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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOpening of Proposal - Safe Routes to School - Muessel Primary and Holy Cross Area Proj No. 122-006 - SJCA Inc.SJCA Inc. City of South Bend HEADQUARTERS Safe Routes to School – Muessel Primary and Holy Cross School Area DES #1900447 9102 North Meridian Street Suite 200 Indianapolis IN 46260 NORTHERN INDIANA 1251 North Eddy Street Suite 200 South Bend, IN 46617 SJCA | City of South Bend | Safe Routes to School | DES 1900447 1 EXPERIENCED TEAM & PROJECT MANAGER SJCA was founded in 1998 as a firm to provide professional design services. We have not strayed far from that primary focus while continuing to add other professional engineering related services. Over the past 24 years, we have completed over 200 roadway projects. We have teamed with a trusted sub-consultant with relevant experience to meet the project needs and deliver it on time and under budget. Our Project Manager, Aaron Goslee, PE, is a registered professional engineer with over 22 years of roadway design experience and has been the primary designer for many roadway design and rehabilitation projects in Indiana. Supporting him, with decades of experience and technical expertise, is Harry Fox, PE. Additionally, throughout the design, Robin Warner will help ensure constructability. PRACTICAL & COST EFFECTIVE PROJECT APPROACH SJCA’s project approach considers techniques consistent with the Open Roads/Practical Design Initiative, starting with the “Design Up” philosophy. Our Project Manager, Aaron Goslee, PE, has used on-site information gathered by SJCA staff of the South Bend office. He has a clear understanding of the need for the project, and developed a unique approach catered to define, design, and deliver the project successfully. Our knowledge and individual approach is represented in the following pages and provides a cost-effective solution for this project. We also understand that, as consultants, we need to develop a design consistent with the client’s need. We are committed to working with the City of South Bend throughout the project. CAPACITY TO DELIVER Over the past few years, SJCA has increased capacity by growing to over 75 employees, with the commitment of serving our clients with additional resources and capabilities to handle any project challenges. The growth primarily focuses on the survey and design of Indiana transportation projects. With well-qualified team members and sufficient capacity, SJCA can provide added-value to the project by accelerating the schedule if desired. We appreciate the City of South Bend for considering SJCA for this project and look forward to a partnership that successfully delivers it. Sincerely, FINNIAN CAVANAUGH Project Engineer 227 W. Jefferson Blvd South Bend, IN 46601 February 18, 2022 AUTHORIZED NEGOTIATOR Sherly George, PE sgeorge@sjcainc.com 317.407.1746 PROJECT MANAGER Aaron Goslee, PE agoslee@sjcainc.com 317.566.0629 ABOUT SJCA SJCA has been a successful engineering and surveying consultant for state and local clients for more than 20 years. While we have grown our staff size to over 75 employees, we continue to offer the friendly personal attention of a small firm, yet provide the resources of a large, multi-discipline firm. Our team has a significant amount of capacity and redundancy built into it, allowing us to adjust assignments should we be presented with unforeseen challenges or accelerated schedules. 675+20 Support Staff Available Professional Engineers Available Professional Surveyors Available THE TEAM KEY FIRM %DBE PREQUALIFICATIONS -SJCA 97%X 5.2, 6.1, 8.1, 12.2 1 NS Services 3%X 5.2 CITY OF SOUTH BEND FINNIAN CAVANAUGH SJCA PROJECT MANAGER Aaron Goslee, PE CONSTRUCTABILITY REVIEW Robin Warner QA/QC Harry Fox, PE ROADWAY DESIGN Mitch Pratt, PE Shun Lyn, PE SURVEY Charlie Thomas, PS Corey Chenault RIGHT-OF-WAY Seth Dyer, PS Jeff Reidy ENVIRONMENTAL Nadeem Siddiki 1 Anne Shaw 1 2 SJCA | City of South Bend | Safe Routes to School | DES 1900447 ABOUT US Aaron has over 22 years of roadway design and project management experience in Indiana, most of which have included the reconstruction of sidewalks and curb ramps. Aaron’s highly rated project management approach is founded on regular communication, risk identification and management, budget control, and adherence to schedule. EDUCATION Bachelor of Civil Engineering, Purdue University, 2000 REGISTRATION Registered Professional Engineer in Indiana – PE11100088 PROJECT MANAGER Aaron Goslee, PE RELEVANT ROADWAY PROJECT EXPERIENCE HANNA AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION - INDIANAPOLIS, IN • Project Manager for this INDOT LPA project involving road improvement including pavement reconstruction of roadway, drives and approaches, bus stop facilities, concrete curb and gutter, sidewalk, traffic control, pavement markings, signage, and traffic signalization. The project necessitated coordination with the University of Indianapolis, IndyGo, and CSX Transportation. BOUNDARY PIKE RECONSTRUCTION - PORTLAND, IN • Project Manager for this INDOT LPA project involving road improvement including pavement reconstruction of roadway, drives and approaches, concrete curb and gutter, sidewalk, storm sewer, in-pipe detention, traffic control, pavement markings, and traffic signage. SATISFIED CUSTOMERS “Final tracings were sent to PM for review 2 months before final tracings deadline. 28 files were sent to contacts with zero errors.” - Donald McGhghy, US 52 INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS “This was a unique situation that required an incredible effort from the design team. They were fast thinking and responsive and were able to accommodate this project on a super accelerated schedule, giving us a 100% commitment. We had intended for this project to be completed under another contract as an emergency repair due to its rapidly deteriorating condition, but changes in the rules by Federal Highway as of July 1, no longer made this possible. They did great work.” - Andrew Borden, SR 114 SMALL STRUCTURES SJCA | Monroe County Bridge 629 Replacement 3 .53.80.591.331.071.36.881.50BUDGET QUALITY RESPONSIVENESS SCHEDULE Aaron Consultant Average HIGHLY RATED INDOT PROJECT MANAGER SJCA | City of South Bend | Safe Routes to School | DES 1900447 4 SJCA | City of South Bend | Safe Routes to School | DES 1900447 Authorized Negotiator SHERLY GEORGE, PE Sherly has over 27 years of experience in management and design of a variety of bridge and roadway projects. Serving as QA/ QC, she will review all design plans. TEAM LEADERSHIP Roadway Design MITCH PRATT, PE Mitch has 6 years of experience with roadway design with roadway reconstruction, sidewalks, curb ramps, signing, and pavement markings, His experience includes generating plan sets made up of cover sheets, location maps, typical sections, alignments, and construction details. QA/QC HARRY FOX, PE Harry’s experience exceeds 35 years of transportation design & construction projects, including 25 years in design management and 10 years in on-site construction. Survey CHARLIE THOMAS, PS Charlie is the Director of Survey Services responsible for all surveying services performed by the firm. He has 28 years of experience that includes technical and management responsibilities for topographic route surveys, construction staking and boundary surveys. Right-of-Way SETH DYER, PS Seth has over 10 years of experience that includes technical and management responsibilities for right of way engineering. He leads the department in providing clients with excellent, on-time services. Environmental Services NADEEM SADDIKI, PE Nadeem has over 30 years of experience conducting Environmental Site Assessments and preparation of NEPA Documents. He serves as the Lead for NS Services for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) on federal and state funded projects. SJCA | City of South Bend | Safe Routes to School | DES 1900447 5 SJCA is providing communities with innovative solutions with pedestrian safety at the forefront of each design. PROJECT APPROACH INFRASTRUCTURE WITHIN THE SCHOOL ZONE AND BEYOND IS A PREREQUISITE FOR WALKING AND BICYCLING. The physical environment often determines whether many children walk or bicycle to school. To safely walk or bicycle to school along a street or separate path, or to cross a street along the way, children need well-designed, well-built, well-maintained, and accessible facilities. SJCA will address infrastructure needs at schools as well as along a child’s route to school. Children walk and bicycle to school from locations outside the immediate school zone and often from beyond the school’s designated walk zone. ACCESSIBILITY REQUIRED Another important aspect is to enable children with disabilities to walk to school. Guidelines for making school sites and routes to school accessible for children with disabilities can be found in the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) and the Public Rights-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG). The term “pedestrian” should be understood to include students with disabilities. The relationship of school buildings to sidewalks and street crossings can determine the level of comfort and safety a