Title
Adopt a Resolution to Approve and Authorize the City Manager to Execute a Consultant Services Agreement with BKF Engineers in the amount of $576,927 for the MacArthur / Superior Roundabout Project, Project No. 2014.0470; to Authorize the City Manager to Negotiate and Approve Individual Change Orders up to 5% (or $28,846) of the Original Contract Amount; and to Authorize the City Manager to Negotiate and Approve Cumulative Change Orders up to 10% (or $57,693) of the Original Contract Amount
Staffreport
COUNCIL PRIORITY
• Quality of Life
• Public Safety
• Infrastructure
SUMMARY
This agreement allows BKF Engineers to complete design, permitting, and prepare Plans, Specifications & Estimates (PS&E) for the MacArthur / Superior Roundabout (RAB) project.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends the City Council adopt a resolution to take the following actions:
• Award a Consultant Services Agreement in the amount of $576,927 to BKF Engineers for engineering design services;
• Authorize the City Manager or designee to negotiate and approve individual change orders up to 5% (or $28,846) of the original contract amount; and
• Authorize the City Manager or designee to negotiate and approve cumulative change orders up to 10% ($57,693) of the original contract amount.
BACKGROUND
The MacArthur / Superior Roundabout will reduce vehicle speeds and improve pedestrian and bicycle facilities at this intersection with a goal of reducing the severity of collisions and enhancing bicyclist and pedestrian safety.
Project milestones to date include:
• 2006 - Feasibility Study and initial traffic study
• 2008 - Conceptual Plan developed; project paused due to lack of funds
• 2015 - Supplemental detailed traffic study; project restarted
• 2016 - 2020 - Public Outreach to refine concept plans and develop 70% construction drawings
• 2021 - CalTrans paused its review of plans until City acquires a strip of State right-of-way adjacent to Interstate 580 (I-580) for a retaining wall required for the project
• 2021 - 2023 - NEPA clearance for right-of-way transfer, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) / California Transportation Commission (CTC) land transfer, and deed recordation
• 2024 - CalTrans ruled the retaining wall required a “special design,” triggering a requirement to submit structural plans for CalTrans’ review and adding 6-9 months to the schedule
• 2025 - 65% retaining wall plans were submitted and reviewed by CalTrans; Federal Housing Incentive Pool (HIP) grant was awarded imposing new federal requirements on the project; 100% PS&E comments from CalTrans were received including new comments due to the allocation of federal funds.
When CalTrans classified the retaining wall as a “special design” retaining wall, it expanded the original scope of work that would include a new and separate plan submittal in addition to the road improvement plans.
In addition, design standards for roundabouts and accessibility have evolved since the project started and lessons learned from roundabouts constructed in the region suggest that new guidelines should be incorporated into the Project design to optimize the roundabout operation and improve pedestrian and bicycle safety.
Furthermore, the award of a HIP program grant in 2025 for the MacArthur/Superior RAB necessitates performance of additional tasks before the federal funds can be obligated. These include right-of-way and utility certifications, Preliminary Environmental Study (PES), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) certification, and preparation of a Request for Authorization (RFA). These tasks require supplemental surveying, utility potholing, hazardous-materials testing and additional review of the construction documents. For the reasons stated above, additional authorization to fund the project is being requested.
Analysis
Approval of this agreement is essential to:
• Maintain federal funding eligibility. The HIP grant award triggers CalTrans Local Assistance Procedure Manual (LAPM) compliance, a PES NEPA clearance, and an RFA package. BKF Engineer’s scope includes preparation of all associated forms and certifications
• Resolve CalTrans comments and new standards. Since the last review, standards and guidelines on roundabout design, accessibility, stormwater quality, and hazardous-material have changed; BKF Engineers is budgeting an additional three design cycles to incorporate these comments with the new standards and guidelines
• Complete the special-design retaining wall plans. CalTrans requires three submittals of the structural plans at the 65%, 95%, and 100% levels. Currently, comments from the 65% submittal have been received from CalTrans and will require two additional iterations before it is completed.
The federal requirements that are now applicable to the project are complicated and it is not uncommon for other requirements to be added throughout the design process that were not identified at the start. For the reasons stated above, and to minimize project delays and ensure timely incorporation of any additional CalTrans comments, Staff requests authorization for limited change orders of up to 5% per individual change order and a cumulative total of 10% for all change orders. This will allow necessary adjustments to the project scope without requiring separate Council action, thereby helping to maintain the project schedule.
Current Agency Policies
• Maintain and enhance San Leandro’s infrastructure
Previous Actions
• On April 4, 2016, by Resolution No. 2016-040, the City Council approved a consulting services agreement with BKF Engineers for $97,490.00 for the preparation of construction-ready plans, specifications, and estimates for the subject project
• On May 7, 2018, by Resolution No. 2018-039, the City Council approved Amendment No. 2 to a Consulting Services Agreement with BKF Engineers for surveying and mapping work associated with the acquisition of private right-of-way and easements from 650 MacArthur Boulevard
• On December 14, 2020, by Resolution No. 2020-159, the City Council approved Amendment No. 4 to the Consulting Services Agreement with BKF Engineers for additional work related to acquiring right-of-way and easements from Caltrans due to expanded footprint to accommodate separated bike lanes
• On July 18, 2022, by Resolution No. 2022-121, the City Council approved an Acquisition and Maintenance Agreement with the City of Oakland for the subject project
• On July 18, 2022, by Resolution No. 2022-122, the City Council approved Amendment No. 5 to a Consulting Services Agreement with BKF Engineers for additional work related to the preparation of construction-ready plans, specifications and estimates for additional work related to the construction of a retaining wall that must be approved by Caltrans
• On June 20, 2023, by Resolution No. 2023-072, the City Council approved a Purchase and Sale Agreement for $22,300.00 for the acquisition of State right-of-way for the MacArthur Roundabout project, Project No. 2014.0470.
