Agenda Item Wording:
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Design contract award and appropriation of funds - Authorize the City Manager to award a design contract to CWE for the Highland Community connectivity project in the amount of $674,983 and authorize the additional appropriation of funds in the amount of $703,000 from the Measure R Local Fund.
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Agenda Date: 06/01/2026
Prepared by:
Rudy Lopez, Associate Engineer, Rudy.Lopez@visalia.gov, (559) 713-4270
Dolores Verduzco, Financial Analyst, Dolores.Verduzco@visalia.gov (559) 713-4540
Rebecca Keenan, Senior Civil Engineer, Rebecca.Keenan@visalia.gov, (559) 713-4541
Chris Crawford, City Engineer, chris.crawford@visalia.gov, (559) 713-4331
Jason Huckleberry, Engineering and Building Department Director, Jason.Huckleberry@visalia.gov, (559) 713-4495
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends City Council:
1. Authorize the City Manager to award the design contract to CWE for the Highland Community connectivity project in the amount of $674,983; and
2. Authorize an additional appropriation of funds in the amount of $703,000 from the Measure R Local Fund (131) for the Project Approvals & Environmental documentation (PA&ED) and the Plans, Specifications and Estimates (PS&E) of the Highland Community connectivity project.
Summary:
The project will provide enhancements to improve the existing multi-modal transportation infrastructure within the Highland Elementary school boundary. The project is located on the following streets: W. Houston Ave. between N. Dinuba Blvd., & N. Santa Fe St., N. Court St., Pearl St., NW 1st Ave., W. Grove St. between NW 1st Ave., & N. Jacob St., W. Goshen Ave. between N. Jacob St. & N. Stevenson St., and W. Race Ave.
The project will construct traffic calming measures, one protected intersection, one traffic circle, and two raised intersections, 3,000 feet of class IV bike lanes along the south side of W. Houston Avenue, retrofitting of the existing and non-existing curb returns to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG) requirements, intersection modifications such as concrete paint bulb out curb return configurations, crosswalks to shorten crossings, and possible addition of 80 shade trees. This project also needs an additional appropriation of funds in the amount of $702,983 to subsidize the PA&ED and PS&E phases of the project and staff time for the two phases.
At this time, as per their design agreement, CWE has prepared a lump sum and optional time & materials not to exceed fee items cost proposal of $674,983.00.
The project is tentatively scheduled to begin at the end of May 2026. A topographic survey is anticipated to be completed by mid-summer 2026, followed by completion of the preliminary project design by December 2026. Public outreach meetings are planned for early 2027, with continued design submittals leading to anticipated final design completion by September 2027. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2028 and tentatively to be completed by late 2028.
Background Discussion:
On May 20, 2024, the City Council authorized the City Manager to submit the funding application for the 2024 Active Transportation program (ATP) Cycle 7 for The Highland Community connectivity project.
The ATP is a state-administered grant program created to encourage increased use of active modes of transportation. The purpose and goals of the ATP include the following:
• Increase the proportion of trips accomplished by biking and walking
• Increase the safety and mobility of nonmotorized users.
• Advance the active transportation efforts of regional agencies to achieve greenhouse gas reduction.
• Enhance public health, including reduction of childhood obesity.
• Ensure that disadvantaged communities fully share in the benefits of the program.
• Provide a broad spectrum of projects to benefit many types of active transportation users.
Cycle 7 of the ATP is funded by various federal and state funding sources. The ATP is a highly competitive statewide program and, in the State of California, is the only dedicated funding program for walking and biking projects. For Cycle 7, approximately $569 million was estimated to be available for award for active transportation projects. The Budget Act of 2024, signed by the Governor in June 2024, included a $400 million reduction to the ATP from General Funds appropriated to the program in the 2022 California State Budget. This reduction decreased the total funding availability for Cycle 7 of the ATP to approximately $169 million.
This reduction further increased the competitiveness of the program. A total of thirteen (13) projects were awarded funding through the Statewide and Small Urban and Rural components of the Active Transportation Program. The City of Visalia was awarded funding for three (3) projects, receiving a combined total of $51,468,000 in ATP funds to support projects that encourage the increased use of active modes of transportation.
The Highland Community connectivity project was one of three projects awarded to the City. The award provides funding for both the Infrastructure (IF) component, which supports construction of corridor improvements, and a separate Non-Infrastructure (NI) component focused on public education and outreach.
Infrastructure Component (IF):
The Highland Community connectivity project as submitted through the Active Transportation Program application, is an improvement project within the Highland Elementary attendance boundary in north Visalia consisting of multimodal improvements.
