Title
Approving a professional services supplemental agreement with ESP Associates, Inc. in the amount of $1,210,189 for professional engineering services associated with Kelly Lane Phase 3 Roadway Project, and authorizing the City Manager to execute the same.
Summary
This agenda item requests approval of a professional services supplemental agreement (PSSA) #3 in the amount $1,210,188.10 for ESP Associates, Inc. to complete the design for the Kelly Lane Phase 3 roadway improvements project (CIP# TR2001). Prompting this PSSA #3 is a re-design of the Kelly Lane intersections to enhance operations and safety and align the design with the City of Pflugerville’s Transportation Master Plan. The Kelly Lane Phase 3 project extends from just west of Hidden Lakes Drive/Jakes Hill Road to just east of Weiss Lane.
The original design for Kelly Lane Phase 3 assumed signalized intersections at Kelly Lane and Hidden Lakes Drive/Jakes Hill Road and at Kelly Lane and Weiss Lane/Cele Road/Hodde Road. Traffic signals were not warranted nor proposed at the intersections of Kelly Lane with Levels Trail and with Pleasant Bay. The existing Kelly Lane near Weiss Lane was designed to “T” into the new Kelly Lane, with no westbound left turns permitted, effectively making the old Kelly Lane useful only for eastbound Kelly Lane traffic headed to Weiss Lane. No changes were proposed to the old Kelly Lane at Weiss Lane intersection, despite neighborhood concerns with the safety and operational issues associated with making turns at that intersection.
Traffic modeling for the original design using 2040 forecasted traffic indicated levels of service (LOS) D or worse for 10 movements total in the AM and PM peak periods at the intersections of Kelly Lane with Hidden Lakes Drive/Jakes Hill Road, Cele Road/Weiss Lane/Hodde Lane, and old Kelly Lane. LOS qualitatively describes the traffic operations from A to F, with A-C referring to free flow or close to free flow conditions with traffic below roadway capacity, D for traffic demand approaching roadway capacity, E for demand at or more than roadway capacity, and F for the worst with stop-and-go conditions considered gridlock.
An increasing number of communities are finding roundabouts a better choice for traffic flow, operations, and safety. Roundabouts always offer overall better traffic flow than signalized intersections because during non-peak hours, drivers are not having to wait unnecessarily at lights and during peak hours, drivers can continue through intersections using yielding rules rather than timed permissions. For safety, the number of potential vehicle conflict points is reduced from 32 at signalized intersections to 8 at roundabouts, which is why the number and severity of crashes is less at roundabouts. The number of potential pedestrian/bike conflict points is reduced from 24 at signalized intersections to 8 at roundabouts.
Traffic modeling was done to evaluate roundabouts instead of signalized intersections for the three intersections of Kelly Lane with Hidden Lakes Drive/Jakes Hill Road, old Kelly Lane, Weiss Lane and for the intersection of old Kelly Lane with Weiss Lane (for a total of four roundabouts).
As hypothesized, the forecasted 2040 levels of service were much better with one-lane and two-lane roundabouts than signalized intersections, with all movements at the roundabouts having a LOS of A and B, except for northbound Jakes Hill Road into a one-lane roundabout in the PM peak period, which had a LOS C.
Considering the significant improvement in flow and safety and that the Pflugerville Transportation Master Plan had recommended innovative intersections at the intersections of Weiss Lane with new and old Kelly Lane, a re-design of the intersections is warranted. This PSSA #3 will be to complete the re-design. Utility relocation, including the installation of a major city water line, is expected to start in the summer of 2025 and roadway construction to start in the summer of 2026.
The total design budget for this project is $2,253,637. With the approval of this PSSA, the total spent on design for Kelly Lane Phase 3 and Cele Road alignment alternatives will be $3,113,824.62. There are significant benefits to the public in the form of improved traffic flow and safety and to the city for operations and emergency services (because of reduced calls for assistance). The FY25 CIP construction budget for this project is $20,160,117.00 and is equal to the engineer’s opinion of probably construction cost (OPCC) for the design of the corridor with signals; an updated OPCC will be developed as part of the design.
The re-design results in improved operational and safety performance of the Kelly Lane corridor, which supports the safety and infrastructure pillars of the Strategic Plan by ensuring the roadways built will meet current and future needs.
Prior City Council Action
The initial professional services agreement was approved by City Council on August 5, 2021 for an amount of $1,527,103.59 for ESP Associates, Inc (formerly Vickrey Associates) to complete design, bid, and construction phase services.
On August 2, 2022, City Council approved a professional services supplemental agreement #1 for the amount of $376,532.93 for ESP Associates, Inc. to provide PS&E design services to incorporate a right turn lane for the Crosslife Church site and to perform a feasibility study for an approximate 3.8-mile segment of Cele Road from Weiss Lane to FM 973. The feasibility study included development of three (3) alignment alternatives and typical sections utilizing available desktop information to perform a preliminary hydraulic & hydrologic analysis, topographic survey, subsurface utility engineering (SUE), preliminary environmental constraints map and preliminary geotechnical analysis. The Cele Road feasibility study was completed and will be the basis for a future CIP project.
Staff processed a professional services supplemental agreement #2 to reallocate funds to different tasks with no change in the total amount.
Deadline for City Council Action
Action is requested on December 10, 2024
Funding Expected: Revenue __ Expenditure __X__ N/A__
Budgeted Item: Yes _X_ No _ N/A __
Amount: $1,210,189
1295 Form Required? Yes _X_ No __
Legal Review Required: N/A __ Required __ Date Completed: ___________
Supporting documents attached:
Professional services supplemental agreement
Recommended Action
Approve a professional services supplemental agreement with ESP Associates, Inc. in the amount of $1,210,189 for professional engineering services associated with Kelly Lane Phase 3 Roadway Project, and authorizing the City Manager to execute the same.