The alignment study would be conducted from Cameron Road to its current intersection at Cele Road, per city documents, and a schematic phase would run from Cameron Road to Pleasanton Parkway. Plans, specifications and estimates pertain to the realignment of Cameron Road, running from Cameron Road to 1849 Park’s driveway.
Plans, specifications and estimates would include both the development of plans for the Cameron Road realignment, per documents, as well as covering two lanes of the ultimate four lanes expected for Melber leading into 1849 Park. As part of the agreement, CP&Y Inc. will facilitate public involvement and help host one open house meeting and conduct two meetings with affected property owners.
Peña said in regard to current financial concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic, he struggled to justify spending more than $600,000 on a preliminary project. The costs approved April 14 are related to the alignment study, preliminary engineering and design work and did not include construction costs. City staff member Patricia Davis said the city estimates construction costs for the project would be approximately $5 million.
Davis added the city did attempt to develop an interlocal agreement with Travis County but confirmed the county did not have any bond money it could allocate toward the project. Davis added there are transportation impact analysis dollars accessible to the city to use toward the construction of the roadway curvature and two lanes once the city has determined a cost estimate and design for final construction efforts.
The timeline for the design phase, Davis said, is approximately six months, and coordination with Travis County on some of the environmental components of the project could take an additional four to six months.
Both Council Members Doug Weiss and Rudy Metayer said while they understood the financial component of Peña’s concerns, each added it is important for the city to be proactive about construction projects so it can be ready to take action when the appropriate time comes. Weiss said by focusing on the preliminary side of the project, it allows the city to prepare for and support future growth, instead of reacting to it.
Excluded services not related to the agreement include survey and subsurface utility engineering services; utility relocation design services; review and processing of utility payment requests; and utility adjustment monitoring and verification.
Some key labor costs included in the agreement are detailed below:
- Route and design studies (includes alignment study; schematic project layout; traffic data collection and analysis): approximately $240,700
- Social, economic and environmental studies and public involvement: approximately $34,100
- Plans, specifications and estimates (includes roadway design controls; sign and pavement markings; standards, specifications, estimates and bid documents): $136,600
- Surveying services (includes ground survey, project controls and utility coordination): $100,800
- Project management: approximately $53,500
