Agenda Item Wording:
title
Award Design Contract - Authorize the City Manager to award a professional design services contract to Provost & Pritchard for the Beyond Bike Lanes - Elevating Santa Fe project in the amount of $821,769.
body
Agenda Date: 04/06/2026
Prepared by:
Jonathan Frausto, Associate Engineer, jonathan.frausto@visalia.gov, 713-4369
Dolores Verduzco, Financial Analyst, dolores.verduzco@visalia.gov, 713-4540
Chris Crawford, City Engineer, chris.crawford@visalia.gov, 713-4331
Jason Huckleberry, Engineering and Building Department Director, Jason.huckleberry@visalia.gov, 713-4495
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to award a professional design services contract to Provost & Pritchard Inc. for the Beyond Bike Lanes - Elevating Santa Fe project in the amount of $821,769. Staff will work with the consultant to discuss all available design options to meet the requirements of constructing a class IV protected bike lane that will fit the needs and character of Visalia; actual design may vary from the full description provided in the application while still meeting the grant requirements.
Summary:
This will initiate the design phase for the Beyond Bike Lanes project. The project will construct approximately 1.5 miles of Class IV protected bike lanes along Santa Fe Street between Tulare Avenue and Houston Avenue, along with sidewalk gap closures, ADA curb ramps, crosswalk improvements, landscaping, and traffic signal modifications to improve safety and connectivity for bicyclists and pedestrians. The city was awarded approximately $11 million in Cycle 7 of the Active Transportation Project grant program for the construction and non-infrastructure (public outreach) phases of this project.
Background Discussion:
The Active Transportation Program (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.
Beyond Bike Lanes - Elevating Santa Fe Street was one of the three projects awarded to the City. The award includes funding for both the infrastructure component (IF), which supports the construction of the corridor improvements, and a separate non-infrastructure component (NI) focused on public education and outreach.
Consultant Selection & Project Scope:
Consultant Selection
On April 25, 2025, City Council awarded the On-Call Civil Engineering Services contract (RFQ 24-25-29) to six (6) qualified consulting firms: Peters Engineering Group, 4 Creeks, Inc., Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group, TRC Engineers, Inc., Lane Engineers, Inc., and CWE.
In accordance with the project funding requirements for the design phase, Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group was selected on a rotational basis to provide design services for the Beyond Bike Lanes - Elevating Santa Fe Street project. Provost & Pritchard has demonstrated strong performance on ongoing City projects and has the experience and capacity to successfully deliver a project of this scale.
Infrastructure Component (IF):
The project, as submitted through the Active Transportation Program application, will construct approximately 1.5 miles of Class IV protected bikeway along the Santa Fe Street corridor between Tulare Avenue and Houston Avenue. A Class IV bikeway provides physical separation between bicyclists and vehicular traffic, combining the user experience of an off-street path with the connectivity of an on-street bike lane.
The project includes striping improvements, installation of new concrete sidewalks to close existing gaps, asphalt improvements, curb and gutter installation to enhance safety, landscaping, and other corridor amenities intended to provide complete corridor improvements that benefit all users.
The protected bikeway is proposed primarily on the east side of Santa Fe Street and will be separated from vehicular traffic by a raised concrete median. In locations where roadway width is constrained, the bikeway will be installed on both sides of the street. Additional improvements include narrowing travel lanes to help calm traffic, installing landscaping, constructing new sidewalk segments, and modifying traffic signals where necessary.
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 Santa Fe Street corridor, 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 focused on bicycle and pedestrian safety, Safe Routes to School programming, bicycle rodeos, 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.
Public Outreach & Coordination Efforts:
Santa Fe Street, like many existing infill roadways, is built out to the allowable street width. As a result, some on-street parking may be removed and travel lane widths reduced to accommodate the proposed improvements. Staff recognizes that these changes, along with temporary construction activities, may affect residents, businesses, and commuters who frequently use Santa Fe Street.
Given that some of these corridor changes are permanent, the City will conduct targeted project-specific outreach to ensure affected stakeholders are informed of the proposed improvements, project progress, and anticipated construction impacts. This effort, in conjunction with the project’s non-infrastructure component (NI), will support public education and increase community awareness of the new corridor configuration.
Prior to the finalization of plans for project construction, staff will return to Council to present the results of the project public outreach efforts and discuss/review the final design of the project meeting the requirements of the ATP grant.
