The City of Revelstoke awarded the construction contract for the traffic circle at the intersection of Fourth St., Victoria Rd. and Townley St. to Kamloops-based Eagle Rock Construction for just under $4.5 million.
Steve Black, director of engineering for the city, said construction will begin in the next few weeks and hopes the project can be accelerated due to decreased traffic at this time. The goal is to finish by the September long weekend.
Because of hopes for an accelerated timeline, the request for proposals had heavy emphasis on the project plan portion of submissions.
“In this case we wanted to make sure the contractor spent the time up front seriously contemplating sequencing of construction, impact on the community, how the detours would work and scheduling, to ensure finishing in a timely manner,” Black said.
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The construction companies bids for the project were evaluated based on proposal price, relevant experience and project team, prioritized in that order.
“Eagle Rock Construction provided a robust work plan, aggressive schedule, identified potential cost savings (to be determined through the actual construction sequencing), a detailed detour promoting safety and movement of vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists, and communication program to keep the community and visitors informed of this project,” said Black’s report to council.
The proposal also included a list of subcontractors including four Revelstoke businesses:
- Kelly’s Bobcat Services
- Zone Traffic Control
- Canyon Industrial Electrical Services
- Valley Blacktop
The project includes roadworks, removal and replacement of water pipe, sanitary sewer pipe and storm drain pipes, electrical and communication ducts, new lighting and signage as well as landscaping.
It will be funded with a $5 million grant from the federal government and supplemented with money from the Road Development Cost Charges, the Sewer Capital Replacement Reserve Fund, the Water Capital Replacement Reserve Fund as well as the Transportation Infrastructure Reserve Fund.
“We anticipate the project will be $100,000 less than budgeted,” Black said at a Special Council meeting on April 17.
If there is money left over it will be returned to the reserve funds, Black said.
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At the time of the grant application, in 2017, the city estimated the project to cost nearly $6 million. In 2018 and 2019, the city spent almost $517,000 to relocate two garages where the roundabout is planned, as well as acquire land for the project.
Total funds still available are around $5.4 million, with Eagle Rock’s bid coming in at just under $4.5 million.
Councillor Jackie Rhind questioned the need and accessibility of the contingency fund and Black assured her that in order for Eagle Rock to access more money a change order request must be submitted and vetted by city staff.
“It’s not so simple that they can slip in extra costs,” added Mayor Gary Sulz.
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Black is also hopeful that a cost-sharing grant application with ICBC will provide additional funds for the project, as ICBC staff reviewed and provided feedback on the roundabout designs.
The intersection in question has long been identified for upgrades, with a proposal for a figure eight roundabout system proposed in the 2011 as part of the Transportation Master Plan update.
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The current project was first proposed in 2017 with council of the day approving the grant application that was awarded in 2018.
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If the project did not move forward, the city would have to return the $5 million to the government.
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jocelyn.doll@revelstokereview.com
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