Agenda Item Wording:
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Project Funded Fence Relocation for Sidewalk Construction: Authorize City staff to coordinate with Cen-Cal Construction to relocate private fencing along the south side of Riggin Avenue between Divisadero St. and Conyer St. as part of the project for a cost of $68,873.93, to allow for the construction of sidewalk as designed with the Riggin Ave Widening Project from Mooney Blvd. to Conyer St.
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Deadline for Action: 2/3/2025
Submitting Department: Community Development
Contact Name and Phone Number:
Diego Corvera, Senior Civil Engineer, diego.corvera@visalia.city, 713-4209
Chris Crawford, City Engineer, chris.crawford@visalia.city <mailto:chris.crawford@visalia.city>, 713-4331
Jason Huckleberry, Engineering and Building Department Director, jason.huckleberry@visalia.city, (559) 713-4495
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the use of City Miscellaneous Pedestiran Improvements fundsfuto relocate impacted private fences along the southside of Riggin Avenue between Divisadero St. and Conyer St. to allow for the construction of ADA compliant sidewalk along Riggin Avenue with a cost of $68,873.93 as designed and intended with Riggin Avenue Widening Project from Mooney Blvd. to Conyer St.
This recommendation is based on the site-specific project criteria identified below:
A. Riggin Avenue is an arterial roadway carrying a high volume of vehicular traffic with existing homes that front the street on the south side of Riggin Avenue.
B. Providing pedestrian facilities is imperative for safe travel along the arterial roadway for residents to walk to and from surrounding schools, parks, and commercial centers.
C. Riggin Avenue, as a corridor, has continuous sidewalks from Dinuba Blvd to Akers St and will have new sidewalk constructed from Akers St to Clancy St as part of other City projects and development projects. This is the only missing sidewalk segment within these limits.
D. Current American with Disability Act (ADA) updates require accessible paths of travel to public services, such as transit stops, as part of public construction projects meeting the “alteration” criteria. This segment of Riggin Avenue has two bus stops one on the southside of Riggin Ave. east of Giddings St. and one on the northside of Riggin Ave just east of Mooney Blvd.
E. The fences that exist within the public right-of-way were constructed many years ago, well prior to the area having been annexed into the City jurisdiction.
Background Discussion:
The purpose of the “Riggin Avenue Widening Project” is to increase vehicle capacity on Riggin Avenue by adding additional east/west lanes and to provide for an efficient flow of traffic in support of the increase in development within the surrounding area. In addition, the City Council identified this segment of Riggin Avenue from Mooney Boulevard to North Conyer Street as a priority transportation corridor as it was part of the “Ring-Road” concept previously identified in various City reports.
This project will reconfigure Riggin Avenue to a 4-lane divided roadway and will modify the intersection of Riggin Ave at Giddings St as a protected intersection and to its ultimate configuration as well as incorporate a frontage road on the south side of Riggin Ave.
The street cross section is designed as a complete street with sidewalk on each side of the street. In order to construct the sidewalk on the south side of Riggin Avenue some existing fences need to be relocated or removed. According to City right-of-way information, the City of Visalia’s public right of way extends approximately 6ft behind the concrete gutter. Some private fences are placed right behind the gutter or within the 6ft space necessary for the sidewalk construction. These fences will need to be removed in order for the project to proceed and the sidewalk to be constructed. The fences could be removed and the determination of how and if to replace the fence left to the property owner given that the fences were built in the public right-of-way. However, the proposed relocation would replace fencing type in kind with what currently exists at the City’s expense.
City staff has met with impacted residents to discuss concerns with the fence relocation and impacts to each property. Concerns have been received and are understood to consist of the following:
- Fence relocation to be placed on the property owners is a significant financial burden.
- Construction of the sidewalk takes away space from the fronting properties, impacting landscaping, lawn décor and other items within the sidewalk footprint.
Riggin Avenue is an arterial roadway designed to carry a higher volume of vehicles and sidewalks are a part of the street design to provide pedestrians a safe space to travel along the roadway. This segment of Riggin Ave is also a regional truck route that carries traffic to HWY 99, warranting additional safety considerations for all road users.
Given the arterial classification of the roadway, sidewalk construction was deemed necessary because it is an important pedestrian safety accommodation. Additionally, constructing sidewalk at this location would fill a “gap” making sidewalk continuous from Mooney Blvd. to Dinuba St. creating public access to commercial destinations, parks, schools and transit stops.
The current sidewalk design is set to a 5ft walk where it can be accommodated and 4ft under constrained conditions in order to minimize impacts to existing fences. ADA rules allow for 4ft minimum sidewalk width but will require a 5’ passing space every 200 lineal feet.
The City’s intent is to construct sidewalk to the preferred minimum width of 5ft to meet the intent of the ADA rule and current standards. This width is recommended at this time to mitigate distant future width adjustments that may come with ADA rule updates. Although 4ft is an absolute minimum by today’s standards, the required 5ft for passing could potentially become a updated minimum in the future. Staff believes it makes more sense to construct the sidewalk to the higher standard now along this arterial street.
