LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Town Council adopts resolution awarding $5M street rehab construction contract


Photo courtesy Moraga Public Works Department

One of the important Town Council Goals has been to improve the condition of Moraga's streets. This project is included in the Adopted Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-24 and FY 2024-25 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Budget. Funding sources will come from the Gas Tax, Measure J, Measure J 28C, Garbage Impact, and Measure K.

In October 2021, the town awarded a design contract to Harris and Associates, Inc. to develop the Pavement Design Report aimed at developing a multi-year rehabilitation of all residential streets with a Pavement Condition Index (PCI) of under 50.

The results of the "Worst-First" pavement management approach were presented to the Town Council in March 2022, with a plan to perform the rehabilitation over three seasons (2022 through 2024), based on available funding and rising construction costs. Included in Harris' reports were the designs for pavement, storm drain, and concrete improvements.

In January 2024, Public Works Director/Town Engineer Shawn Knapp recommended bidding the 2023 and 2024 street rehab projects as a single project with a start date in 2024, to take advantage of cost savings in both construction and construction management services.

Project bid documents were advertised through various sources on March 9, with six bids received and opened on April 11. With the town's Engineer's Estimate of $5,354,273, Bay Cities Paving & Grading, Inc. from Concord, California (a family-owned business since 1946), was the lowest bidder, coming in at $5,346,177. The total project budget will be $5,755,983 after staff eliminated some costs from the construction contract and added a 10% contingency of $534,617.

According to Knapp's April 24 staff report, during the street rehab process, repairs are expected for some gutters, curbs, sidewalks, and related "sidewalk areas". Residents can also expect the repair of storm drains under several streets to "increase the pavement's longevity. Existing traffic striping and signage was to be replaced in kind, if damaged or missing. Separately, the town is working on the designs for multiple safety improvement projects where some work limits are overlapping some portions of the Project."

The Town Council voted 3-0 (Council Members Kerry Hillis and David Shapiro were absent) to adopt the resolution awarding the street rehabilitation construction contract to Bay Cities. Staff executed the contract immediately - construction is expected to begin in June.