CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Adopt the resolution approving the IDOT low bid award for Construction of the North Aurora Road Underpass at the CN Railroad project in the amount of $33,197,029.63
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: Matt Calpin, P.E., Project Engineer
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
In 2006 the City of Naperville, the City of Aurora, and Naperville Township entered into an intergovernmental agreement which has been amended by the First through Fifth Amendments as the project moved forward with various phases to replace and widen the existing highway underpass on North Aurora Road at the Elgin, Joliet, & Eastern Railway Company’s Railway Company’s Railroad Crossing (the “North Aurora Road Widening Project” or “NAR Project”).
The City of Naperville is the Lead Local Agency for the NAR Project and to date the City of Naperville, the City of Aurora, and Naperville Township have spent approximately $6,500,000 on the NAR Project for easements, land acquisition, preliminary and design engineering, environmental services, and utility coordination.
In addition to the local funding described above, the NAR Project is supported by $40,000,000 of external funding. Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) has committed $25,000,000 of STP Shared Funding for the NAR Project and IDOT has committed $15,000,000 for the NAR Project through the Grade Crossing Protection Fund (GCPF). If these funds are not used, they become eligible for redistribution to other projects. If the project is delayed, there is no guarantee that this amount of external funding for the NAR Project will be available in the future.
DISCUSSION:
On April 25, 2025, bids for the NAR Project were opened and the low bid came in $7,400,000 higher than the engineer’s estimate. In order to defray the gap in the cost between the engineer’s estimate and the actual low bid cost, the City of Naperville is seeking additional funding from CMAP, GCPF, and Wisconsin Central Ltd. Railroad Company.
Some or all of the additional NAR Project costs resulting from the low bid funding gap may be funded by additional external funding resources mentioned above. Depending on the extent of additional funding obtained for the NAR Project, the low bid funding gap results in the local share funding for the City of Naperville ranging between $2,688,654 and $6,943,654, which includes a 15% contingency.
In order to move forward with the project, the City of Naperville and the City of Aurora must be willing to accept the low bid of $33,197,029.63 (which includes the $7,400,000 of unanticipated costs) and share equally in the payment of the low bid costs to the extent that those costs are not covered by other funding sources. Since Naperville Township’s current obligation within the 5th Amendment to the IGA will not be impacted by an obligation to contribute to the low bid funding gap, their approval of the low bid is not required.
IDOT has requested that approval be submitted by the City of Naperville, as lead local agency, before the end of May in order to move forward with the low bid. An amendment of the intergovernmental agreement between the parties will be necessary.
Subject to approval by the City of Aurora to accept the low bid of $33,197,029.63 and to share equally with the City of Naperville in the payment of the low bid funding gap to the extent that those costs are not covered by other funding sources, staff recommends that the City Council agree to accept the low bid of $33,197,029.63 and to share equally with the City of Aurora in the payment of the low bid funding gap to the extent that those costs are not covered by other funding sources.
FISCAL IMPACT:
CIP #: BR005
The low bid funding gap results in the local share funding for the City of Naperville ranging between $2,688,654 and $6,943,654, which includes a 15% contingency. The appropriated $2,817,469.32 in Rebuild Illinois funds will be applied to the City’s share of the construction costs for the improvements to the North Aurora Road Underpass project. All remaining costs will be expensed to the Capital Projects Fund. The costs noted above will be expensed to the following accounts within the Motor Fuel Tax Fund, which is where the Rebuild Illinois funds are held, and the Capital Projects Fund.
|
Account Number |
Fund Description |
Total Budget Amount |
|
30282500-551502 |
Motor Fuel Tax Fund |
$7,000,000 |
|
30282200-551502 |
Capital Projects Fund |
$12,350,780 |