Committee Review and Actions
• On September 20, 2016, Engineering and Transportation (E/T) Department Staff presented the roundabout project at the City Council Facilities and Transportation Committee meeting. The Committee expressed concerns regarding speeding and the high rate of collisions in the project vicinity. Staff was also directed to work with the City of San Leandro Arts Commission and the surrounding neighborhood regarding the landscaping and artistic design elements for the project
• On April 5, 2017, E/T Department Staff presented the roundabout project to the City Council Facilities and Transportation Committee. The Committee expressed concerns about how bicyclists and pedestrians would be in close proximity to each other on the sidewalk and suggested providing better accommodation for bicyclists in the design
• At the June 7, 2017, City Council Facilities and Transportation Committee meeting, the Committee recommended to not include a design alternative without a roundabout as an option for public feedback, since such an option would not provide traffic calming, thereby missing an important goal of the project
• On March 7, 2018, the City Council Facilities and Transportation Committee requested Staff conduct outreach to the surrounding neighborhood prior to construction of the roundabout
• On November 14, 2018, the Committee requested that Staff consider a mitigation strategy for street parking as part of the project. The Committee suggested adding a traffic camera to monitor speeds and/or installing a speed feedback sign directed at traffic approaching the roundabout from the freeway
• On April 3, 2019, the Committee requested that the roundabout project be a priority project
• On May 8, 2019, the Committee provided comments that Oakland City Council Member Larry Reid should be copied on a letter to be sent to Oakland Mayor Libby Schaff regarding the roundabout.
• On September 10, 2020, the City Council Facilities and Transportation Committee requested that Staff prepare an exhibit that can be forwarded to State Senator Nancy Skinner and State Assembly Member Rob Bonta regarding the State’s decertification of the land needed for the MacArthur Roundabout project to expedite the decertification process.
• On July 10, 2025, staff provided an update to the City Council Facilities and Transportation Committee on the status of the roundabout project and additional effort required to complete the design and satisfy requirements related to the authorization for use of federal funds awarded to the project. The Committee supported moving forward to City Council a recommendation to award a Consultant Services Agreement to the City’s design consultant, BKF Engineers, to perform the additional work.
Applicable General Plan Policies
• Goal T-3, Policy T-3.7.C - Pedestrian and Bicycle Crossing Improvements: Improve crossings for pedestrians and cyclists at intersections in the City with variable pavement materials, small curb radii, bulb outs, street trees and landscaping near corners, and other measures which shorten pedestrian crossings or increase driver awareness of non-vehicle traffic.
• Goal T-5, Policy T-5.4 - Traffic Flow Improvements: Use a variety of technology-driven measures to improve traffic flow at congested intersections.
• Goal T-6, Policy T-6.1 - Traffic Calming Strategies: Use a variety of approaches to slow down or “calm” traffic on San Leandro streets, based on the specific conditions on each street. Emphasize approaches that improve conditions for pedestrians and bicyclists and enhance neighborhood aesthetics.
• Goal T-7, Policy T-7.2 - Capital Improvements: Identify capital improvements and other measures which improve the safety of bicyclists, pedestrians, and motor vehicles on San Leandro streets.
Permits and/or Variances Granted
n/a
Environmental Review
This project remains categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under State CEQA Guidelines § 15301 - Existing Facilities. A Notice of Exemption (NOE) for the roundabout footprint was recorded with the Alameda County Recorder on December 20, 2017.
CalTrans, acting for FHWA, issued a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Categorical Exclusion (23 CFR 771.117[c]) in 2022 for the State right-of-way de-certification. However, now that the City has been awarded federal HIP funds, the entire roundabout project must comply with NEPA and is subject to NEPA clearance.
Legal Analysis
The consultant has agreed to the terms of the contract that the City Attorney drafted and approved as to form.
Financial Impacts
This agreement will be billed on a time and materials basis with a not to exceed amount of $576,927 with the authorization to issue individual contract change orders up to 5% of the agreement amount, or $28,846.35 for individual change orders, and cumulative contract change orders up to 10% of the agreement, or $57,692.70.
The estimated project cost is shown below:
Design $1,358,044
Construction $4,260,518
Total $5,618,562
The current project funding allocations are listed below.
CIP Fund, FY 13-14, Account 210-28-193 $ 80,000
CIP Fund, FY 15-16, Account 210-38-290 $ 10,000
CIP Fund, FY 16-17, Account 210-38-901 $1,274,134
DFSI Fund, FY 13-14, Account 120-28-193 $ 43,000
DFSI Fund, FY 19-20, Account 120-28-193 $ 200,000
FY23-24 Year End Funding Allocation, Account 210-28-193 $ 275,000
CIP Fund, FY26-27 $2,410,000
HIP Grant $1,859,000
Total $6,151,134
This Council action will not impact fund balance because there are funds available in the project account for the FYs 2026 and 2027 adopted budget.
ATTACHMENTS
A: Draft Resolution
B: CSA Scope of Services
C: CSA Compensation Schedule
PREPARED BY: Anna Vickroy, Associate Engineer, Public Works - Engineering Division