Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Department of Public Works

 

TO:

Mike Wildgen, Dave Corliss, Debbie Van Saun

FROM:

Chuck Soules

CC:

Terese Gorman, David Woosley

Date:

January 25, 2005

RE:

January 25, 2005 Agenda Item

City Project No. 32-AC1-604(BD)

State Project No. 10-23 K-9667-01

23rd Street, Iowa to Louisiana

Access Management Improvements

 

Please include the following item on the City Commission agenda for consideration at the January 25, 2005 meeting:

Engineering Contract.   HNTB Corporation was hired by the City Commission on October 5, 2004 to prepare plans for access management improvements on 23rd Street between Iowa and Louisiana.

 

Project History.  In July 2003, the City applied for Economic Development funds from the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) along 23rd Street between Iowa and Louisiana.  This project will reduce the number of access points onto 23rd Street through the purchase and consolidation of curb cuts and acquisition of public access easements, as detailed in the 23rd Street Corridor Study that was completed by the City in September 2002.  These improvements will satisfy two primary goals of better access for area businesses, and safer driving for motorists using 23rd Street.

Project Status.  The City began the selection process to hire a design engineer in June 2004.  Letters were mailed to 12 engineering companies.  Four firms were selected to interview:  HNTB Corporation, Bucher, Willis & Ratliff Corporation, BG Consultants, Inc., and TranSystems Corporation.  A committee consisting of Linda Finger, Bill Ahrens, Chuck Soules, David Woosley, and Terese Gorman selected HNTB Corporation.

 

As an initial step, the project team has conducted a walk-through of the project corridor and identified locations of potential access improvements that could be made.  During the walk-through, the project team also reviewed the recommendations from the report.  The next step will be to meet with the property owners and/or tenants of the properties to discuss the potential improvements.  After one on one meetings are held, the project team will prioritize the locations based on the improvement that can be made as well as by estimated cost to perform the improvement.

 

Project Details.  The committee met with HNTB to determine the scope of services for this project.  The project is unique because the design engineering is not the main focus of the project.  The intent is to follow the adopted 23rd Street Corridor Study, and each affected property owner will be met with at least twice to discuss the access modifications and their business operations to determine what changes are feasible.  So, looking at various alternatives and solutions will be a significant part of this scope.

 

HNTB Corporation proposed an engineering contract in the amount of $149,598 which was accepted by the City Commission.  Although this is higher than originally estimated, it reflects the many meetings that need to occur with each property owner to determine their specific needs.  The plan is to stay within the original construction budget established by KDOT.  This means we may not be able to improve the access for all the properties between Iowa and Louisiana as recommended by the 23rd Street Corridor Study, but we will improve the access to as many properties as possible within the established budget.

 

Project Funding.  The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) selected this project for funding in April 2004.  The application proposed the City share as 25% or $234,000; however, KDOT proposed selecting the project with a City share near 50% or $436,000.  KDOT would participate in 75% of the construction and construction engineering costs (estimated cost = $725,500) up to a maximum of $500,000.  The City would be responsible for the remaining 25% of these costs plus 100% of the preliminary engineering (design), right-of-way and easement acquisition, and utility relocation costs (estimated cost = $211,000).  The City Commission discussed this alternative funding scenario on February 10, 2004 and agreed to accept it, if this project was funded.  So the total estimated City share of this project is $436,000.  Resolution No. 6568 was adopted on October 5, 2004 authorizing the issuance of bonds in the amount of $550,000 for these access management improvements on 23rd Street between Iowa and Louisiana.

 

Action Request.  Presentation by HNTB detailing the project approach, describing the process and public involvement, and receive comments, feedback, and concurrence from the City Commission on this approach.