The Highland project is a continuation of the Houston Community Connectivity project along W. Houston Ave. It extends approximately 150 feet east of N. Willis St.to the Santa Fe roundabout, following a similar design. The project will eliminate on-street parking on both sides of W. Houston Avenue to accommodate Class II bike lanes on the north side and Class IV protected bike lanes on the south side.
Along the Houston Avenue corridor, the project improvements will include a protected intersection at W. Houston Ave. and Dinuba Boulevard, along with enhanced striping, crosswalks, and accessible curb ramps to improve pedestrian comfort and connectivity.
Along the Grove Avenue corridor, project enhancements on local streets will include neck-down intersections implemented through bulb-outs, as well as upgraded ADA curb ramps and crossings. A total of five intersections along the corridor will be improved to help calm traffic and enhance pedestrian comfort and mobility.
Other project enhancements include upgrades to four additional intersections within the Highland community with traffic-calming measures similar to those planned for the Grove Avenue corridor, including neck-down intersections and upgraded curb ramps. The intersections that will receive improvements are Goshen Avenue at Stevenson Street, Goshen Avenue at Jacobs Street, State Route 63 at 3rd Avenue, and State Route 63 at Pearl Street.
Additionally, the project will implement a mini roundabout at the intersection of Highland Street and Grove Avenue to help calm traffic at this higher-volume neighborhood intersection.
Because the project scope was included in the adopted Active Transportation Program award, any modifications to the project scope must be coordinated with and approved by the California Transportation Commission.
Non-Infrastructure Component (NI):
While this staff report focuses on initiating design services for the infrastructure component (IF) of the project, it is important to highlight that the ATP award also includes a non-infrastructure component (NI) intended to support public education and community outreach related to active transportation. A separate staff report will be presented to Council at a later date to consider the award and implementation of the non-infrastructure component.
The non-infrastructure program is structured as a citywide initiative focused on education, encouragement, and safety awareness related to walking and bicycling. While the program will help familiarize residents with improvements associated with the Highland community area, the activities funded through this component are not limited to the project area and will be implemented throughout the City of Visalia.
Planned activities include community initiatives, such as bicycle skills classes, guided community rides, and in-person education and encouragement. These efforts focus on bicycle and pedestrian safety, safe routes to school programming, after-school programs, and school assemblies aimed at increasing awareness and promoting safe walking and bicycling practices. These efforts are intended to encourage safe use of active transportation facilities and support broader mobility and safety goals across the community.
Consultant Selection Process.
On April 25, 2025, the City Council awarded the on-call civil engineering services contract for RFQ 24-25-29 to six (6) civil engineering consultants consisting of Peters Engineering Group, 4 Creeks, Inc., Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group, TRC Engineers, Inc., Lane Engineers, Inc., and CWE.
CWE is one of the on-call consultants on the current list. The Highland Community connectivity project design is being funded with local funds and CWE was selected on a rotational basis to submit a proposal for design services related to this project. The project will construct traffic calming measures, one protected intersection, one traffic circle, and two raised intersections (to be reviewed and approved by Caltrans), 3,000 feet of class IV bike lanes along the south side of W. Houston Avenue, retrofitting of the existing and non-existing curb returns to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG) requirements, intersection modifications such as concrete paint bulb out curb return configurations, crosswalks to shorten crossings, and possible addition of 80 shade trees that could potentially be replaced with stamped concrete medians, pending approval from the California Transportation Commission to modify the currently approved project outcome.
Public Outreach
Engineering staff conducted public outreach to gather input and feedback from the community to ensure the community’s needs are addressed. The public outreach conducted included:
• General Public & Online Surveys - 4/4/24 to 4/18/24
• 1 Pop Up Event
o Senior Center - 5/16/24
• 2 Public Workshops
o Highland School ProYouth Heart Workshop - 4/5/24
o Walk Audit Highland School - 02/29/24
Because some of the Highland area enhancements will be permanent, engineering staff will conduct an additional targeted, project-specific outreach effort to ensure that affected stakeholders are informed about the proposed improvements, project progress, and anticipated construction impacts. This effort, in conjunction with the project’s Non-Infrastructure (NI) component, will support public education and increase community awareness of the new configuration.
Once the consultant and city staff have completed public outreach and developed an acceptable conceptual design, it will be presented to the Council for final feedback and approval.
Fiscal Impact:
The Highland Community connectivity project preliminary phases are funded by Measure R Local funds and the construction phase is funded by the ATP state grant. ATP grant funds are allocated for each specific phase of the project as requested at time of project application. The project ATP fund application consists of two components: (1) Infrastructure, which includes the physical aspects of the project such as design, right-of-way, and construction activities; and (2) Non-Infrastructure, which focuses on promoting walking and bicycling through education, encouragement, and safety initiatives.
