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ST9904-AG001024 T, H E '. C I T Y 0 ~ COPFELL AGENDA REQUEST FORM ~ a ~ ITY COUNCIL MEETING: October 24, 2000 ITEM # b// ITEM CAPTION: , Update on S.H. 121and Belt Line Road. SUBMITTED BY Kenneth M. Griffin, P.E. · Director of Engineering/Public Works See attached memo. BUDGET AMT. $ 9\~ AMT. EST. $ +\-BID $ FINANCIAL COiVI1VIENTS: DIR. INITIALS: I,t7 FIN. REVIEWq CITY MANAGER REVIEW': Agenda Request Form - Revised 5/00 Document Name: # 10242 MEMORANDUM FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGINEERING To: Mayor and City Council Members From: Kenneth M. Griffin, P.E., Dir. of Engineering/Public Works Date: October 24, 2000 RE: Update on S.H. 121 and Belt Line Road · S.H. 121 On October 11, 2000 I attended a meeting sponsored by Demon County Commissioner Sandy Jacobs conceming the status of the S.H. 121 construction. The following is a brief review of the meeting and the current status of S .H. 121. S.H. 121 from its intersection with Business 121 (Denton Creek and S.H. 121) up to the Dallas North Tollway has environmental clearance and is a Priority II project. Priority II allows the actual design of the project to begin. Because of the size of the design, the project has been divided into four sections. Engineering fn-ms have been selected for 3 of the 4 segments, with TxDOT performing the design of the 4th section. The consulting firms are as follows: Carter & Burgess - from Business 121 to Lake Vista Drive, this section is partially contained within and directly north of Coppell; Halff and Associates - east of I.H. 35E to F.M. 544; Bridgefarmer and Associates - F.M. 544 to Dallas North Tollway. TxDOT will design the grade-separated overpass at I.H. 35E and S.H. 121. All consultants have committed to a very compressed design timeframe for the specific reason of being complete with design by fall 2002. The fall 2002 timeline is critical because if the design of the projects is complete at that poim, then they will be included in the TxDOT Letting Program for 2003. TxDOT has committed to Sandy Jacobs that if the designs are complete and the projects included in TxDOT Project Letting Program for 2003, then monies will be available for construction of all phases in 2003. Ms. Jacobs gave a brief update on the State's Infrastructure Bank (SIB) loan. Final approval for the SIB loan is scheduled for October 26, 2000. The basic terms of the loan are 4.5 percem interest with a 7-year payback. If all goes as planned, it is anticipated that S.H. 121 from Dallas North Tollway to Denton Creek in Coppell will be under construction in late 2003 or early 2004. There are obviously still challenges to overcome; bin, Ms. Jacobs is highly optimistic that this timetable will be met. Obviously, the limits as discussed above do not include the section of S.H. 121 between the cities of Coppell and Grapevine from Denton Creek to south of Sandy Lake Road. That is Section 13 of S.H. 121 "CITY OF COPPELL ENGINEERING - EXCELLENCE BY DESIGN" and as of this date it still does not have environmental clearance. Council may recall that on January 11, 2000 an Interlocal Cooperation Agreement was approved between the City of Coppell and Denton County for the city to participate in an amount of 2 million dollars in the S.H. 121 project. However, the Interlocal Agreement was specific that the City would make payments in five annual installments of $400,000 on or before October 1st of the year of which Priority II status is reached on Section 13. The Priority II status is important because until a project reaches Priority II status the engineering design of the project cannot begin. The latest timeline for Section 13 is that the environmental clearance will be obtained in mid-2001. At that time, Section 13 will go to a Priority II status, the engineering firm will be selected for the design and the design will proceed. I questioned how this project would then tract with the remainder of S.H. 121. I was told that if the environmental clearance was obtained in mid-2001 then the goal was still to start the design of Section 13 and have that design also completed by fall 2002 so that it could also be on the TxDOT Letting Program for 2003. The best case scenario is that S.H. 121 from Dallas North Tollway to approximately Sandy Lake Road could have contracts awarded for construction sometime in 2003. This timeline is approximately 10+ years ahead of what the timeline would have been without the intervention of Sandy Jacobs and the utilization of the State Infrastructure Bank loan and the participation by five abutting cities. · Belt Line Road On May 22, 2000 Dallas County received and opened bids for the construction of Belt Line Road from Denton Tap to MacArthur. The low bidder was H.B. Zachary Construction Corp. On July 25, 2000 City Council approved a Supplemental City/County Agreement for funding associated with Belt Line Road. Our share of the funding is basically for: conduit for future traffic lights or irrigation, pull boxes for traffic lights, foundations for street lighting, pavement markings, traffic buttons, brick pavers, temporary traffic signals, relocating existing traffic signals and adjusting portions of our existing 24" water line. On September 28, 2000 a workshop was held between representatives of Dallas County, the City of Dallas, the City of Coppell and H.B. Zachary Construction Corp. The project will be run as a Dallas County project with Dallas County providing the construction inspection and supervision on the project. I have assigned an inspector to the project; but his involvement will be limited to inspecting the portions of the construction that we are funding and to maintain dialogue with Dallas County's construction inspector. One of the main issues discussed at the workshop was how to accommodate the traveling public and to get information out to the public as a whole. Subsequent to the workshop, there was a follow-up meeting to discuss opportunities for disbursement of information. Dallas County will be e-mailing information to me conceming this project on a bi-weekiy basis. I will review the information, edit as needed and e-mail it to Sharon Logan for inclusion on the City's webpage. The types of information to be placed on the webpage include a map of the project, general description, contact information, schedule, upcoming events, accomplishments, and photographs of the work in progress. The contractor is currently mobilizing on the project and should begin full construction in the next few weeks. At the Council meeting additional information will be provided on current work taking place on the project and what to expect in the near future. Staff will be available to answer any questions at the Council meeting. "CITY OF COPPELL ENGINEERING - EXCELLENCE BY DESIGN"