The City of Visalia does not typically relocate fences that are deemed encroachments in the City ROW, but for the reasons and contextual information listed above the construction of the sidewalk and relocation of the fences is in the public interest in this case.
Fiscal Impact:
The Riggin Ave Widening project Mooney Blvd to Conyer St is funded, using Highway Improvement Program (HIP) grant funds thru the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Measure R Regional (133) Funds from Tulare County Association of Governments (TCAG) and Traffic Impact Fee (241). See below the project funding breakdown.
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Riggin Avenue Widening Mooney Blvd to Conyer St CIP0473 |
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Project Funding Source |
|
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Measure R Regional Funds (133) |
$3,471,000.00 |
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Traffic Impact Fee (241) |
$2,304,000.00 |
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Highway Improvement Program (HIP) Funding (281) |
$2,485,000.00 |
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Total Project Funding |
$8,260,000.00 |
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|
|
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Estimated Project Costs |
|
|
Project Management |
$109,400.00 |
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Design Services |
$314,000.00 |
|
Utility Relocation |
$188,000.00 |
|
Fire Hydrant Installation |
$170,600.00 |
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Construction |
$6,480,000.00 |
|
Construction Contingency (10%) |
$648,000.00 |
|
Construction Management (Estimate) |
$100,000.00 |
|
Material Testing Services (AT) |
$115,452.72 |
|
Material Testing Services (IAV) |
$20,605.00 |
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Construction Services (Inspection (Est), Survey) |
$113,942.28 |
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Total Estimated Project Costs |
$8,260,000.00 |
|
|
|
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Surplus (Deficit) |
$0.00 |
The project budget already accounted for the installation of sidewalk along the project area.
The grant representative informed City Staff that the federal funds and therefore the CIP project should not fund the cost of the private fence relocation as that may be viewed as a gift of public funds, which could result in a finding in the event of a federal audit.
Therefore staff recommends the fence relocation cost of $68,873.93 be funded by CP0558 Miscellaneous Pedestrian Improvements, funded by the Measure R Local Fund (131), utilized for pedestrian improvements to eliminate access barriers to mobility.
Prior Council Action:
August 5, 2024
Award Riggin Avenue Widening Project: Authorized the City Manager to award the construction contract with Cen-Cal Construction for the Riggin Avenue Widening Project Mooney Blvd to Conyer St. in the amount of $6,480,000.00; authorized the transfer of Measure R Regional Funds; authorized the appropriation of additional Transportation Impact Fee and Measure R Regional funds; and authorized the amendment to the Measure R Supplemental Agreement.
February 21, 2023
Authorized the City Manager to proceed with the design and construction of a bicycle Protected Intersection at the Riggin Avenue and Giddings Street associated with the Riggin Widening Project Mooney Blvd. to Conyer St and for staff to develop guidelines that evaluate these intersections treatments at future locations on a case by case basis and to proceed with implementation.
December 5, 2022
Authorized the City Manager to approve payment to California Water Service in the amount of $150,259.00 for the installation of five fire hydrants and two irrigation services as part of the Riggin Widening project between Mooney Blvd to Conyer St and appropriated and additional $85,000 in Highway Infrastructure Program (HIP) funds.
September 19, 2022
Authorized the City Manager to execute the Southern California Edison (SCE) Joint Use Agreement (JUA) and adopted Resolution 2022-52 for the Riggin Widening project between Mooney Blvd to Conyer Street.
August 1, 2022
Received a staff presentation on the proposed local frontage road to be constructed with the Riggin Avenue Widening Project Mooney Blvd to Conyer Street.
June 20, 2022
Adopt Resolutions 2022-39 and 2022-40, designating a portion of City owned property located within 2 Parcels, Lot “A” of Highland Park Estates subdivision and Lot “A” of Highland Park, Unit No. 2 subdivision as part of the public City Street System respectively.
May 16, 2022
Adopt Resolution 2022-33 authorizing the City Manager to execute Southern California Edison (SCE) Utility Agreement No. CP0473-SCE2592 for the Riggin Widening project between Mooney Blvd to Conyer Street.
April 18, 2022
Adoption Resolution No. 2022-27 certifying Mitigated Negative Declaration No. 2022-16 prepared for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance as part of the Highway Infrastructure Program (HIP) funding for the construction of the “Riggin Avenue Widening Project” from North Mooney Boulevard to North Conyer Street (State Clearing house No. 2022030456) (Resolution No. 2022-27 required).
June 21, 2021
Authorize the City Manager to award a sole source professional design services contract to 4Creeks, Inc., for the design of the “Riggin Avenue Widening Project” from North Mooney Boulevard to North Conyer Street, and appropriation of funds to establish a preliminary project budget.
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
Option 1 (Recommended): Relocate fencing using identified project funds to construct sidewalk as designed.
Option 2 (Alternative): Require the property owners to relocate their fences at their expense, proceed to construct sidewalk as designed.
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Environmental Assessment Status:
Adopted Mitigated Negative Declaration No. 2022-16
Attachments:
1. Presentation
2. Project Location Map