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CONTRACT K-1718-93: A CONTRACT BY AND BETWEEN THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, AND OKLAHOMA NATURAL GAS COMPANY, A DIVISION OF ONEGAS, INC., IN THE AMOUNT OF $71,919 FOR THE RELOCATION OF NATURAL GAS LINES AND COST SHARING FOR THE ROCK CREEK ROAD WIDENING AND SIGNALIZATION PROJECT AT 12TH AVENUE N.W. AND TRAILWOOD DRIVE INTERSECTIONS.
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BACKGROUND: The ever increasing volume of traffic and the resulting increase in crashes at the intersections of Rock Creek Road with 12th Avenue NW and Trailwood Drive have exposed the need for new traffic signals and roadway modifications in the near future. The intersections are anticipated to justify the need for signalization in the near future. An aerial photo of this area is included as an attachment.
On February 13, 2007, City Council adopted Resolution R-0607-85, which was later forwarded to both the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG) and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT), requesting federal funds to pay for 80% of the construction cost. In the resolution the City agreed to the terms and conditions of a federally funded project by stating its willingness to assume the responsibility for the preparation of engineering plans, the purchase of any additional right-of-way, the relocation of public utilities and funding of the local share of the construction cost, which is 20% of total construction cost.
On August 25, 2015, City Council approved Contract K-1516-7, for a fee of $184,379.70, with White Hawk Engineering and Design to provide design services for the widening and signalization project. The project, which has an estimated cost of $2.95 million, will install traffic signals at the Rock Creek Road/12th Avenue NW and the Rock Creek Road/Trailwood Drive intersections. Roadway modifications to Rock Creek Road will include widening of the existing four-lane section at these intersections to accommodate left turn lanes, widening of the narrow four lane section between the two signals to meet current standards, and drainage improvements. Also, the existing two-lane section on 12th Avenue NW will be widened to five lanes (including southbound left turn lane plus bicycle lanes), sidewalks will be constructed/replaced as needed, and fiber optic traffic signal interconnection of the traffic signals along Rock Creek Road from Flood Avenue to Porter Avenue will be installed.
One of the last intersection pre-construction activities requiring attention is the relocation of utilities. Approval of the subject items will allow for this work to be completed in a timely manner, thus enabling the intersection project to be constructed in the Fall of 2019.
DISCUSSION: To accommodate all construction activities, it is necessary for several utility companies to relocate some of their utilities. In situations where a utility company is in the public right-of-way, it is their responsibility to move their utility out of the way of construction at their cost. In situations where a utility is in a pre-existing private easement, an agreement between the utility company and the City of Norman is necessary to determine the relocation site and to assess the City’s share of the relocation cost of the utility either from its private easement or to another location still within the private easement that clears the construction footprint.
One of the utility companies affected by the proposed roadway construction is ONG. The ONG natural gas line is in a private utility easement that conflicts with the construction of the Rock Creek Road Widening and Signalization Project and the associated waterline relocation project. ONG has selected an alternate location for their facility that is suitable to the City of Norman, and has drawn up Contract K-1718-93 that explains the relocation agreement. The agreement requires the City to pay 42.5% of the total actual cost to relocate the gas line. Based on current project estimates, this represents $71,979 in project costs and is budgeted in Capital Budget Account 050-9079-431-67.01 (Rock Creek Rd. @ 12th Ave. NW & Trailwood - Utilities - Project TR0059)
Approval of the contract, which has been reviewed by the City Attorney, and the subsequent notice-to-proceed with the relocation work, are necessary in order for ONG to schedule resources and complete the work in a timely manner.
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of Contract K-1718-93 with ONG for the relocation of gas lines as part of the Rock Creek Road Widening and Signalization Project. Staff further recommends City Council authorize the payment of the City’s share of the ONG utility relocation in the amount of $71,979 using funds available in Capital Budget Account 050-9079-431-67.01 (Rock Creek Rd. @ 12th Ave. NW & Trailwood - Utilities - Project TR0059)