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CONTRACT K-1516-105: A CONTRACT BY AND BETWEEN THE CITY OF NORMAN, THE CITY OF MOORE, AND OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IN THE AMOUNT OF $193,750 FOR THE CITY’S SHARE FOR THE INTERSTATE 35 CORRIDOR TRAFFIC STUDY BETWEEN TECUMSEH ROAD AND S.E. 4TH STREET IN MOORE, OK., ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION R-1516-80, AND BUDGET APPROPRIATION FROM THE CAPITAL FUND BALANCE.
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BACKGROUND: The Interstate 35 and Indian Hills Road interchange in north central Norman was constructed in the 1960s by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT). It is configured as a rural interchange designed to carry low volumes of traffic. It is functionally obsolete and deficient for the current and projected traffic volumes, and for the anticipated land uses in the general vicinity. It is also the only original interchange in the Oklahoma City area that has not been redesigned or replaced.
The City of Norman is currently experiencing significant development pressure in the general vicinity of the Indian Hills Road interchange. During the last 60 months, Council has approved nine preliminary plats for development in the area. Combined, these plats could bring 1,591 residential lots, 708 apartment units, 655,800 square feet of gross floor commercial space, 123,500 square feet of gross floor office space, a 600-student elementary school, an 800-seat church sanctuary and a 200-bed assisted living center, upon full build-out. These developments are capable of generating an additional 51,231 trips per day, with a significant portion using the Indian Hills Road interchange. It is reasonable to expect the current traffic volume using the Indian Hills Road overpass of I-35 to quadruple over the next decade, which will require a four-lane bridge with sidewalks and the signalization of the Interstate 35 off ramp intersections with Indian Hills Road. A summary of recent development activity has been attached.
In 2012/2013, ODOT collaborated with the City of Norman to repair the bridge deck on Indian Hills Road over I-35. According to State Statutes, the local jurisdiction (City of Norman) is responsible for maintenance of the local street (Indian Hills Road) and the associated bridge deck while ODOT is responsible for maintenance of the bridge sub-structure and the interstate highway. The total cost of the bridge repairs was $587,907.23, while the City’s share was $211,220.90. The useful life of the bridge was extended by 8-10 years by virtue of this project. To address the ultimate replacement of the Indian Hills Road Bridge over I-35, the ODOT 8-Year Construction Program includes an allocation of $9,663,500 in Federal Fiscal Year 2017-2020 to construct a new bridge.
DISCUSSION: In 2014, in order to accommodate the future traffic anticipated in the area, City staff began to meet with ODOT officials to explore the potential redesign and replacement of the interchange. Representatives from the City of Moore joined in the dialogue motivated by the severe recurring congestion problem their city is currently experiencing at the SE 19th Street interchange. Those discussions resulted in ODOT’s commitment to conduct a comprehensive corridor study of I-35, between Main Street in Norman and SE 4th Street in Moore, to identify corridor deficiencies and recommend improvements. The study will evaluate the requirements for a rebuilt interchange on I-35 at Indian Hills Road. The City of Moore is interested in other improvements on I-35 as well. The boundaries of the study area are depicted in the attachment.
On November 25, 2014, City Council approved contract K-1415-77, a three-way agreement between ODOT, the City of Moore and the City of Norman, in an amount not to exceed $300,000, with the State agreeing to fund 50% of the cost, and the cities of Moore and Norman agreeing to fund the remaining 50%, or $75,000 each. The partially executed contract was later approved by the City of Moore and forwarded to ODOT in January of 2015. ODOT officials have not yet completed the execution of the contract.
The City’s cost share for the study was included in the current Capital Improvement Budget - Indian Hills Interchange - Study ($75,000 in account 050-9079-431.61-01;pProject TR0095).
Since approval of the contract, City staff has been working with representatives of the City of Moore and ODOT in the selection of the firm that is going to conduct the study as well as the scope and fee of the same.
On January 15, 2016, staff received a new 3-Party Agreement from ODOT. The project got bogged down in 2015 when the selected engineering firm, EST, Inc., submitted a contract proposal in excess of the original estimate of $300,000. The project was further delayed when ODOT and the two cities became sidetracked with flooding damages to public infrastructure in May/June 2015. The proposed contract was resurrected in late summer of 2015 when Norman city staff met with ODOT officials and EST leadership to encourage them to refine the scope and fee of the project. City staff attended a meeting at ODOT Headquarters on December 16, 2015 with officials from the City of Moore where all parties agreed in principle to the proposed new scope and fee structure provided by EST
ODOT officials are proposing to present the new 3-Party Agreement to the Oklahoma Transportation Commission on Monday, February 8, 2016. The City of Moore City Council is expected to consider the agreement on Monday, February 1, 2016.
The new agreement has financial implications for all the parties. The negotiated fee of $775,000 will require ODOT to fund $387,500 (50%) and the cities of Moore and Norman $193,750 (25% each). In order to proceed, the City of Norman must allocate additional funds from the Capital Fund Balance to provide the City’s 25% matching share. The City of Moore will have to do the same on February 1, 2016.
Staff had anticipated the higher share and for that reason requested an additional $25,000 as part of the FYE 2016 budget process, increasing the available funds for Norman’s share to $100,000. In order to move forward, City Council will also have to appropriate an additional $93,750.
The I-35 Corridor Study is the likely mechanism to convince ODOT officials that the Indian Hills Road interchange needs to be rebuilt and reconfigured, that the Tecumseh Road interchange needs to be modified and that a new interchange is needed at Rock Creek Road.
If approved, the project will begin in March, 2016 and will be completed in January, 2018. Two public meetings are currently scheduled in July 2016 and October 2017.
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of Contract K-1516-105 between the City of Norman, the City of Moore and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, for the I-35 Corridor Traffic Study, between north of Main Street in Norman and SE 4th Street in Moore.
If approved, the contract will require an appropriation of $93,750 from the Capital Fund Balance (050-0000-253.20-00) to Project TR0095, I-35 Corridor Traffic Study Project, Design (050-9079-431.62-01)