The current fiscal impact associated with this action is limited to the design phase of the project. The project’s phases; Project Approvals & Environmental Documentations (PA&ED), Plans, Specifications & Estimates (PS&E) are funded through the Measure R Local (131). The current Measure R Local budget allocation falls short of the amount required to cover the project: (1) infrastructure component. This funding shortfall indicates that additional funds are required to award the design contract in its entirety. Approval of additional funding will be necessary to proceed with the contract award. As shown in the summary below, the current budget allocation is insufficient to fully cover the anticipated design costs, resulting in a deficit of $703,000.
|
PA&ED, PS&E Budget Summary |
|
Current Measure R Local (131) |
1) Infrastructure Design (CP0801) |
$ 150,000 |
|
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2) Non-Infrastructure |
$ 71,000 |
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|
Total Current Budget Allocation |
$ 221,000 |
|
|
|
|
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Design Consultant Fees |
$ 674,983 |
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|
Design Other Charges Estimate |
$ 100,000 |
|
|
Design Contingency 10% |
$ 78,000 |
|
|
Total Estimate |
$ 852,983 |
|
|
|
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Current Measure R Local (131) |
1) Infrastructure Design Budget |
($150,000) |
|
|
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Additional Funding Needed - Measure R Local (131) |
$702,983 |
As detailed in the scoping portion of this report there are two components. Infrastructure, which this staff report pertains to, and non-infrastructure, which will be presented to council at a later date for award.
Staff recommends the additional appropriation of funds in the amount of $703,000 from the Measure R Local Fund (131).
The construction portion of this project is funded by the State Active Transportation Program Cycle 7 grant in the amount of $4,950,000.
Ongoing Maintenance Costs
Ongoing maintenance costs for this project consist of the typical expenses associated with street and tree maintenance within the City’s right-of-way.
Generally, the future ongoing street maintenance costs within the project limits are anticipated to match existing, with the exception of those associated with the proposed improvements along the Houston Avenue corridor, from Dinuba Boulevard to Santa Fe Street. These are expected to increase based on the additional striping and associated enhancements needed to establish the proposed Class II and Class IV bike lanes.
Staff anticipates the need to refresh the painted striping once every two years, with the replacement of the thermoplastic striping every five years following project construction. While the exact layout has not been finalized, the additional painted striping is estimated to cost $6,000 each time, with the thermoplastic striping at crosswalks and stenciling estimated at $8,000. Additionally, to achieve the classification of the Class IV bike lane, approximately 225 ground-mounted modular curbs would be installed. The cost of these is currently $135 per unit. The longevity of these is unknown at this time but is estimated at 10 years. However, these may need to be replaced more frequently as damage and wear occurs. Finally, with the delineated bike lane, additional special street sweeping will be required utilizing the City’s recently purchased bike lane sweeper, at an estimated annual cost of $3,000. Using this information, staff estimates a projected average annual increase in maintenance costs to be approximately $11,000.
Tree maintenance is estimated at $400-$750 per tree annually during the first five years of establishment for medium-sized trees, including irrigation (root watering system and summer support), structural pruning, staking adjustments, weed control, and general care. After year five, as trees become established, ongoing maintenance decreases but continues due to valley heat stress and canopy development, averaging $175-$350 per tree per year.
Prior Council Action:
May 20, 2024: The City Council authorized the submission of funding application for the ATP funding (Cycle 7) and the city was awarded $5,470,000 for the Highland Community Connectivity Project. ATP funding distribution of $4,950,000 for the infrastructure component and 520,000 for the non-infrastructure component
April 21, 2025: The City Council authorized the City Manager to execute a one-year contract with Civil Engineering Consultant CWE and place the firm on an on-call list to provide civil engineering and related services in support of the City’s Capital Improvement Projects.
Other:
None
Alternatives:
None Recommended
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to authorize the City Manager to:
1. Award a professional design services contract to CWE for The Highland Community connectivity project in the amount of $674,983; and
2. Authorize an additional appropriation of funds in the amount of $703,000 from the Measure R Local Fund (131).
Environmental Review:
CEQA Exemption - 2026-04
Deadline for Action:
06/01/2026
Attachments:
1. Project Location Map
2. Consultant Ownership Disclosure Form
3. Draft Contract
Strategic Goal:
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☐ Economic Vitality |
☐  Organizational Excellence |
☐ Fiscal Strength |
☒  Infrastructure & Growth |
☒  Quality of Life |