TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Steven Lederer, Director of Public Works
REPORT BY: Dewey Phan, Assistant Engineer
SUBJECT: Construction Contract Award for the “Mt. Veeder Road MPM 4.3 and MPM 3.25 Project, RDS 26-24”
RECOMMENDATION
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Award a Construction Contract to Piazza Construction of Penngrove, California, in the amount of $1,268,000 for the “Mt Veeder Road MPM 4.3 and MPM 3.25 Project, RDS 26-24”. (Fiscal Impact: $2,220,799 Expense for the construction contract and other project costs; General Fund, Reallocation of Budget; Discretionary)
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BACKGROUND
Damage was caused to Mt. Veeder Road MPM 4.3 from the storm events occurring in Napa County in November 2025. Intense rainfall saturated the road embankment causing a downhill slide approximately 160 feet long at Mt. Veeder Road MPM 4.3 near Lokoya Road. The slide repair will include constructing a cast-in- drilled-hole (CIDH) concrete retaining wall extending approximately 187 feet. The crib wall heights are 4 feet to 16 feet. Tiebacks will be installed to provide additional lateral support and allow for one travel lane to remain open during construction. Repaving the roadway will restore the asphalt concrete surface and pre-slide drainage patterns.
At Mt. Veeder Road 3.25, an approximately 100-foot-long area of the downslope (northbound) lane is experiencing significant slope creep and settlements. This is typically followed by a land slide in future storm events that will threaten the road. To be pro-active, and instead of building an expensive retaining wall, stitch piers are proposed to help prevent the roadway from sliding. The stitch piers are 18” in diameter and extend 20 linear feet deep into the ground.
On March 10, 2026, the Board of Supervisors authorized creation of the “Mt Veeder Road MPM 4.3 and MPM 3.25 Project, RDS 26-24” (Project 26024) and a budget transfer of $456,986 was allocated for the project using the Roads Fund (Fund 2040, Sub-Division 2040000). Of this amount, $376,986 was allocated for design services and $80,000 for staff time.
The Board authorized advertising for the project on June 2, 2026, and the Public Works staff opened bids on July 7, 2026, with the results listed below:
Piazza Construction Penngrove, CA $1,268,000
Gordon N. Ball, Inc. Walnut Creek, CA $1,396,878
Rege Construction Cloverdale, CA $1,407,624
Maggiora & Ghilotti San Rafael, CA $1,515,515
Ghilotti Construction Company, Inc. Santa Rosa, CA $1,520,511
Granite Construction Company Ukiah, CA $1,549,758
North Bay Excavation Valley Ford, CA $1,596,357
Wright Construction Engineering Corp. San Marcos, CA $1,721,136
The engineer's estimate was $1,600,000. Staff recommends award to Piazza Construction for their responsive total bid of $1,268,000. Construction is anticipated to commence in August 2026 and to be completed by November of 2026, weather and site conditions permitting. A 20% construction contingency of $253,600 is requested for any unforeseen items of work. $14,199 for Design and Engineering Consultant, $25,000 for Engineering Consultant Contingency, $240,000 for Construction Management, $160,000 for County Project management and administration, $250,000 for Environmental, Geotechnical and Special Inspections and $10,000 for any Mailers, Newspaper Advertisements and Permits. The total project budget is $2,677,785 of which $456,986 was already approved by the board on March 10, 2026.
Included in the Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget is $7 million in Project RDS01 for a list of 2025 November Storm projects with not-to-exceed project amounts approved by the Board. Mt Veeder Road MPM 4.3 and MPM 3.25 also known as Mt. Veeder Rd. at Lokoya (26024) was on the list with a not-to-exceed amount of $3,000,000. With respect to this agenda item, a budget amendment and subsequent transfer of funds will be prepared to reallocate $2,220,799 from RDS01 to Project 26024. These actions will be reviewed and approved by the County Executive Office and the Auditor-Controller Office to ensure compliance with the adopted budget and availability of funds.
Piazza Construction is not a local vendor; however, the Public Contract Code requires that the construction contract be awarded to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder regardless of whether the low bidder is local or not. Staff reached out to the local construction contractor community by advertising the request for bids in the Napa Valley Register, Solano-Napa Builder's Exchange, OpenGov and by posting on the County website. Staff also sent "Notices to Contractors" to the local construction community.
Requested Actions:
1. Award of a construction contract for the “Mt Veeder Road MPM 4.3 and MPM 3.25 Project, RDS 26-24” to Piazza Construction for their low total bid of $1,268,000 and authorization for the Chair to sign the construction contract.
FISCAL IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
Yes |
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Where is this budgeted? |
Roads Fund, Division 20405 |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
Repairs are necessary to prevent further damage and ensure public safety. |
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Is the general fund affected? |
No |
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Future fiscal impact: |
Funding will be needed in FY 26-27 for permitting and construction. Permits may require mitigation planting and monitoring for up to 10 years after construction completion. |
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Consequences if not approved: |
Slides could damage more of the roadways which could potentially remove road access for residents and result in a major disruption of emergency response in the affected areas. |
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Strategic Initiative |
Build healthy, connected communities. |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: Consideration and possible adoption of a Categorical Exemption Class 1: It has been determined that this type of project does not have a significant effect on the environment and is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act. See Class 1 (“Existing Facilities”) which may be found in the guidelines for the implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act at 14 CCR §15301; see also Napa County’s Local Procedures for Implementing the California Environmental Quality Act, Appendix B.]