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Department Approval "�f- Item Description BACKGROUND f�� � REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION Date: 6/16/14 Item No.: 13.c City Manager Approval ��..�>-�-- Authorize Staff to Release a Request For Proposal for Engineering Services for the Cleveland Ave at I-35W Interchange Improvements As a part of the Alternative Urban Area wide Review for the Twin Lakes area, several transportation improvements were identified in order to support redevelopment of the Twin Lakes Area. One of those improvements was the modification of the interchange at Cleveland Ave to/from Northbound I-35 W. In 2011, the City applied for, and in 2012 was granted, $1,192,584 in federal Surface Transportation Program (STP) funds for the reconstruction of the intersection of Cleveland Ave and the I-35W northbound ramps. These improvements include dual left turn lanes for northbound Cleveland Ave, aligning through lanes from the northbound off ramp with the newly constructed Twin Lakes Parkway on the east side of the intersection and constructing a new permanent traffic signal system. The current estimated construction cost for this proj ect is approximately $1.5 million. A preliminary layout of the proposed improvements is included in Attachment A. The federal funds are currently set for the 2015 fiscal year which runs from July 2014-July 2015. Staff's goal is to have this project out for bid prior to July 2015. Due to the uncertainty of the solvency of the Federal Highway User Trust Fund, where these funds are originating from, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, which administers the funds and disburses them to the local agencies, is becoming more critical of the timing of projects. Projects that don't meet the programmed year for expenditures risk losing some or all of the funds. In addition the Walmart development contributed $400,000 toward the construction of the interchange improvements as a part of their development agreement. Due to the complexity of the project including necessary environmental documentation, freeway operations analysis and the need to apply for an Interchange Access Modification Request (IAMR) with the Federal Highway Administration, as well as the necessary oversight of the actual construction proj ect due to the requirements of federal funds, it is recommended that the City hire a consultant that has warked on similar projects in the past. City staff is requesting authorization to release a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Engineering Services for both final design and construction administration for this project. Staff estimates that the total cost for engineering services will be approximately $350,000. �� The RFP would be released in early July with proposals due 30 days after the RFP is released. Staff would bring a recommendation to award the project to a selected consultant in mid-August. Staff will use the Best Value process to score the proposals based on overall price, background and qualifications, project scope understanding, and past performance survey. Staff has used the best Page 1 of 2