Agenda Item Wording:
title
Award Local Road Safety Action Plan Contract - Authorize the City Manager to award the contract to Kimley-Horn and Associates to develop a Local Road Safety Action Plan in the amount of $268,912.36, and appropriate an additional $259,900 from the Transportation Fund to be reimbursed by the Tulare County Association of Governments.
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Prepared by:
Leslie Blair, Senior Civil Engineer, Leslie.Blair@visalia.city, 713-4633
Dolores Verduzco, Financial Analyst, Dolores.Verduzco@visalia.city, 713-4540
Chris Crawford, City Engineer, Chris.Crawford@visalia.city, 713-4331
Jason Huckleberry, Engineering and Building Department Director, Jason.Huckleberry@visalia.city, 713-4495
Department Recommendation: Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to award the contract for RFP 24-25-62, Local Road Safety Action Plan, to Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc of Los Angeles in the amount of $268,912.36, and appropriate an additional $259,900 from the Transportation Fund (281 Fund) which will be reimbursed by the Tulare County Association of Governments (TCAG).
Summary:
City staff issued RFP 24-25-62 to hire a consulting firm to develop the City’s first comprehensive, holistic Local Road Safety Action Plan (LRSAP). The LRSAP will be a well-defined strategy aimed at reducing serious injuries and fatal crashes on all roadways in the City of Visalia. The Plan is to lay out strategic actions and offer a proactive approach for Visalia to address their roadway transportation safety issues. The expected result of the LRSAP is to save lives and prevent injuries for all road users resulting from motor vehicle crashes.
Background Discussion:
Local agencies throughout the country have developed Local Road Safety Plans (LRSP). An LRSP is needed for several reasons as it is a data-driven blueprint for saving lives by reducing severe injuries and fatal crashes. A completed LRSP is needed to:
• Secure Funding: Having a completed LRSP is often a prerequisite for local agencies to be eligible for Federal and State transportation grants, such as the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) or Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) funds.
• Guide Investment: The plan helps guide local investment decisions, ensuring that resources are allocated to the most effective safety countermeasures.
• Coordinate Efforts: The process facilitates collaboration among diverse stakeholders (engineering, enforcement, education, and emergency medical services) to ensure a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach to safety.
• Be Proactive: It allows agencies to proactively address high-risk locations and systemic safety issues across their entire network rather than just reacting to where crashes have already occurred.
The development of the first Local Road Safety Action Plan (LRSAP) for the City of Visalia will serve as an effective strategy to proactively identify, analyze, and prioritize roadway safety improvements. The City’s LRSAP will create a data-driven strategy for reducing crashes, serious injuries, and fatalities on local roads by identifying the high-risk areas, analyzing the safety issues, developing a “toolbox” of effective safety countermeasures, and prioritizing the recommended improvements. A robust public engagement will be performed engaging residents, underserved communities and key stakeholders in the planning process. The LRSAP will provide evidence based programs, projects and strategies resulting in the City having a plan that works and accomplishes its purpose. The outcome will be the City having the framework to proactively tackle unique local safety needs and the eligibility for securing crucial safety grants for safety projects.
Bidding Process:
The City received proposals from five (5) firms in response to the RFP. A four-person selection committee was established to review, rate and rank the proposals. After the initial ranking was developed, the top three consultants were then invited to interview with the same selection committee that reviewed the proposals. The selection committee again rated the consulting firms to establish the final ranking of the consultants. Following is a list of the final consultant rankings:
|
No. |
Vendor |
Location |
|
1 |
Kimley-Horn & Associates, Inc |
Los Angeles, CA |
|
2 |
TJKM |
Pleasanton, CA |
|
3 |
Toole Design |
Oakland, CA |
City staff checked references and then opened the fee envelope for the selected consultant and found the fee proposal provided to be consistent with the project budget. The City is ready for City Council to award the project to Kimley-Horn & Associates, Inc. If the project is awarded by the City Council, the consulting team will immediately begin work after execution of the agreement.
Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc is a leading full-service planning, design, engineering and environmental firm with extensive experience in roadway safety based projects. They have prepared Local Road Safety Plans and Vision Zero plans for over 75 agencies across California. Kimley-Horn understands the unique challenges and opportunities present in Visalia and other central valley communities. They prepared Visalia’s ITS Strategic Plan, Tulare County RMA’s Comprehensive and Equitable Road Safety Analysis and Priority List Identification, and the City of Bakersfield’s Active Transportation Plan.
Fiscal Impact:
The current project budget (CP0555) is funded by Measure R Local (131) in the amount of $190,000. Staff is requesting an additional appropriation of $259,900 which will be reimbursed by TCAG. Below is a budget summary identifying estimated expenditures for the project.
Funds to be reimbursed by TCAG require a local match of 11.47% There are sufficient City funds to meet the required local match. Remaining funds after project completion will be returned to the Measure R Local Fund.
Prior Council Action: None
Other: None
Alternatives: Not award the contract and not develop a Local Road Safety Action Plan.
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to authorize the City Manager to award a contract to Kimley-Horn and Associates to develop a Local Road Safety Action Plan in the amount of $268,912.36, and appropriate $259,900 from the Transportation Fund.
Environmental Assessment Status: Not required.
CEQA Review: None required.
Deadline for Action: 2/2/2026
Attachments: 1) Fee Proposal Kimley-Horn & Associates, Inc; 2) Ownership Disclosure Form; 3) Draft Contract