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AMENDMENT NO. ONE TO CONTRACT NO. K-1213-50: BY AND BETWEEN THE NORMAN TAX INCREMENT FINANCE AUTHORITY AND GARVER ENGINEERS INCREASING THE CONTRACT AMOUNT BY $38,450 FOR A REVISED CONTRACT AMOUNT OF $224,050 TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL CONSULTING ENGINEERING SERVICES TO PREPARE A NEW UNIVERSITY NORTH PARK ADDITION TRAFFIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND APPROPRIATION OF CAPITAL FUND BALANCE.
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BACKGROUND: On November 13, 2012, City Council approved Contract No. K-1213-50 with Garver Engineers to analyze the Robinson Street corridor near Interstate 35 and recommend a preferred alternative that improves traffic flow on the west side of the interchange. The study evaluated the impacts of the University North Park Addition traffic and concluded that the capacity of Robinson Street will be insufficient to handle the projected traffic at full development.
The preferred alternative, which can only provide temporary relief until either the Robinson Street interchange is reconstructed or a new interchange at Rock Creek Road is built, relocates the intersection of North Interstate Drive with Robinson Street approximately 225 feet east of the current location and adds more traffic lanes on Robinson Street, between Crossroads Boulevard / Rambling Oaks Drive and North Interstate Drive (see Attachment No. 1). The study is currently being reviewed by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) because the preferred alternative impacts the Interstate 35 interchange at Robinson Street. If ODOT approves the conceptual design and funding is secured for the project, construction could begin in 2016.
In the early planning stages of the University North Park Addition, a Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) was prepared to evaluate the surrounding transportation network and the improvements needed to mitigate the impacts of the development generated traffic. Attachment No. 2 depicts the boundaries of the study area.
The initial study made specific assumptions about land uses in the southern half of the development using a master plan that has been modified several times. Each modification required an updated Traffic Impact Assessment to re-evaluate operations on the surrounding transportation network. These updates continued to be supported by the assumptions of the original study in terms of trip distributions and assignments on the network. The assessment also made more general assumptions about development in the northern half of the UNP, considering only office, industrial and residential uses.
The TIA was also used to identify specific transportation improvement projects needed to accommodate the increased traffic from the UNP; projects such as the widening of the Robinson Street and 24th Avenue NW intersection, and the reconfiguration of the northeast quadrant of the Interstate 35 and Robinson Street interchange. Attachments No. 3 and No. 4 depict the location of the various projects, and the preliminary budget and description of the recommended improvements respectively.
DISCUSSION: The Garver study for the Robinson Street corridor, which is based on updated traffic data and actual trip distributions and assignments from the UNP, showed that there is more traffic using Robinson Street than originally anticipated, which highlights the need to validate the assumptions of the original TIA at a time when the City is beginning to move forward with the final design of improvements to the west side of the Robinson Street interchange and entertains development options for the northern half of the UNP. To do so, staff has worked with Garver Engineers to develop a contract amendment that expands the analysis of the Robinson Street corridor to include the entire UNP area and surrounding transportation network, in essence, completing a new TIA that uses the latest traffic data and land use scenarios for the undeveloped portions of the UNP. The new TIA will be the basis of and serve as the springboard for future discussions with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation in matters related to the possibility of reconstructing the Robinson Street interchange and/or constructing a modified access to I-35 at Rock Creek Road. Additionally, the new TIA will evaluate the performance of the transportation network under different land use scenarios that include higher volume traffic generators than those originally anticipated.
The contract amendment is structured in two phases. Phase A assesses traffic impacts associated with the currently approved land uses. Additionally, a scenario that considers commercial uses north of Rock Creek Road, between I-35 and 24th Avenue NW, will be studied to evaluate the impact of additional commercial development north of Rock Creek Road where it was not previously planned. Transportation system deficiencies, if any, will be identified and preliminary recommendations on potential mitigation projects proposed (e.g., modified access to I-35 at Rock Creek Road). Future land use scenarios based on different master planning concepts developed in collaboration with the property owners of the land north of Rock Creek Road, as well as more refined concepts of recommended transportation improvement alternatives, will be included in Phase B if Council chooses to authorize this work at a later date.
Due to the far-reaching potential impact that a new interchange at Rock Creek Road would have on the traffic patterns throughout west Norman, funds for the new UNP TIA are proposed to be made available from the Capital Fund Balance.
Garver Engineers anticipates completing the new TIA in Phase A of this proposed amendment by November 15, 2014.
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of Amendment No. 1 (Phase A) to Contract No. K-1213-50 with Garver Engineers, in the amount of $38,450.00 for the consulting engineering services associated with the preparation of a new University North Park Addition Traffic Impact Assessment.
Staff also recommends an appropriation of Capital Fund balance (account 050-0000-253.20-00) to I-35 Frontage/Intersection Improvements, Design (account 050-9950-431.62-01; project TC0265).