Council updated on capital projects
A status report on the city of Santa Barbara’s capital improvement projects was presented to the City Council on Tuesday, highlighting recent progress for selected CIP projects.
City Engineer Brian D’Amour presented the report for fiscal year 2018-19 and discussed the current capital Improvement program that covers the five-year period of fiscal year 2019-20 to fiscal 2023-24.
“It’s a lot of work. We’ve completed a good amount of work and there’s work in a variety of different departments and programs,” said Mr. D’Amour.
Recently completed projects include the replacement of 38 valves and 49 actuators at the Cater Water Treatment Plant for $1,315,845; asphalt concrete replacement at the entrance to the Santa Barbara Northeast Apron Hangars 1, 2 and 3 for $2,535,704; and restoration of 1,600 linear feet of degraded creek frontage and surrounding open space along lower Arroyo Burro Creek for $1,376,664.
In the third and fourth quarters of fiscal 2018-19, the city completed approximately $16 million worth of projects, Mr. D’Amour reported.
The capital improvement program remains well-funded through a diversity of revenue resources, according to the report.
The city has 22 projects in the construction phase with a total construction contract cost of approximately $121 million. The projects include four bridge projects, five facilities projects, four street maintenance projects, and nine water/wastewater projects.
Mr. D’Amour highlighted ongoing projects, including:
• Work on the Quinientos Street Bridge replacement began this spring. Major structural elements are expected to be completed this fall with work continuing throughout the winter. The project is scheduled for completion in May for a total cost of $4,090,871, funded completely by a Federal Highway Administration grant.
• The replacement of the 105-year old De la Guerra Street Bridge over Mission Creek is approaching a spring 2020 completion. Construction crews are expected to be out of the creek in the fall, with street-level improvements continuing after that. Total cost is $5,755,950.
Mr. D’Amour also addressed the city’s various pavement maintenance projects, highlighting the work done by Granite Construction on the intersection of Mission and De la Vina streets. The project has taken some time, largely due to the cities commitment to maintaining the flow of traffic. The added complication of an ongoing private project at the same location has lengthened the process, but city officials have successfully coordinated with the local business to insure both projects are completed.
“It appears that everything went really smoothly. I didn’t hear any complaints. The project team didn’t hear any complaints and they were able to get done what they needed to last week and then continued the work on the weekend to make the progress they needed to on that project,” said Mr. D’Amour.
There will be no more hard closures on De la Vina Street just above Mission, said Mr. D’Amour.
“We’ve gotten past the critical part of that project,” Mr. D’Amour said to several council members’ relief. Mayor Cathy Murillo commented on how bad the congestion at the intersection has been and said she is glad they were over the hump.
In addition to the projects in construction, there are 28 capital projects are in the design phase. The total committed investment in city infrastructure for these projects is approximately $105 million, according to the report.
Of the many projects in design, Mr. D’Amour said finds the Las Positas and Modoc Multiuse Pathway to be the most interesting and the one he enjoys explaining to community members the most.
The project will construct a 2.6-mile long pathway for bicyclists and pedestrians along Modoc Road from Calle de los Amigos to Las Positas Road and along Las Positas Road from Modoc to Cliff Drive. Construction is anticipated to begin in spring 2020 and take about a year. The cost of $18,376,346 will be funded by the federal Active Transportation Program, according to the report.
“I think it’s so remarkable all the work that’s been done. It’s so beautiful and it seems like almost every day you drive down a new street and you’re like ‘Oh! It’s been repaved and it’s really nice and it looks great’. I can say that someone I know has remarked on, ‘Wow, when the city decides to get moving the work is really beautiful’ and I was really proud, so thank you for that,” said Councilwoman Kristen Sneddon.