Fiscal Impact:
Prior to discussing the fiscal impact of this action, it is helpful to provide an overview of the funding structure for the project, including the different components and funding sources supporting each. See Table 1: Project Funding Summary
|
Table 1: Project Funding Summary |
|
Project Component |
Phase / Purpose |
Funding Source |
Amount |
|
Infrastructure (IF) |
Design (PA&ED, PS&E, RW) |
Measure R Trails |
$ 1,500,000 |
|
Infrastructure (IF) |
Construction (28/29) |
Measure R Trails |
$ 1,463,000 |
|
Infrastructure (IF) |
Construction (28/29) |
ATP |
$ 10,870,000 |
|
Non-Infrastructure (NI) |
City Wide Outreach |
ATP |
$ 520,000 |
|
Non-Infrastructure (NI) |
City Wide Outreach |
Measure R Trails |
$ 71,000 |
|
Total Project Funding |
$ 14,424,000 |
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. The fiscal impact associated with this action is limited to the Design (PA&ED, PS&E, RW) infrastructure component. As outlined in Table 2: Current Design Project Funding
|
Table 2: Current Design Project Funding (CP0480) |
|
Project Funding Source |
|
|
Measure R Trailways |
$ 1,500,000 |
|
|
|
|
Total Project Funding |
$ 1,500,000 |
|
|
|
|
Estimated Project Design Costs |
|
|
Project Approval (PA), Environmental (ED), Management, Permitting |
$ 250,000 |
|
Design Services (PS&E) |
$ 821,769 |
|
ROW Acquisition (ROW) |
$ 350,000 |
|
Design Contingency |
$ 78,231 |
|
|
|
|
Total Estimated Design Costs |
$ 1,500,000 |
|
|
|
|
Remaining Design Budget |
$ 0 |
As noted in the tables, Measure R Trailways funding was allocated to this project for the infrastructure design phase, including PA&ED, PS&E, and Right of Way. Given the complexity of the design criteria associated with Santa Fe Street, the original project estimate included $1.5 million for professional design services under the PS&E phase. The selected design consultant’s contract is currently below that original estimate. As a result, the remaining balance has been reserved as contingency to help cover anticipated project budget needs moving forward.
Fiscal considerations for the construction phase of the project have been allocated based on estimates. At present the allocations from Measure R Trails in addition to the Active Transportation Plan (ATP) funds are sufficient to cover estimated cost for construction as shown in Table 3.
|
Table 3: Projected Construction Costs (CP0480) |
|
Project Funding Source |
|
|
Measure R Trailways |
$ 1,463,000 |
|
Active Transportation Program |
$ 10,870,000 |
|
|
|
|
Total Project Construction Funding |
$ 12,333,000 |
|
|
|
|
Construction |
$ 9,855,000 |
|
Construction Contingency (~15%) |
$ 1,478,000 |
|
Construction Management - Consultant |
$ 500,000 |
|
Construction Management - City Staff |
$ 250,000 |
|
Construction Services (Material Testing, Inspection, Surveying) |
$ 250,000 |
|
|
|
|
Total Estimated Construction Costs |
$ 12,333,000 |
|
|
|
The construction cost estimate will be further refined as the design progresses and construction estimates are validated. However, the project, based on initial estimates, is fully funded for construction.
Prior Council Action:
November 3, 2025
Authorized the appropriation of funds awarded from the ATP of $51,460,000, the appropriation of $221,000 from the measure R Local Fund (131) and $5,050,370 of additional funds from the Measure R Trailways Fund (132), and authorize the amendment to the Measure R Supplemental Agreements for the project specified in the report.
May 20, 2024
Authorized the City Manager to submit funding applications to the Active Transportation Program Cycle 7 for four (4) capital improvement projects
June 21, 2021
Authorized the appropriation of $400,000 from the Measure R Trails (132) fund for the Santa Fe Class IV Bike Lane from Tulare Avenue to Houston Avenue Project
Alternatives: None recommended
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
Authorize the City Manager to award a professional design services contract to Provost & Pritchard Inc. for the Beyond Bike Lanes - Elevating Santa Fe project in the amount of $821,769.
Environmental Assessment Status: NEPA Environmental Assessment does not apply.
CEQA Review: A CEQA Notice of Exemption (NOE) will be prepared by the consultant.
Deadline for Action: 04/06/2026
Attachments:
1. Project Location Map
2. Consultant Disclosure Form
3. Consultant Scope of Work
Strategic Goal: Indicates which City Strategic Goal(s) this item supports. Check all that apply.
|
☐ Economic Vitality |
☐  Organizational Excellence |
☐ Fiscal Strength |
☒  Infrastructure & Growth |
☐  Quality of Life |