TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Steven Lederer - Director of Public Works Public Works
REPORT BY: Graham Wadsworth, P.E., Engineering Supervisor
SUBJECT: Award of Construction Contract for Whitehall Lane Bridges Repair Project, RDS 20-31 and RDS 20-32
RECOMMENDATION
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Director of Public Works requests the following actions regarding the Whitehall Lane Bridges Repair Project, RDS 20-31 and RDS 20-32:
1. Award of a contract to Ashron Construction of Galt, California for their low base bid of $55,000 and authorize the Chair to sign the construction contract for the Whitehall Lane Bridges Repair Project; and
2. Approval of a Budget Transfer for the following (4/5 vote required):
a. Increase appropriations by $30,000 in the Accumulated Capital Outlay Fund (ACO) (Fund 3000, Org 3000000) with the use of its available fund balance; and
b. Increase appropriations by $30,000 in Whitehall Lane Bridge Repair Project, MPM 0.6 (Fund 2040, Org 2040500, Project R8220) offset by an increase in revenue from the transfer from the ACO budget.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
There are two stone arch bridges on Whitehall Lane near Mile Post Markers 0.6 and 0.9 that were damaged during the 2014 South Napa Earthquake. The project includes removing and replacing cracked mortar in the headwalls and barrier rails.
On June 21, 2022, the Board of Supervisors (BOS) approved plans and specifications and authorized the Director to advertise for sealed bids and opening of the bids pursuant to Section 20150.8 of the Public Contract Code. On August 18, 2022, contractors submitted four bids and Ashron Construction of Galt, California, submitted the lowest base bid of $55,000. Staff is now requesting the award of the construction contract.
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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Where is it budgeted? |
The existing budget for the Whitehall Lane Bridges Repair Project is $122,000 for Project R8210 and $84,000 for Project R8220 in Fund 2040 and Org 2040500. Staff is requesting $30,000 in additional funds from the Accumulated Capital Outlay Fund for construction, construction management, material testing, contingency, and County staff time for the Whitehall Lane MPM 0.6 Project (R8220). |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
Funds are needed to award the construction contract to improve public safety. Not repairing the bridges could jeopardize future FEMA funding for future earthquake repairs to the bridges. |
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Is the general fund affected? |
No |
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Future fiscal impact: |
It is anticipated that all the work will be completed in fiscal year 2022-23 and the Roads fund will pay for future maintenance work. |
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Consequences if not approved: |
If the Board does not award the contract, then construction could occur in later years, thus putting the safety of travelers on the bridge at risk. |
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County Strategic Plan pillar addressed: |
Healthy, Safe, and Welcoming Place to Live, Work, and Visit |
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Additional Information |
On 12/5/17, the Board approved budget transfers from the Accumulated Capital Outlay Fund into the Roads CIP Program with $122,000 for R8210 and $84,000 for R8220. |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is exempt from CEQA, as Per Title 14, California Code of Regulations, Chapter 3, Article 18, Section 15269, Emergency Projects (State CEQA Guidelines) which provides for the maintenance, repair, restoration, demolition, or replacement of property or facilities damaged or destroyed as a result of a disaster stricken area in which a state emergency has been proclaimed by the Governor(15269(a)); and specific actions necessary to prevent or mitigate an emergency(15269(c)) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
There are two 100-year-old stone masonry arch bridges on Whitehall Lane, which is located between Rutherford and the City of St. Helena. The 2014 South Napa Earthquake caused cracks in the stone masonry barrier rails and headwalls of the 10-foot long by 24-foot wide bridge at Mile Post Marker (MPM) 0.6 and the 16-foot long by 17-foot wide bridge at MPM 0.9 (measured from Highway 29). There are not any cracks in the masonry arches and there are not any concerns about the structural integrity of the bridges.
During the preliminary design, County and consultant staff proposed constructing concrete retaining walls behind the headwalls and a concrete barrier inside of the stone masonry bridge barriers to bring the bridges into compliance with current codes and standards. When Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) staff wrote the Project Worksheet, they only funded a repair project to bring the bridges back to the pre-disaster condition and did not include hazard mitigation funding to strengthen the bridges. FEMA policy also states that the County risks losing future public assistance funding for future earthquake damage if the County does not repair the bridge before the next major earthquake.
In February, 2021, FEMA completed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document for the project that included a condition to provide FEMA with final design documents for approval and to allow for FEMA at least 90 days prior to the planned construction. After FEMA approved $30,492 in funding on May 14, 2021, County staff evaluated the risks, determined that repairing the bridges to their pre-disaster condition was the preferred approach, and proceeded with a design that includes removing and replacing mortar in the headwalls and approximately a quarter of the area of the barrier rails while preserving the historic properties of the bridge. On May 17, 2022, County staff submitted the plans and specifications to CalOES for FEMA approval. On August 17, FEMA, CalOES and County staff discussed the federal historic preservation requirements and staff will issue a request for contract change order if needed once Staff receives final input from FEMA to help ensure that FEMA will reimburse the County for the project.
On June 21, 2022, the Board of Supervisors (BOS) approved plans and specifications and authorized the Director to advertise for sealed bids and opening of the bids pursuant to Section 20150.8 of the Public Contract Code. On August 18, 2022, contractors submitted four bids and Ashron Construction of Galt, California, submitted the lowest base bid of $55,000. Staff is now requesting the award of the construction contract. The bid results are attached to this Board Letter. The Engineer’s Estimate for the base bid is $65,000.
After reviewing the bid, staff recommends awarding the construction contract for the base bid to Ashron Construction. They are not a local vendor, but the Public Contract Code requires that the Board award the construction contract 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 and the Solano-Napa Builder's Exchange, and by posting on the County website.
The total estimated project cost with construction management and contingency is $236,000 as shown in the attached budget. Since the County will bid the work, it is likely that FEMA will pay the actual construction cost. However, FEMA might limit the reimbursement for the pre-construction phase to approximately 30% of the construction cost and the reimbursement for the total cost to approximately 96% of the actual construction cost. All funds received from FEMA will be returned to the ACO for use on other County projects.
If the Board awards the contract, staff anticipates that construction will commence in late September 2022 and the contractor will complete the work by November 2022, weather permitting. One lane traffic control is required during construction.