 

Phase 2 (Current Phase):  The contracts in this report are to construct improvements in the downtown area bounded by, and including, Ocean Avenue, Wilshire Boulevard, Lincoln Boulevard and Colorado Avenue.  Phase 2 also incorporates Lincoln Boulevard from downtown to the southern City limit.  Construction of Phase 2 is scheduled to be completed by fall of 2008. 

 

Phase 3: This future phase will implement the Advanced Traffic Management and bus priority system improvements along Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica Boulevard and Pico Boulevard, the three other Rapid corridors    Design of Phase 3 will be initiated next year and construction is anticipated to commence during FY 2008-09.  

 

Phase 4:  Phase 4 condenses several future phases to implement ATMS in the Office District area, the Mid-City area and two other transit corridors, Ocean Park Boulevard and Main Street/Neilson Way.  Assuming sufficient resources are available, the construction of this phase will commence in FY 2009-10. 

 

Phase 5: Phase 5 will cover outlying areas such as San Vicente and streets north of that corridor as the final phase in the implementation plan.

 

In addition to the construction and construction management contracts, there are three existing design contracts that require amendment.  This combined construction project originally consisted of three separate projects designed by three different consultants with different types of expertise.  Meyer, Mohaddes Associates was involved in the development of the communications master plan, RBF Consulting was hired to design the Ocean Avenue signal synchronization project (a grant from Metro) and Kimley-Horn was hired to design a list of specific signal improvement projects.  The original professional services agreements for all three consultants did not include design services during construction. 

 

Previous Council Actions

At its September 14, 2004 meeting, the City Council authorized the purchase of an Advanced Traffic Management System from Siemens Energy and Automation to provide the City central traffic signal control. At its July 26, 2005 meeting, the City Council authorized a design agreement with Meyer, Mohaddes Associates for the preparation of fiber optic communication plans for the downtown ATMS.  

 

Contractor/Consultant Selection

The City published a Notice Inviting Bids for the construction contract in the Los Angeles Times and the Santa Monica Daily Press on March 2 and 3, 2007.  Bid packages were requested by twelve contractors and sub-contractors, and the City Clerk’s office received five sealed bids which were publicly opened on April 2, 2007 by the Deputy City Clerk.  The five bidders were:

 

Bidder

Total

KDC Inc. dba Dynalectric

$3,194,900

Terno, Inc.

$3,327,665

CSI Electrical

$3,758,181

Comet Electric Inc.

$4,479,754

Golden State Utility Co.

$4,585,395

Engineer’s Estimate                                                                        $3,316,202

 

Bids were evaluated based on competitive pricing, direct experience on similar projects, qualifications in respect to ability, capacity, skill to complete the work, green materials, the ability to perform the service promptly, financial resources, reputation, and the ability to provide future maintenance if needed.

 

Staff recommends KDC Inc. dba Dynalectric, as the best bidder based on their price, quality of service offered, and experience with similar projects including the City of Burbank Media District Intelligent Transportation System (ITS), City of Los Angeles Sepulveda Corridor Automated Traffic Signal and Control.  In addition, they successfully completed the Ocean Park Boulevard & 23rd Street and Ocean Park Boulevard & Cloverfield Boulevard Traffic Signal Modification project for the City of Santa Monica.  Lastly Dynalectric has been the on-call traffic signal contractor for the City for the past five years.

 

City staff contacted the agencies representing these projects, and all respondents reported that the contractor’s quality of work was very good and that the work was completed in a timely and cost-efficient manner.  Staff also contacted the Center for Contract Compliance and found that KDC Inc. dba Dynalectric, in good standing and capable of handling labor compliance issues.  The California Contractor’s State License Board verified that the Contractor’s license is active and in good standing.

 

Construction Management

Staff recommends construction management to be provided by PSOMAS.  In July 2006, the City requested statements of qualifications for construction management services for eight upcoming construction projects in the City, including the Downtown ATMS Communication and Traffic Signal Modification Project.  Ten firms submitted statements of qualifications.  City staff reviewed the proposals and recommended interviewing four firms.  Representatives from Civil Engineering and Architecture Division and Transportation Management Division interviewed the four firms on January 30, 2007. 

 

PSOMAS is recommended as the top ranked firm to provide construction management services for the construction of this project.  These services include construction oversight and continuous inspection of the contractor’s work during construction of traffic signals and fiber optic lines; managing traffic control and detour plans; reviewing submittals and change order requests; conducting periodic progress meetings; providing information to the contractor on an as-needed basis; and maintaining all necessary project documentation relevant to the work conducted during construction. PSOMAS staff has much relevant experience such as the Cal State Long Beach University Fiber Optic Telecom Infrastructure Upgrade, City of Long Beach ADA improvements, El Segundo Traffic Signal Upgrade and Intersection Improvements. 

 

Budget/Financial Impact

Appropriate a total of $900,000 from Revenue Account 4.342.312 (Playa Vista Mitigation) to Account C040407.589202 as part of this Council action.

 

Funds are available from the following accounts for the Downtown Advanced Traffic Management System Communication and Traffic Signal Modification Project:

Account No.                         Project Element                                                      $ Amount

C010407.589201                 Traffic Signal GF                                                   $1,210,247

C040407.589202                 Traffic Signal Playa Vista                              $ 863,627

C040407.589203                 Traffic Signal Office District                       $ 168,925

C040407.589204                 Transit Signal Other                                       $ 157,400

C200407.589205                 Traffic Signal Ocean Av                                         $ 295,560

C200407.589206                 Traffic Signal Transit Priority                               $ 1,377,531

TOTAL Phase 2                                                                                                  $ 4,073,290

 

 

 

 

Prepared by:

 

Gerald Tom, Transportation Engineer, Planning & Community Development Department

 

Attachments:

A-

B-

 

Approved:

 

Forwarded to Council:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eileen Fogarty , Director, Planning & Community Development

 

P. Lamont Ewell

City Manager