TITLE: Title
Contract Authorization and Project Ordinance Update for Signal Work associated with the East Main Street Restriping Project
PURPOSE: The purpose of this agenda item is to provide the Council with the opportunity to authorize the Town Manager to execute a contract for the traffic signal work and approve the revised project ordinance for the East Main Street restriping project.
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DEPARTMENT: Public Works, Planning and Finance
CONTACT INFORMATION: Ben Schmadeke, Capital Projects Manager, 919-918-7424, bchmadeke@carrboronc.gov <mailto:bchmadeke@carrboronc.gov>; Christina Moon, Planning Administrator, 919-918-7325, cmoon@carrboronc.gov <mailto:cmoon@carrboronc.gov>; Arche McAdoo, Finance Director, 919-918-7439, amcadoo@carrboronc.gov <mailto:amcadoo@carrboronc.gov>
INFORMATION: NCDOT is scheduled to begin the East Main Street resurfacing project in mid-May. Work will involve, milling, repaving, and the installation of new pavement markings to include bike lanes. The Town is responsible for arranging for the necessary changes to the traffic signals to accommodate the new lane configuration. On March 18th, staff sent out a request for bids to 29 vendors on NCDOT’s prequalified list for signal work who were either classified as minority/woman-owned businesses (MWBE), historically underutilized businesses (HUB) or identified as a firm that works in Orange County. Two firms submitted quotes by the April 8th deadline. A summary of the bid results is provided in Table 1 below.
Table 1 - Summary of Bids
|
Bidder |
Bid Amount |
North Carolina certified HUB? |
|
TCD |
$119,565.00 |
No |
|
Fulcher Electric |
$148,916.60 |
No |
Schedule
The resurfacing project is scheduled to begin in mid-May and anticipated to be completed in approximately 5 weeks. The work schedule will be dictated by NCDOT and their contractor, Sunrock, and will be weather dependent. The signal work will be completed in tandem with the NCDOT resurfacing with final completion to occur at the same time. Town staff will be providing updates to the community prior to and during construction to inform of traffic disruptions and traffic pattern changes; a more definitive schedule should be available after the preconstruction meeting.
Background
In 2018, the Town hired Stantec, a transportation engineering firm to prepare a capacity analysis and subsequently a new pavement marking plan and signal plan to allow for East Main Street to be reconfigured from the existing four lane cross section to three lanes (two travel lanes and a center turn lane) and bike lanes as part of NCDOT’s regularly scheduled resurfacing project. The project was delayed twice, first due to NCDOT schedule changes and more recently due to an OWASA pipe replacement project. The resurfacing work will include East Main Street from Jones Ferry Road to the Town’s eastern boundary with Chapel Hill at Rosemary Street and Merritt Mill Road. The new cross section design will affect the eastern portion of corridor from Chapel Hill to the intersection with West Weaver Street and Roberson Street (Attachment C). West Franklin Street is part of the same NCDOT resurfacing project, and the Town of Chapel Hill has likewise engaged an engineering firm to prepare a capacity analysis and new cross section design.
The final plan in Carrboro will include the new lane configuration, traffic signal changes and green pavement markings. NCDOT will install standard white pavement markings as part of the resurfacing, and the traffic signal work must be completed in tandem. Staff is evaluating options for the installation of the green pavement markings as either a separate standalone bid or as part of the advertisement for the bike loop detector project. Staff had anticipated advertising the bike loop project at the same time as the signal work but had to shift focus to ensure that the Town would have a signal contractor procured and ready to mobilize at the same time as NCDOT’s resurfacing contractor.
The installation of bike lanes along this important corridor will greatly improve bicycle safety for all users, furthering the Town’s goals toward equity and climate action.
FISCAL & STAFF IMPACT: The cost of the signal work is $119,565. Staff impacts will involve project management, coordination with NCDOT and the Town of Chapel Hill, and public communication relating to possible lane closures. The Town of Chapel Hill will provide the field inspections for the installation under the existing traffic signal maintenance agreement between Carrboro and Chapel Hill.
RECOMMENDATION:r Staff recommends that the Council consider the resolutions (Attachments A and B) authorizing the Town Manager to award the contract to TCD (Traffic Control Devices, LLC) and updating the Project Ordinance to reflect the current project costs. The Council reserves the right to reject any or all proposals.