TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Steven Lederer - Director of Public Works
REPORT BY: James Reese, Associate Engineer
SUBJECT: Chiles Pope Valley Road Bridge Replacement Project, RDS 15-23 Approval of Plans and Specifications and Authorization to Advertise for Bids.
RECOMMENDATION
title
Director of Public Works requests approval of plans and specification and authorization to advertise for sealed bids and opening of the bids at a time, date, and location to be published by the Director of Public Works pursuant to section 20150.8 of the Public Contract Code for the Chiles Pope Valley Road Bridge Replacement Project.
body
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Chiles-Pope Valley Road Bridge (No. 21C0075) over Chiles Creek is located 2.1 miles north of the intersection with Highway 128 and Chiles-Pope Valley Road. This project will replace the existing structurally deficient and scour critical bridge.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
|
Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
No |
|
Is it currently budgeted? |
Yes |
|
Where is it budgeted? |
Fund 2040, Org 2040500 and Project 14010. In Fiscal Year 2016-17, the Board budgeted $892,024 from the Roads Fund to cash flow the consultant and County staff expenses during design/engineering. On March 22, 2022, the Board approved a budget transfer to allow the County to use the Accumulated Capital Outlay Fund (ACO) to cash flow the design and engineering. As always, we will work to maximize our reimbursement from Caltrans. All reimbursements will be returned to the source of the original funds (Roads or ACO) for use on future projects. |
|
Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
|
Discretionary Justification: |
Approval of plans and specifications and authorization to advertise for bids is necessary to move the project forward to construction. |
|
Is the general fund affected? |
No |
|
Future fiscal impact: |
If this project is not allowed to move forward, then Napa County may be required to return all funds that have previously been reimbursed by Caltrans. If the project moves forward, the project estimated at $6,425,174 will proceed at an 88.53% federal reimbursement. |
|
Consequences if not approved: |
The project will not proceed to the construction phase and further damage at the foundations of the bridge could occur in later years, thus putting the safety of travelers on the bridge at risk. |
|
County Strategic Plan pillar addressed: |
Livable Economy for All |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable. On December 14, 2021, the Board adopted a Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Project.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The Napa County Public Works Department is responsible for maintaining 78 bridges that are included in the National Bridge Inventory. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides Highway Bridge Program (HBP) funding to replace bridges when needed and the State of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) administers the HBP in California.
On August 20, 2012, Caltrans issued a letter requesting that local agencies review their public highway bridges for potential replacement, rehabilitation, or preventive maintenance and to take necessary actions to address any public safety issues and to extend the life of our bridge inventory. County staff evaluated fourteen (14) bridges and prioritized eight (8) bridges for the first phase of the HBP. Caltrans and the FHWA programmed HBP funding to replace seven bridges, including the Chiles Pope Valley Road Bridge over Chiles Creek (21C-0075).
The County built the Chiles Pope Valley Road Bridge in 1907 and widened it in 1950. The Bridge is approximately 2.1 miles north of Highway 128 and Caltrans identified the bridge as Structurally Deficient and Scour Critical with a Sufficiency Rating (SR) rating of 53.9 (on a scale of 100). Caltrans designated Chiles Pope Road Bridge Replacement as eligible for 88.53% HBP funding. The purpose of this replacement project is to provide a safe, functional, and reliable crossing over Chiles Creek on Chiles - Pope Valley Road.
County staff acquired the necessary easements, obtained regulatory permits, and incorporated the environmental mitigation measures and permit conditions into the plans and specifications. Caltrans authorized the County to proceed with constructing a two-span concrete bridge and the bid documents are ready to advertise to contractors. To accelerate the construction in 2024, the plan is to close Chiles - Pope Valley Road at the bridge for five months, let the contractor work two shifts per day to rebuild the bridge, and detour traffic to Lower Chiles Valley Road and Highway 128 during the construction. People will be able to access Moore Creek Park and other properties west of the bridge from Highway 128. There are two homes between the bridge and Lower Chiles Valley Road. The detour should add less than 10 minutes to the drive; however, the accelerated construction should allow emergency services vehicles to begin using the new bridge in September 2024. The county has acquired all necessary permits on condition of providing an accepted mitigation plan to CDFW.
It is recommended that the Board authorize advertisement of the Chiles Pope Bridge Replacement project.