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AMENDMENT NO. TWO TO CONTRACT K-1213-50: BY AND BETWEEN THE NORMAN TAX INCREMENT FINANCE AUTHORITY AND GARVER, L.L.C., INCREASING THE CONTRACT AMOUNT BY $394,225 FOR A REVISED CONTRACT AMOUNT OF $678,075 TO ADD THE FINAL DESIGN OF THE ROBINSON STREET INTERCHANGE, WEST SIDE OF INTERSTATE 35, TO THE ROBINSON STREET AND I-35 WEST ALTERNATIVE ANALYSIS AND FUNCTIONAL PLAN.
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BACKGROUND: Traffic flow and safety in the vicinity of Robinson Street, immediately west of Interstate 35, has been a concern of the City and Norman drivers for more than two decades. The high traffic volume on this segment of roadway, combined with the two closely-spaced signalized intersections at North Interstate Drive and Crossroads Boulevard/Rambling Oaks Drive, and the commercial driveways in close proximity to the signalized intersections, make this area one of the most congested in the City (see the attached Project Area Map).
Development of the University North Park (UNP) area, which is bordered by Robinson Street on the south, Tecumseh Road on the north, Interstate Highway 35 on the west, and the Max Westheimer Airport on the east has added and will continue to add traffic to this already-congested segment of roadway.
To help resolve the additional congestion from UNP, on August 22, 2006, City Council approved Contract K-0607-45 by and between the City of Norman and the University Town Center L.L.C., regarding Development Agreement No. 1 for the initial project activities associated with the traffic improvements needed to mitigate the additional traffic generated by the University North Park (UNP) development. The agreement stipulated that the improvements would be funded by the UNP Tax Increment Finance (TIF) District, with a TIF cost limit of $11,550,000 (including a $1,110,583 allocation for improvements to the Robinson at West I-35 Frontage Road/Crossroads Boulevard intersection). One of the related improvements associated with the projects listed in Exhibit “A” (see attached) of the above-mentioned contract is the modification of the Robinson Street interchange on the west side of Interstate 35.
On November 13, 2012, City Council approved Contract K-1213-50 with Garver Engineers for Phase 1 of the interchange improvement project, which analyzed the Robinson Street corridor near Interstate 35 and recommended a preferred alternative that improves traffic flow on the west side of the interchange. This allowed Staff to develop a defined scope of work for the interchange improvements.
On July 22, 2014, City Council approved Amendment No. 1 to Contract K-1213-50 with Garver Engineers expanding the analysis of the Robinson Street corridor to include the entire UNP area and surrounding transportation network, in essence completing a new Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) that uses the latest traffic data and land use scenarios for the undeveloped portions of the UNP development.
The I-35 at West Robinson Study completed by Garver in March 2014 provided six different alternatives to the existing lane configuration to improve traffic flow on the Robinson Street Interchange on the west side of I-35. Upon review of the six alternatives, three were chosen for further refinement. The three were reviewed for operational and safety advantages and disadvantages, and project cost. 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 Preferred Alternative Drawing).
On November 25, 2014, City Council adopted Resolution R-1415-57, requesting $3,657,170 in federal transportation funds to fund 80% of the construction cost of the preferred alternative.
In November, 2016 Staff submitted an application to the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG) for inclusion of the project in the regional Transportation Improvement Plan, and is anticipated to be able to obtain the funding in Federal Fiscal Year 2019.
The preferred alternative has been reviewed by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) because it impacts the Interstate 35 interchange at Robinson Street. On January 19, 2017 ODOT gave the City their concurrence with the preferred alternative (see the attached Concurrence Letter).
DISCUSSION: Now that Staff has a defined scope for the improvements to the west side of the interchange, ODOT approval of the design and ACOG funding programmed, staff has worked with Garver to prepare Amendment No. 2 for Phase 2 of the interchange to the design contract which contains the following items:
• Access justification analysis;
• Plans, and specifications;
• Submit bid package to ODOT;
• Provide technical assistance throughout the design and construction of the roadway project
Amendment No. 2 to the design contract is attached. The negotiated fee for the contract amendment with Garver, Inc. to provide these services is $394,225 for a revised contract amount of $678,075. The design funds, allocated from the UNP TIF funds are available in the Robinson Street West of I-35, Design (account no. 057-9552-431.62-01; Project UT0011).
If approved, design of this intersection and on-ramps to I-35 will be complete and project will be bid by the summer of 2019. Federal funding for this project is currently programmed for federal fiscal year 2019, and construction of the project is anticipated to begin in the fall of 2019. The total project cost is estimated to be $5,146,000, which will be paid by UNP TIF funds, capital funds and federal transportation grant funds.
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of Amendment No. 2 to Contract K-1213-50 with Garver Engineers LLC, in the amount of $394,225, for the consulting engineering services associated with the design of the Robinson Street interchange west side of I-35.