APPROVE contract amendment with HDR Engineering, Inc., for the final design of the Salinas Rail Extension Kick Start Project, to extend the contract deadline by two years, from June 30, 2017 to June 30, 2019, with no additional funding, subject to approval by Agency counsel.

The cost of this contract is not to exceed $2,511,997, funded through Traffic Congestion Relief Program (TCRP) funds budgeted to this project and this phase of work. This contract amendment does not propose a budget increase. For the original contract, TAMC commissioned an independent cost estimate from URS, Inc. URS estimated the final design work would cost $2.5-3 million.

The Salinas Rail Extension Kick-Start project includes improvements at the Salinas Station, a two-train layover facility, track improvements in Gilroy to allow for run-through service, and minor improvements to the Gilroy, Morgan Hill and San Jose Tamien stations. TAMC hired HDR Engineering, Inc., on June 25, 2014, following a competitive Request for Proposals process, for the final design of the Salinas Rail Extension Kick-Start Project. TAMC approved amendment #1 on April 27, 2016 to increase the maximum amount payable and expand the Scope of Services to add additional traffic analysis and other studies for the improvements to Highway 183 associated with the Project. This amendment #2 (attached) is a two-year extension to June 30, 2019, with no additional budget.

HDR has made the following progress since starting work on this project:

• Held kick-off meeting and completed the peer review of existing designs and planning documents;
• Recommended TAMC package Kick-Start project designs and bids:
  • Package 1: Lincoln Avenue extension, parking and circulation improvements at Salinas;
  • Package 2: Salinas layover facility;
  • Package 3: Santa Clara County station improvements;
• Initiated topographic surveys (near complete);
• Initiated utility coordination and developed utility drawings;
• Completed geotechnical investigations;
• Completed 75% plans, cost estimates and bid documents for all three packages and initiated 100% plans for Package 1;
• Completed the hazardous materials reports for the Salinas station;

• Drafted an updated traffic analysis; and
• Submitted geometric drawings and fact sheets to Caltrans.

After initiating the repackaging effort, there was difficulty reaching a consensus on the station design concept with the City of Salinas and Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST). Additional unanticipated work to finalize conceptual station design prior to initiating plan sheet production included additional meetings and multiple revisions to the designs, beyond what had been anticipated. Design for Packages 2 and 3 are currently on hold due to the uncertainties related to Union Pacific reviews (pending a track access agreement currently being negotiated by the State Transportation Agency) and operations scenarios (the service provider will have to weigh in on the track and layover facility designs). Work is still ongoing on Package 1: final design, utility coordination, cost estimates and bid documents.

The contract scope of work also includes optional tasks that have not yet been authorized, such as the Caltrans Project Report for State Route (SR) 183 (Market Street) that may not be required, pending approval by Caltrans of the encroachment permit application. By reevaluating the proposed improvements for SR 183/Market Street and gaining City of Salinas’ concurrence, the design team was able to reduce the construction cost estimate to below $1 million within the Caltrans Right of Way. Through continued coordination with Caltrans, it was agreed that the project would not need to prepare a Project Report provided the cost remained below $1 million. The team is preparing the encroachment permit package now, pending the right-of-way certification.