By Sara Beth Williams–
The Citrus Heights City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved nearly $1 million in additional construction work amendments for the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Project, Phase 2.
The long-awaited revitalization of Auburn Boulevard was originally projected to cost $35.5 million, according to past reports. The new overall project estimate is now $36.3 million, with the included updated construction, construction management, inspection and design support costs.
The approval of additional construction work does not impact the city’s general fund, officials said, because much of the added work will either be reimbursed by private developers, utility companies or outside agencies, or funded through existing restricted transportation funding sources.
A breakdown of revised project costs included in the agenda packet shows the original construction contract award totaled just under $28.9 million, with nearly $2.9 million originally authorized as contingency funding.
The updated estimate now includes $282,000 in additional private property upgrade work and another $75,000 for private parking lot restoration work, bringing the estimated construction subtotal to more than $32.1 million.
Additionally, construction management and inspection services are now estimated at approximately $4 million, while design support services total about $125,000, bringing the overall project estimate to $36.34 million.
City staff said although construction is nearing completion, several unforeseen field conditions emerged throughout the construction phase, including significant quantities of unsuitable soil material, previously unidentified utility conflicts, and increased coordination needs.
“As construction progressed, unforeseen field conditions have required adjustments to the original design,” staff wrote in the agenda packet. “These conditions have resulted in impacts to several private properties beyond what was initially anticipated.”
To restore affected properties and maintain consistency throughout the corridor, city staff recommended additional parking lot sealing and restriping work at multiple locations along Auburn Boulevard.
The council also approved Amendment No. 5 to the agreement with Bennett Engineering Services, which will provide additional construction-phase design support through project closeout.
Much of the additional funding will come from existing SB1 Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account funds, along with $75,000 in Roadway Impact Fee funds to support the remaining work.
The agenda packet outlines several categories of additional work being completed on behalf of developers, utility providers and neighboring agencies that will ultimately reimburse the city for the expenses.
Among the items listed are a Citrus Heights Water District water main extension at 8615 Auburn Blvd. costing over $113,000, storm drain connections tied to a new development project at the same property, and more than $68,000 in storm drain repairs near the northern end of Auburn Boulevard after deteriorated infrastructure was discovered during construction.
The city said portions of the storm drain system fall within the jurisdiction of the City of Roseville, which is expected to reimburse Citrus Heights for its share of the work.
Additional reimbursable work also includes private waterline extensions, sewer lateral relocations, utility material upgrades, Comcast corridor modifications, and PG&E gas valve adjustments.
According to the city, PG&E originally planned to adjust its own gas valve covers after paving was completed, but later authorized the city’s contractor to perform the work in order to avoid construction delays and expedite the schedule.
The Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Project Phase 2 has been funded through a combination of local, regional and state transportation grants and other roadway funding sources.
Previously secured funding sources include multiple Sacramento Area Council of Governments grants, an Active Transportation Program grant, a Placer-Sacramento Gateway Plan grant, a Smart Growth Incentive Program grant, Measure A and Measure A maintenance funds, SB1 funding, and Roadway Impact Fee funds.
The funding sources are also listed in detail in the City Council agenda packet, along with more information. See the agenda packet here.
Planned improvements for the second phase of the complete streets project have included adding new sidewalks, undergrounding of utilities, storm drain repairs and upgrades, the addition of new street lighting, new trees and shrubs, new medians, new turn pockets, and the installation of new and upgraded signal lights at intersections along the boulevard.
The last phase of the project will include resurfacing and restriping of Auburn Boulevard from just north of Antelope Road to the northern city limits with Roseville.
