Public Works Committee

TUMWATER PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING March 21, 2024 Page 1 CONVENE: 8:00 a.m. PRESENT: Chair Eileen Swarthout and Councilmembers Michael Althauser and Angela Jefferson. Staff: City Administrator Lisa Parks, City Attorney Karen Kirkpatrick, Finance Director Troy Niemeyer, Transportation and Engineering Director Brandon Hicks, Assistant Transportation and Engineering Director Mary Heather Ames, Engineering Services Manager Bill Lindauer, Communications Manager Ann Cook, Construction Engineer Colby Fletcher, and Administrative Assistant Cathy Nielsen. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE, FEBRUARY 22, 2024: MOTION: Councilmember Jefferson moved, seconded by Councilmember Althauser, to approve the minutes of February 22, 2024, as published. A voice vote approved the motion unanimously. INTERSTATE 5 / Manager Lindauer updated members on the status of the Interstate 5/Trosper TROSPER ROAD / Road/Capitol Boulevard Reconfiguration Project. CAPITOL BOULEVARD Manager Lindauer shared an exhibit reflecting the project limits. All RECONFIGURATION infrastructure (water, sewer, storm, underground utilities and overhead PROJECT UPDATE: utilities) located within the project area will be restored and all overhead utilities will be undergrounded within the project limits. The reconstruction of Lee Street includes a pavement overlay and minor storm drainage improvements. The project includes a new road from Lee Street to Trosper Road serving as 6th Avenue. A new roundabout is included on 6th Avenue serving northbound on and off freeway ramps to include realignment of existing ramps. On Trosper Road, a new roundabout will be constructed as well as a roundabout at the Capitol Boulevard and Trosper Road intersection with full improvements along Trosper Road within the project area. The road off Trosper Road connecting to Linda Street is a new addition with other improvements on Linda Street. Since January 2023, the project has been in construction. All undergrounding components of the project are completed. Approximately 1,560 feet of new sanitary sewer was installed along Capitol Boulevard. Approximately 3,250 feet of water lines were replaced along with replacement of the storm drainage system to incorporate water quality and quantity control for portions of the project of approximately 4,020 feet. The joint utility trench for conversion of overhead utility lines to underground (Puget Sound Energy, Comcast, and TUMWATER PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING March 21, 2024 Page 2 other providers) spanned approximately 1,550 feet. Except for final connections, most utility work has been completed. The Sixth Avenue connector was completed. The connector road connects Lee Street to Trosper Road. The 6th Avenue and northbound I-5 ramp roundabout is substantially completed and fully functional. The Trosper Road and the 6th Avenue roundabout was completed along with a small component of the northbound on ramp on the north side of Capitol Boulevard. State northbound on and off ramps are fully functional. Much work was completed on Linda Street and the Trosper Road extension with the exception of final paving to complete those portions of the project. The Lee Street reconstruction component was completed as well the stormwater pond. In the last 15 months, the contractor has been busy and completed many of the project elements required to move the project forward. Manager Lindauer shared photographs of the project components. One photo was the new roundabout at Trosper Road and 6th Avenue. The roundabout was difficult to construct because of changes in grade. The roundabout central island has been completed along with the sidewalks. Beacons were installed for pedestrians. The roundabout at 6th Avenue and the I-5 northbound ramps also encountered changes in grade between the new roundabout and existing ramps. The change in grade required construction staging with the contractor applying different solutions to solve the problem. Subsequently, the roundabout was constructed in two segments to resolve the grade issue. Councilmember Althauser noted that the grade of the roundabout for the I-5 northbound ramps appear to enable driving onto the roundabout. He asked whether that feature was selected to enable access by emergency vehicles as other roundabouts lack the same feature. Manager Lindauer explained that the roundabout includes a larger truck apron. Typically, cars do not drive on the asphalt truck apron because it is designed to accommodate trucks exiting or entering the freeway. Manager Lindauer reported the northbound on and off ramps were closed for 10 days to accommodate removal of the existing ramps in order to grade and build the new ramps. It speaks to the example of the benefits of a road closure to achieve cost and time savings. The inconvenience to the public was reduced to a specific timeframe. Manager Lindauer shared a photo of the new stormwater pond for City right- of-way. The pond is secured along the perimeter by a black chain link fence with an access road to the pond for maintenance. The Capitol Boulevard/Trosper Road roundabout is the next project to complete. The contractor is forecasting a May/June completion date. Work on the project has been initiated with the most complicated component, construction of the central island, requiring some existing lane shifts to keep TUMWATER PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING March 21, 2024 Page 3 traffic moving through the area during construction. Approximately 90% of the concrete work has been completed. Other pending components include clean-up work and final work on Linda Street frontage and the Trosper Road extension. Final asphalt paving operations along Trosper Road and Capitol Boulevard are scheduled during the night to reduce traffic impacts over the next several months. The final project work includes clean-up, illumination, and landscaping. Approximately 80% of the project has been completed. When the project was initiated in January 2023, staff anticipated completing the project by mid-2024. Currently, the project is on schedule for completion with substantial completion estimated in July 2024. All physical completion of the project is projected by September 2024 followed by closeout of the project by the end of the year. The project bid was $12,150,150.00 with current cost estimates 6% over the bid. Projections occurred during the course of the project to account for unit bid pricing for overages and underages on each item. Staff evaluates costs monthly. The 6% overage is a combination of unforeseen conditions discovered during construction, required design changes, and other choices of adding or adjusting specific components of the project that benefitted the City. The projected construction is projected to be 13% to 18% over the bid at the time of project completion. Councilmember Althauser asked whether the City includes a contingency in the project budget to account for any additional costs. Manager Lindauer said the average contingency is 10% or below. If the amount is over 10%, the Council is required to approve the overage. Director Hicks acknowledged employees who played critical roles in the project by both Manager Lindauer’s team and Manager Cook’s team. The project entailed a joint effort because the City has never encountered so much public outreach and engagement for a project. Without the assistance of Manager Ann Cook and Specialist Marnie McGrath, it would not have been possible for the department’s team to contact all local businesses and others located within the project area. David Mills serving as the primary inspector for the project has been with the City for many years and is an important link between the City and the contractor. Colby Fletcher, a new employee, transformed the department’s capital construction program and contributed much experience from his prior employment with the Washington State Department of Transportation. He was promoted to Construction Engineer and will serve as the primary lead for all City infrastructure projects moving forward. Credits are deserving to both Manager Lindauer’s team and Manager Cook’s team. Manager Lindauer said the project progressed smoothly because of the combined efforts of the teams to include the construction team. TUMWATER PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING March 21, 2024 Page 4 The committee acknowledged and thanked staff for their efforts on the project to reduce impacts to local businesses and people traveling through the City. Councilmember Jefferson suggested considering official recognition of both demonstrated leadership and teamwork as the efforts serve as an example of excellence. City Administrator Parks echoed similar recognition of the teams and said staff plans to consider a way to celebrate the teams’ excellence. ADJOURNMENT: With there being no further business, Chair Swarthout adjourned the meeting at 8:28 a.m. Prepared by Valerie L. Gow, Recording Secretary/President Puget Sound Meeting Services, psmsoly@earthlink.net