pedestrian or bicyclist experiences. All elements are interconnected: the street is connected to the sidewalk and the sidewalk is connected to the building. Getting this relationship right is critical. One important point is: do not put motor vehicles between sidewalks and schools. Such obstructions add a conflict point to a child’s walking route. Safe Routes to School (SRTS) is an approach that promotes walking and bicycling to school through accessible routes with improvements such as sidewalks and ramp improvements, enforcement, and safety tools including pavement markings and signs., provide incentives, and encourage walking and bicycling to school. SRTS initiatives improve safety and levels of physical activity for students. Barriers to walking to school, include traffic congestion of school buses and parent drop off intermixed with student pedestrian traffic. SRTS should encourage children and their families to shift habits to a less car-focused commute. 6 SJCA | City of South Bend | Safe Routes to School | DES 1900447 Another relationship to consider is the school’s location relative to its students’ homes. A child’s route to school should have a minimal number of busy street crossings. Existing sidewalks and ramps will be evaluated for ADA compliance. Location of new sidewalks or the reconstruction of street crossings shall be identified early and advanced through the various stages required to complete them. ENGINEERING TREATMENTS ARE MATCHED TO THE TYPE OF PROBLEM. • Identify and regulate the school zone. • Provide and maintain bicycle and pedestrian facilities along the school route including sidewalks, on-street bicycle facilities, paths, curb ramps, and accessible pedestrian signals. • Provide safe street crossings for bicyclists and pedestrians. • Slow down traffic with signs, pavement markings, and calming methods in specific areas. UNDERSTANDING THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT There are generally three zones around the school that you need to think about when doing a Safe Routes to School project: the school zone, the school walk zone, and the school enrollment boundary. The school zone starts at the front door and encompasses the school campus. The school walk zone includes as many blocks as possible that surround the school and have a high concentration of school-generated traffic. The school boundary includes all other students that will arrive by bus or parent drop off. SCHOOL ENROLLMENT BOUNDARY The school enrollment boundary is the entire zone around the school from which students are drawn. The school walk zone is typically a subset of the enrollment zone. School walk zones as a rule of thumb are that the walking boundary is 1/2 mile or 1-mile out from an elementary school. Rarely is the walk zone an exact circle. Some students will live too far away from the school to reasonably be expected to walk, and they are typically provided with bus service. Walk zones defined by policy typically indicate the area within which students are NOT provided with bus service. Determining walk zones, whether policy-based or through the general rule-of- thumb, can help focus the efforts in identifying problems and solutions. The school zone is the roadway (or roadways) immediately adjacent to the school usually extending one to two blocks in each direction. Speed limits are often reduced in the school zone during morning and afternoon hours. Special signing is used - crossing signs, speed signs, school zone pavement markings so that motorists know to treat the area with special care and attention. EXISTING CONDITIONS MAP Before identifying engineering problems and solutions, SJCA will develop an “existing conditions map” that identifies where existing sidewalks and pathways are located, where crossing guards are located, and where crosswalks and traffic signals are located. A simple walk audit of areas in the walk zone to begin to document existing conditions and identify major concerns. SCHOOL TRAFFIC CONTROL PLAN If the schools have an existing comprehensive traffic control plan it will benefit the Safe Routes to School program. Comprehensive traffic control plans lay out proposed signing and pavement marking measures and will consider key streets surrounding the school. These school traffic control plans can also be used during annual school checks of signs and markings. PROJECT APPROACH SJCA | City of South Bend | Safe Routes to School | DES 1900447 7 PROJECT APPROACH SCHOOL ZONE SIGNING AND MARKING School zone signs and pavement markings provide important information to drivers to improve safety within the school zone. The current street