Title
SW 62nd Boulevard Connector - Various Actions Relating to Construction (B)
Explanation
The SW 62nd Boulevard Connector project consists of construction of a 1.1 mile new roadway facility from SW 43rd Streett/Clark Butler Boulevard to SW 52nd Street. The roadway cross section includes 11 ft travel lanes, 7 ft bike lanes and a 10 ft multi-use path. The purpose of the project is to provide an interconnected, multimodal grid system in accordance with the City’s Comprehensive Plan. Additionally, the project will provide traffic congestion relief to I-75, SW 34th Street, Archer Road, SW 20th Ave and Newberry Road.
The right-of-way acquisition, design and construction are fully funded by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) by federal and state grants earmarked for the corridor; the project design and permitting is being delivered by the City on behalf of FDOT via a Local Agency Program (LAP) Agreement. The final design & permitting phase is on-going and final design plans & permits are required to be delivered to FDOT by February 2022 to meet the funding obligations of the design & permitting LAP Agreement. FDOT will require the City to enter into additional agreements to transfer the right-of-way FDOT acquired to the City and to fund the construction and inspections phases of the project. As such, this item involves a Resolution authorizing the City Manager or designee to execute and enter into agreements, and other documents with FDOT for the Project on behalf of the City.
The project impacts wetlands and wetland buffers which will require permitting and mitigation. Wetland impacts are regulated by the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) with pre-emption Legislation. Wetland buffer impacts are regulated by the City, Alachua County via the Countywide Wetland Protection Code and SJRWMD; the County Code is the most stringent regulation. Community Builders have reviewed the applicable codes and mitigation options and developed the following proposal as the most cost effective plan for mitigation: 1) Wetland mitigation via purchase of credits from Mill Creek Mitigation Bank, and 2) Wetland buffer mitigation via design and Phase I construction of the Biven’s Arm Wetland Boardwalk marsh restoration. Since the wetland mitigation is a State requirement, the cost associated with the mitigation is reimbursable with FDOT grant funding. However, since the buffer mitigation is a local requirement, the mitigation costs will be funded with local funds. The Biven’s Arm project is currently partially funded with Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs budget allocations.
A constructability review and construction engineering and inspections for the project is proposed to be completed by a hired consultant which will be funded by FDOT. In accordance with the Competitive Consultants Negotiations Act, proposals were solicited under RFP #PWDA-22004-MS - SW 62nd Blvd Connector CEI (Federal Funds). A total of seven proposals were received by the solicitation deadline; three proposal were deemed non-responsive for not complying with the instructions contained in the RFP. The remaining four proposals were evaluated and were selected to provide oral presentations. The evaluation team ranked the respondents as follows: 1) Kinsinger Campo & Associates Corp; 2) EXP US Services; 3) Johnson, Mirmiran, & Thompson; and 4) Ally Engineering Services, Inc.
The project design and permitting is on schedule to be complete February 2022. Construction is scheduled to commence Fall 2022 and reach final completion Fall 2024.
Strategic Connection
This item is connected to Goal 3: A Great Place to Live and Experience in the City’s Strategic Plan and is a normal priority item. This item is related to Vision Zero which is a top priority item.
Fiscal Note
The total estimated project cost is $15.1M, which includes an approximate 9% contingency for unforeseen conditions.
FDOT will be providing approximately $13.1 million for the construction and wetland credit mitigation purchase for the project through LAP Agreements. The current construction cost is estimated to be $11.5 million and the wetland mitigation is estimated to be $562,500 (4.5 credits at $125,000 per credit; total number of credits required is pending review by the water management district).
The Biven’s Arm Wetland Boardwalk marsh restoration and phasing plan is estimated to cost $100,000 which will be funded with local funds contained in Local Option Gas Tax Fund; there is currently $1.99 million allocated in the budget for SW 62nd Blvd Corridor (the remaining funds will be utilized to resurface the roadway from Newberry Rd to SW 20th Ave). Phase I construction will be funded with local funds contained in General Capital Projects fund; there is currently $213,000 allocated in the budget for this project which will be leverage for additional grant funding.
FDOT will be providing approximately $2 million for the constructability review and construction engineering & inspections for the project through LAP Agreements. The current estimate for this scope of work is $1.65 million.
Recommendation
The City Commission: 1) Adopt the Resolution which authorizes the City Manager or designee to execute agreements, and any other necessary documents with FDOT pertaining to this project, subject to approval of the City Attorney or designee as to form and legality; 2) Authorize the City Manager or designee to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with Alachua County for wetland and wetland buffer mitigation for this project, subject to approval of the City Attorney or designee as to form and legality; 3) Authorize the City Manager or designee to enter into a Sales Agreement with Mill Creek Mitigation Bank (JMM Land Ventures, LLC) for the purchase of wetland mitigation credits for this project, subject to the approval of the City Attorney or designee as to form and legality; and 4) Accept the evaluation team’s selection of the four most qualified firms for RFP #PWDA-22004-MS - SW 62nd Blvd Connector CEI (Federal Funds) in the order of rankings and authorize the City Manager or designee to initiate contract negotiations and execute a contract for professional services subject to approval by the City Attorney or designee as to form and legality.