CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Approve the award of Procurement 19-305, Construction Engineering Services for the North Aurora Road Widening, to TranSystems Corporation for an amount not to exceed $1,137,851
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: William J. Novack, Director
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
North Aurora Road is a minor arterial road with an average daily traffic of approximately 22,000 vehicles. The road is a primary connection between the cities of Naperville and Aurora and provides access to numerous businesses and subdivisions. North Aurora Road between Fairway Drive in Naperville and Pennsbury Lane in Aurora is a traffic bottleneck as the only remaining section of this corridor with a single lane for each direction for several miles on either side. The existing traffic already exceeds the capacity of the current roadway and is expected to grow to nearly 33,000 vehicles per day by 2040.
The City has been working on two projects to improve the North Aurora Road corridor between Illinois Route 59 and Eola Road that are included in the Naperville’s Roadway Improvement Plan. The first project (which is associated with this agenda item) is being conducted in partnership with the Naperville Township Road District to improve the roadway between Frontenac Road and Fairway Drive. The second project will improve the underpass at the CN/Wisconsin Central Railroad in collaboration with the Naperville Township Road District and the City of Aurora (as each agency has jurisdiction of a portion of the roadway along the corridor). The scope of the projects consists of widening the existing three lane road to accommodate two traffic lanes in each direction with a center turn lane, multi-use trail, sidewalk, roadway lighting and drainage enhancements.
In November 2007, the Transportation, Engineering and Development Business Group (TED) issued RFQ 08-111 seeking the services of an engineering firm to complete preliminary engineering services to widen and improve North Aurora Road from Frontenac Drive to Fairway Drive in accordance with federal Quality Based Selection requirements. Through the procurement process, the City hired TranSystems Corporation to complete the preliminary engineering services. As part of the RFQ, staff has the option to use the services of the successful vendor for the design engineering and construction engineering phases of the project.
The preliminary engineering report evaluated alternatives and established key elements of the project such as the roadway alignment, pavement profile and property impacts. A public involvement process was also included as part of the study. Following the completion of the preliminary engineering study, the City applied for federal funding. In December 2015, the City obtained $6,000,000 through the federal Surface Transportation Program (STP) to be applied to construction costs.
Once construction funding was secured, the City Council awarded TranSystems a contract in December 2016 to perform the detailed design engineering, land acquisition services, and permitting needed to begin construction of the roadway widening. Plans and specifications for the project are nearly complete.
The construction contract is currently scheduled for the March 2020 Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) letting pending completion of the necessary property acquisition along the corridor. Completion of construction is anticipated in late 2021.
DISCUSSION:
Staff recommends that the City exercise its right to retain the services of TranSystems Corporation to conduct the construction engineering phase of the project as allowed in the preliminary engineering services RFQ. TranSystems Corporation performed well as the City’s engineering consultant for the preliminary and design engineering of the project. Additionally, the project team has developed a long history of coordination with the key stakeholders to ensure the best possible project outcome. The consultant’s proposed hours are appropriate for the scope of work, project duration, and relative to somewhat similar projects (such as the improvements to Diehl Road that were completed in 2005).
The scope of the construction engineering work for the North Aurora Road project includes:
• Coordination with the contractor, IDOT, numerous utilities, and adjacent property owners;
• Documentation and review of materials and quantities; and
• On-site review of the work.
The Naperville Township Road District will be responsible for its proportionate share of the construction engineering services ($225,294.50). An amendment to the intergovernmental agreement with the Township which will address the cost share for both the construction engineering and construction phases of the project is currently under review and will be submitted for the City Council’s consideration in the near future.
FISCAL IMPACT:
CIP#: SC033 - North Aurora Road - Frontenac Road to Weston Ridge Drive
Engineering Services related to SC033 are expensed to the Capital Improvement Program accounts listed below. A total of $1,240,000 has been budgeted for SC033 professional services for 2019. The requested award of $1,137,851.00 is within the budgeted amount for this project.
|
Account Number |
Fund Description |
Total Budget Amount |
|
30282200-531301 |
Capital Projects Fund |
$951,724 |
|
30282300-531301 |
Bond Fund |
$1,922,976 |