ordnances provide additional guidance. The principles and standards in the Indiana MUTCD provide information on appropriate design, application, and maintenance of all traffic control devices (including signs, signals, and markings) and other controls (including adult school crossing guards, student patrols, and grade-separated crossings) required for the special pedestrian conditions in school areas. SCHOOL ZONE SIGNING AND MARKING Signs should be used judiciously, as overuse may lead to driver non-compliance and excessive signs may create visual clutter. Properly designed and applied traffic calming devices encourage good motorist and pedestrian behavior in the school zone. Traffic calming measures such as high visibility crosswalks, street narrowing, and signage can be in place all the time. Since school zones are locations frequented by children, making the area safe and accessible for children any time of day is a sound investment for the neighborhood. SRTS benefit not only school children but also parents with strollers, senior citizens, and others with permanent or temporary mobility impairments to walk in their neighborhood. Pavement markings are an effective way to enhance driver awareness near schools. They can be used to supplement regulations and warnings provided by traffic signs and signals, or they can convey regulations, guidance, and warnings independently. Commonly used markings in school zones include SCHOOL, SLOW SCHOOL X-ING, STOP, and 25 MPH. Within the winter months, it should be considered that pavement markings will be obscured by snow and that signs should be placed to supplement them. 8 SJCA | City of South Bend | Safe Routes to School | DES 1900447 . PROJECT APPROACH PARKING RESTRICTIONS Parking restrictions are needed to regulate parent parking, but care must be taken not to push motorists into adjacent neighborhoods or deny parents appropriate and adequate space for parking and drop-off activities. Curb paint and signs can be used individually or together to help convey messages regarding parking restrictions. ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS As shown in the graphic below, there are many environmental resources in the proximity of the project. We have listed below those that are within the project limits defined by the City of South Bend. The Scope of Work for this project consists of design replacement of sidewalks and handicap-accessible curb ramps within the neighborhood. The neighborhood for this project is generally bounded by Vassar Ave to North, Lincoln Way West to the South, Wilber St to the West, and Sherman Ave to the East. Resources which will have to be coordinated with are the ones which are within this neighborhood. Below is the summary of these resources and potential impacts to this project. Efficiently and successfully navigating the complexities of the federal-aid NEPA process requires a two-prong approach. The first prong being a comprehensive understanding of all the procedural requirements that accompany projects using funds from the federal-aid process, and the second being a keen interpretation for, and adeptness with, subtleties and specifics that can expedite NEPA processing. Following the NEPA protocol hierarchy of avoidance, minimization and then mitigation, the SJCA team, will strive to avoid as much land acquisition and environmental impacts as a first objective. We will focus particular attention on project schedules, costs and potential Section 4(f) resource (i.e. historic resource, public parks or recreational property) considerations. A cursory review for potential red flags was completed for each project area by our Environmental Services staff using IndianaMAP, Indiana StreamStats, National Park Service data and the Indiana Historic Buildings, Bridges, and Cemeteries (IHBBC) Map. The findings of this preliminary investigation can be found below:Historic Buildings, Bridges, and Cemeteries Map Sources: Esri, HERE, Garmin, Intermap, increment P Corp., GEBCO, USGS,FAO , NPS, NRCAN, GeoBase, IGN, Kadaster NL, Ordnance Survey, Esri County Survey Sites Outsta nding Nota ble Contributing Non-Contributing Demolished National Register Sites Historic Districts 1/28/2022, 9:07:31 AM 0 0.15 0.30.075 mi 0 0.2 0.40.1 km 1:9,028 2019 Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources, DHPA Indiana DNR DHPA INFRASTRUCTURE : 1. Religious Facilities: Faith Baptist Church, Greater Mt. Calvary Church, Holy Cross Church, and Kingdom Life Christian Cathedral are within the neighborhood. Access to these facilities will have to be maintained during construction. Coordination with these facilities will be necessary. 