TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Steven Lederer, Director of Public Works
REPORT BY: Graham Wadsworth, P.E., Engineering Supervisor
SUBJECT: Award a Construction Contract for the Dry Creek Road Bridge over Dry Creek Replacement Project, RDS 15-22
RECOMMENDATION
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Reject the low bid from Steelhead Constructors Assoc. Joint Venture as non-responsive, award a construction contract to Gordon N. Ball for their low bid of $6,331,821 for the replacement of the Dry Creek Road Bridge over Dry Creek; approve and authorize Amendment 1 to Agreement No. 250223B with Bureau Veritas for a contract maximum of $162,751 for construction management services; and approve a Budget Amendment for the construction and construction management services. (Fiscal Impact: $9,056,050 Expense; Capital Improvement Fund; Not Budgeted; Discretionary)
[4/5 vote required]
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BACKGROUND
The Dry Creek Road Bridge over Dry Creek (0.8 miles west of Mt. Veeder Rd.) is over 100 years old. Caltrans identified the bridge as structurally deficient, functionally obsolete, and unstable due to scour under the north abutment. The substructure of the existing bridge has cracking and weathering of the mortar in the joints of the stone masonry abutments. The top section of the retaining wall near the north abutment has broken away and is leaning outward horizontally. The width is only 18 feet between the barriers, which does not meet the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) standard of 11-foot minimum lanes. AASHTO is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols, and guidelines that are used in highway design.
The proposed bridge structure would consist of an approximately 80-foot-long by 32-foot-wide single- span concrete slab bridge that would be constructed on pre-cast and pre-stressed concrete girders. The project also includes 900 feet of new roadway to remove two curves in Dry Creek Road. County staff anticipates that the contractor will build the project in four stages to minimize the disruption to traffic and this would require work in Dry Creek over two summers.
On September 20, 2024, Caltrans authorized Napa County to proceed with construction and our goal is to commence construction in the spring of 2025. On September 24, 2024, the Board approved the bid documents and authorized the Director of Public Works to advertise for bids. On January 25, 2025, staff reached out to the local construction contractor community by advertising the Notice to Bidders in the Napa Valley Register and the Solano-Napa Builder’s Exchange, and by posting on the County website. Staff also sent “Notices to Contractors” to the local construction community.
Public Works Department staff opened 11 bids on February 21, 2025, and the bid results are attached. The third lowest bid was 4.7% higher than the low bid, which indicates that the contractors understood the bid documents and the bids are competitive. Because the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is funding 88.53% of the construction and Caltrans is administering the funds, Napa County staff submitted the bid documents to Caltrans and they approved including a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Goal of 22% in the bid documents. The lowest responsive bidder, Steelhead Constructors Assoc. Joint Venture of Redding, CA, submitted a bid with a 4.4% DBE Goal, the second lowest responsive bidder, Gordon N. Ball, Inc. of Walnut Creek, CA, submitted a bid with a 22% DBE Goal, and the third lowest responsive bidder, Minerva Construction, Inc. of San Francisco, CA, submitted a bid with a 36% DBE Goal.
Steelhead Constructors Assoc. Joint Venture (SCJV) submitted the Good Faith Effort (GFE) documentation of SCJV’s attempt to meet or exceed the DBE goal as was required in the Caltrans Local Assistance Procedures Manual before the deadline. Caltrans and Napa County staff determined that SCJV did not make an adequate GFE and staff recommends the Board reject SCJV’s bid as non-responsive, because awarding the contract to SCJV would jeopardize the FHWA funding.
Staff recommends awarding the contract to the second lowest responsive bidder, Gordon N. Ball, Inc. for $6,331,821, which is lower than the engineer's construction cost estimate of $6,650,000.
Caltrans agreed to reimburse 88.53% of the expenses with federal Highway Bridge Program (HBP) funding and reimburse 11.47% with Toll Credits. There are some costs that are not eligible for reimbursement. Because the HBP is a reimbursement program, Napa County is required to pay the project expenses up front and request reimbursement from Caltrans; therefore, staff is recommending the Board approve a Budget Amendment for the $9,056,050 shown in the attached budget table. All reimbursements will be returned to the source of the original funds (Roads or Capital Improvement Fund) for use on future projects. The project budget includes an estimated $1,615,416 for construction management and $341,600 for offsite mitigation at the Bale Slough Restoration Project, which is required in the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Streambed Alteration Agreement.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife Streambed Alteration Agreement requires Napa County to conduct time sensitive pre-construction biological surveys and prepare a fish relocation plan for approval, which we cannot delay any longer. There are also additional pre-construction services that staff want Bureau Veritas staff to perform to help keep the construction on schedule. County staff negotiated the amendment, County Counsel approved it as to form, and staff recommends approval.
Requested Action:
1. Reject the bid from Steelhead Constructors Assoc. Joint Venture; and
2. Award the Contract to Gordon N. Ball, Inc. for the replacement of the Dry Creek Road Bridge over Dry Creek for their low base bid of $6,331,821; and
3. Approve Amendment 1 to Agreement No. 250223B to Bureau Veritas of Sacramento, California for additional pre-construction services; and
3. Approval of a Budget Amendment for the following (4/5 vote required):
a. Increase Transfer Out appropriations by $9,056,050 in Capital Improvement Fund (CIF) (Fund 3000, Sub-Division 3000000, Account 56100) offset by use of its available fund balance to transfer to Project 14009 (Fund 2040, Sub-Division 2040500, Project 14009, Account 48200); and
b. Increase Construction Services appropriations by $9,056,050 in Project 14009 (Fund 2040, Sub- Division 2040500, Project 14009, Account 52360) offset by a transfer-in revenue from CIF.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
No |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
Construction funding is necessary to replace the bridge. |
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Is the general fund affected? |
No |
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Future fiscal impact: |
The Dry Creek Road Bridge Replacement Project is eligible for 88.53% Federal Highway Bridge Program (HBP) and 11.47% Toll Credit funding; however, some expenses may not be eligible and will be paid for by the Measure T funds. It is anticipated that all the construction will begin in Fiscal year 2024-25 and be completed in fiscal year 2026-27. After the County builds the new bridge, the County will need to maintain the bridge. |
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Consequences if not approved: |
The County could forfeit Federal HBP grant funds, would not replace the existing bridge, and might be required to return the HBP funding received to date. The bridge could fail in a future earthquake or flood, thus putting the safety of travelers on the bridge at risk. |
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Additional Information |
In Fiscal Year 2016-17, the Board budgeted $958,420 from the Roads Fund to cash flow the consultant and County staff expenses during design/engineering. Caltrans has reimbursed most of the expenses for design/engineering and right-of-way acquisitions to date. On July 13, 2021, the Board approved a $321,054 budget transfer from the Measure T fund. On December 14, 2021, the Board approved a $133,150 budget transfer from the Measure T fund. On June 7, 2022, the Board approved a $900,000 budget transfer from the Accumulated Capital Outlay (ACO). On February 28, 2023, the Board approved a $600,000 budget transfer from the ACO. On September 24, 2024, the Board approved a $175,000 budget transfer from the Capital Improvement Fund (formerly ACO). On November 12, 2024, the Board approved a $287,264 budget amendment from the Capital Improvement Fund. |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: On February 1, 2022, the Board adopted a Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Project. This project site is not on any of the lists of hazardous waste sites enumerated under Government code section 65962.5.