TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Steven Lederer - Director of Public Works - 707-259-8228
REPORT BY: Syed Ahsan Kazmi, Senior Traffic Engineer - Public Works - 707-259-8370
SUBJECT: Professional Services Agreement with Willdan Engineering for On-Call Traffic Engineering Support Services.
RECOMMENDATION
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Director of Public Works requests approval of and authorization for the Chair to sign an agreement with Willdan Engineering for a maximum of $60,000 per fiscal year for the term of May 1, 2022 through June 30, 2025 to provide on-call traffic engineering support services, including performance of radar speed studies, engineering and traffic surveys, and review/evaluation of private development proposals.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of this request is to obtain Willdan (consultant) services to provide traffic engineering support services and, if needed, process ongoing and pending private development use permit applications. The previous contract with Willdan expired June 30, 2020 and traffic-engineering services are required to prepare an engineering and traffic survey (ETS) report on 56 roadway segments. These 56 segments have speed limits that are either expired or will expire within 2022 and are required to be recertified with a new ETS to comply with the 7-year limitation set forth in the California Vehicle Code (CVC). Traffic engineering services are also needed in upcoming capital improvement paving and striping projects. In the event of a backlog, Willdan can also be used to provide review of Planning, Building and Environmental Services (PBES) private development projects.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN 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 it budgeted? |
Costs related to this agreement will be borne through the Roads Division Budget for traffic calming and speed studies and from grant/local funding related to capital improvement projects for complete street programs. Cost for peer review related services by consultant will be paid in the Public Works budget but reimbursed through Use Permit Application fees related to development projects. |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Is the general fund affected? |
Yes |
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Consequences if not approved: |
If the contract is not approved, the County may be unable to provide the following: review of traffic studies, preparation of CEQA documents, recommendations for proposed wineries, or responses to application requests. Further, if this contract is not approved, staff may be unable to complete the speed studies for enforcement and safety reasons and will be unable to prepare traffic calming studies. |
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County Strategic Plan pillar addressed: |
Effective and Open Government |
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.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
Traffic engineering services are provided by the Public Works Senior Traffic Engineer for a wide array of issues, including assessing roadway safety (and providing recommended solutions), setting speed limits, reviewing private development proposals, and reviews of many other aspects of our roadways. It very often occurs that the needs of the County exceed the time the Engineer has available, or require a specialized expertise not available on our staff. The County often calls on consultants to assist us with these needs.
Currently, the Department is in need of assistance to prepare engineering and traffic survey reports for 56 roadway segments and requires support in obtaining funding for and performing various Highway Safety Improvement Program funded projects. For this reason staff is requesting a new contract with Willdan as they can provide these services and have a history of good work experience (including performance of 45 earlier traffic surveys) in and with Napa County.
Also, Napa County is required by CEQA to conduct an environmental analysis of all discretionary permits submitted for approval. Wineries or other commercial projects generate potentially significant amounts of traffic and are often required to submit Traffic Impact Studies to evaluate potential traffic or traffic safety impacts. The Public Works Senior Traffic Engineer provides technical assistance to the Planning Division of the Planning, Building and Environmental Services (PBES) Department in addition to their various Public Works functions. Since the workload rises and falls based on the number of permits submitted, it is useful to have consultant resources available to assist with these reviews as needed.