2. Schools: Holy Cross School and Muessel Primary Center are within the neighborhood. Access to these facilities will have to be maintained during construction. Coordination with these facilities will be necessary. SJCA | City of South Bend | Safe Routes to School | DES 1900447 9 QUALITY CONTROL SJCA’s quality control process includes creating a written plan for each submittal on a project. This plan communicates general project information, assigned staff, project development responsibilities, quality control responsibilities, and project deadlines. A listing of similar projects is often included to take advantage of previous experience that is applicable to the project. Interim deadlines are established for all phases of a project leaving adequate time prior to project submittal for quality control reviews. The most important ingredient is the qualifications and experience of the quality control reviewer. At SJCA, we only use our most experienced staff for quality control reviews. PROJECT APPROACH 3. Recreational Facilities: Mussel Elementary School is within the neighborhood. Access will have to be maintained during construction. If access is temporarily blocked Coordination with the Official with Jurisdiction will have to be completed. 4. Trails: The Niles Industrial Track Trail is planned within the neighborhood. A trail is considered a Section 4(f) property because it is a public recreation facility, therefore the impact to a trail during the environmental phase must be considered. If the trail is already completed before this construction of this project, any temporary closure of the trail will constitute a ‘temporary occupancy’ of Section 4(f) resource. Temporary occupancies are so minimal as to not constitute a ‘use’ within the meaning of Section 4(f). Coordination with the Official with Jurisdiction will have to be completed. WATER RESOURCES: 1. Urbanized Area Boundary (UAB): The neighborhood is within a UAB, coordination with MS4 coordinator will be necessary. HAZARDOUS MATERIAL CONCERNS: Three hazardous material concerns are within the neighborhood. 1. Dales Mobil Service, 1333 Lincoln Way West: Petroleum Underground Storage Tanks were reported at this site in 1991. IDEM Virtual File Cabinet has no other information on file. The presence and location of the tanks will have to be verified to determine any impacts to this project. 2. Gregs Garage 702 N. College Street: Petroleum Underground Storage Tanks were reported at this site in 1986. IDEM Virtual File Cabinet has no other information on file. The presence and location of the tanks will have to be verified to determine any impacts to this project. 3. Monarch Textile Rental Services, 812 Wilber Street: This an active remediation site for groundwater treatment. Chlorinated solvents and petroleum related volatile organic compounds have been reported within the saturated zone. Any excavation within the right-ofway will have to be coordinated with IDEM. 10 SJCA | City of South Bend | Safe Routes to School | DES 1900447 PROJECT EXPERIENCE SR 1 RECONSTRUCTION | WAYNE COUNTY This project included a 0.53 mile urban section with curbs and sidewalks through the Town of Milton and a 0.25 mile rural section south of Milton. The existing two lane pavement was widened within Milton to provide a parking lane along the east side. There were eight intersections reconstructed within this project. The project included numerous curb ramps and driveway ramps. The Main Street Intersection included a new traffic signal. CENTER & WARREN TOWNSHIP RECONSTRUCTION | INDIANAPOLIS This project consisted of curb, sidewalk, and ramp reconstruction at two locations within Center and Warren Townships in Indianapolis. The design and drawings of this project was completed within an eight week period. The two locations included nearly 5000 feet of reconstructed curb and sidewalk. There were numerous driveway ramps and five street intersections requiring updated access ramps to current ADA standards. WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP RECONSTRUCTION | INDIANAPOLIS This project consisted of curb, sidewalk, and ramp reconstruction at six locations within Washington Townships in Indianapolis. The design and drawings were completed within a ten week period. The six locations included nearly 6000 feet of reconstructed curb and sidewalk. There were numerous driveway ramps and fifteen street intersections requiring updated access ramps to current ADA standards. 11 North Indianapolis Downtown Indianapolis Evansville, IN South Bend, IN Washington, IN Telephone 317.566.0629 E-mail: contactus@sjcainc.com ThankYou