Meeting_Body
CONSTRUCTION COMMITTEE
JANUARY 21, 2021
Subject
SUBJECT: EAST SAN FERNANDO VALLEY LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT - FIELD INVESTIGATION OF UTILITIES
Action
ACTION: AUTHORIZE CONTRACT MODIFICATIONS
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
CONSIDER:
a. AUTHORIZING the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to execute Modifications No. 15 to Contract No. AE58083E0129 with Gannet Fleming, Inc. for the East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor Project, for field investigation of utility conflicts consisting of potholing and slot trenching along Van Nuys Blvd. for Segments B, (between Covello St. and Novice St.) in the amount of $1,772,143, increasing the total Contract amount from $65,611,218 to $67,383,361.
b. AUTHORIZING the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to execute Modifications No. 16 to Contract No. AE58083E0129 with Gannet Fleming, Inc. for the East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor Project, for field investigation of utility conflicts consisting of potholing and slot trenching along Van Nuys Blvd. for Segments C (between Novice St. and Tamarack Ave.), in the amount of $1,565,506, increasing the total Contract amount from $67,383,361 to $68,948,867.
c. AUTHORIZING the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to execute Modifications No. 17 to Contract No. AE58083E0129 with Gannet Fleming, Inc. for the East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor Project, for field investigation of utility conflicts consisting of potholing and slot trenching along Van Nuys Blvd. for Segments D (between Tamarack Ave. and San Fernando Rd and then San Fernando Rd and Pinney St.), in the amount of $627,590, increasing the total Contract amount from $68,948,867 to $69,576,457.
Background
BACKGROUND
The East San Fernando Valley (ESFV) Light Rail Transit Project (Project) is a light rail system that will extend north from the Van Nuys Metro Orange Line station to the Sylmar/San Fernando Metrolink Station, a total of 9.2 miles with 14 at-grade stations. Light rail trains will operate in the median of Van Nuys Blvd. for 6.7 miles to San Fernando Road. From there, they will transition onto existing Metro right-of-way and follow a shared corridor with Metrolink and freight for 2.5 miles to the Sylmar/San Fernando Metrolink Station.
On June 28, 2018, the Metro Board approved the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) as Alternative 4: Light Rail Transit (LRT). The Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) / Environmental Impact Report (EIR) were presented and achieved certification by the Metro Board in December 2020. FTA plans to issue a Record of Decision (ROD) in January 2021.
Groundbreaking for construction is scheduled to begin in 2022 with substantial completion in 2028 in accordance with the Measure M schedule, enabling the Project to be open for the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. The schedule for advancing the design, which includes utility investigations, and preparing solicitation documents is critical to achieve groundbreaking in 2022 and completion in time for the Olympics.
Issue
ISSUE
The recommended Contract Modifications include field investigations of utilities along Van Nuys Blvd. to identify the location of existing utilities and to determine if those utilities can remain in place or require relocation. Gannett Fleming, Inc, the ESFV Engineering Consultant for Metro, will conduct this field investigation work as part of their Phase 1 Preliminary Engineering work.
Utility relocation, particularly for underground utilities is one of the major risks in any new rail project. Early and extensive investigations and engineering to identify utility locations, conditions and remediation strategies has proven to be a lesson learned and best practice on Metro projects. This action will greatly assist in mitigating utility risk.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
In 2019, Metro awarded to Gannett Fleming, Inc. a cost plus fixed fee (CPFF) contract for Architecture Engineer (AE) services to advance the design for the design build project delivery method (Phase 1), support during the solicitation process (Phase 2) and design support during construction (Phase 3) for the Project. As part of Phase 1, Gannett Fleming compiled existing utility as-built information into composite utility drawings and conducted non-invasive field investigation work to initially verify the as-built information. In order to confirm the initial investigation and provide accurate information on the contract drawings, Gannett Fleming will conduct more thorough field investigations of utilities to identify the existing utility locations and use this information to determine if there is a conflict with the proposed project alignment. The more thorough field investigation work will consist of potholing and slot trenching at specific locations along the 9.2 miles of Project alignment.
In an effort to effectively manage the Project, the alignment was divided into four (4) segments identified as Segments A thru D, with each approximately 2-miles in length. For the field investigation work as defined in the Architectural Engineering contract, this segmented approach was implemented. Therefore, a contract modification was implemented for each segment for a total of four (4) contract modifications. Segment A was approved by the Board in October 2020. This request is for field investigation of utility conflicts consisting of potholing and slot trenching along Van Nuys Blvd. for Segment B (between Covello St. and Novice St.) in the amount of $1,772,143; Segments C (between Novice St. and Tamarack Ave.), in the amount of $1,565,506; and Segments D (between Tamarack Ave. and San Fernando Rd and then San Fernando Rd and Pinney St.), in the amount of $627,590, increasing the total Contract amount from $65,611,218 to $69,576,457.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
This Board action will not have an adverse impact on safety standards for Metro.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This Project is funded on a fiscal year basis under Project number 865521 East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor, cost center 8510, under various accounts including Professional/Technical Services and $28.2M is included in the FY21 Adopted Budget. This is a multi-year project requiring expenditure authorizations in fiscal year increments until a Board Authorized Life of Project Budget is adopted. It is the responsibility of the Cost Center Manager, Project Manager and Chief Program Management Officer to budget for this project in the future fiscal years, within the board authorized contract limits.
Impact to Budget
Sources of funds for the recommended actions are Measure R 35%, Measure M 35%, and State’s Traffic Congestion Relief Program (TCRP) grant. There is no impact to Operations eligible funding. No other funds were considered.
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
The Metro Board could decide not to approve these contract modifications. Staff does not recommend this alternative because this utility investigation work is necessary for Metro to make informed decisions concerning existing utilities and will assist the Design Build contractors during the procurement process with accurate information.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Upon Metro Board adoption, staff will complete negotiations and execute the contract modifications.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Procurement Summary
Attachment B: Contract Modification / Change Order Log
Attachment C: DEOD Summary
Prepared_by
Prepared by:
Monica Born, Deputy Executive Officer, Program Management, (213) 418-3097
Rick Meade, Senior Executive Officer, (213) 922-7917
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by:
Richard Clarke, Chief Program Management Officer, (213) 922-7557
Debra Avila, Chief Vendor / Contract Management Officer, (213) 418-3051
