Staff Report.Shannon Road Ped and Bikeway Improvements Update
PREPARED BY: WooJae Kim
Town Engineer
Reviewed by: Town Manager, Assistant Town Manager, Town Attorney, Finance Director, and Director
of Parks and Public Works
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● (408) 354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: 3/1/2022 ITEM NO: 11
DATE: February 24, 2022
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Laurel Prevetti, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Shannon Road Pedestrian and Bikeway Improvements (CIP No. 813-0218):
a. Receive an Update on the Shannon Road Pedestrian and Bikeway
Improvements Project;
b. Accept a Transportation Fund for Clean Air Grant in the Amount of
$174,250 from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority;
c. Authorize the Town Manager to Execute a Grant Agreement with the
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority for the Transportation Fund
for Clean Air Funds;
d. Authorize a Revenue and Expenditure Increase for the Project in the
Amount of $174,250 in the Fiscal Year 2021/22 Capital Improvement
Program Budget for the Grant Funds; and
e. Authorize the Town Manager to Execute the First Amendment to the
Consulting Services Agreement with ActiveWayz Engineering for
Additional Design Services, in an Amount of $44,840, for a Total
Agreement Amount Not to Exceed $171,471.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the following actions for the Shannon Road Pedestrian and Bikeway
Improvements (CIP No. 813-0218):
a. Receive an update on the Shannon Road Pedestrian and Bikeway Improvements Project;
b. Accept a Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA) grant in the amount of $174,250 from the
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA);
c. Authorize the Town Manager to Execute a Grant Agreement with VTA for the TFCA funds
(Attachment 1);
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d. Authorize a revenue and expenditure increase for the project in the amount of $174,250 in
the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021/22 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Budget for the grant funds;
and
e. Authorize the Town Manager to execute the First Amendment (Attachment 2) to the
Consulting Services Agreement with ActiveWayz Engineering for additional design services,
in an amount of $44,840, for a total agreement amount not to exceed $171,471.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
As this report demonstrates, the community engagement with this project has been
comprehensive. Early input from a broad stakeholder base confirmed the need for the project
and substantiated the goal of creating a safer environment for bicycle and pedestrian users.
The need for enhanced safety is evident to anyone who has observed this stretch of roadway
for any length of time. As adjacent neighbors began to express their interest and concerns with
the project, the project team raised the level of engagement, including individual meetings and
a resident-focused meeting on a Saturday morning that brought great attendance. As is typical
with these projects, priorities do not always align among stakeholders, and in this case even
among neighbors on the same block. Town staff has taken input and created a project that
supports the project safety goals and maximized opportunities to meet stakeholder needs.
The project design presented is at 65% completion. This report is intended as a check-in with
the Town Council to demonstrate the evolution of the project from the Town Council approved
design concept until today, including an emphasis on adjustments that were made in response
to the robust community outreach. Staff believes this is a strong design and recommends
proceeding with the project to final design and ultimately bidding and construction without
making additional programmatic changes at this stage. Any changes will have significant design
and timing cost implications and will put grant funding at risk.
BACKGROUND:
The Shannon Road Pedestrian and Bikeway Improvements Project will provide pedestrian and
bicycle safety improvements on Shannon Road between Los Gatos Boulevard and Cherry
Blossom Lane. This segment of Shannon Road is a two-lane neighborhood collector street with
high volumes of bicycle and pedestrian traffic when schools are in session. The street is a
popular route for students attending Blossom Hill Elementary, Louise Van Meter Elementary,
and Raymond J. Fisher Middle Schools. There are intermittent sections of sidewalk on both
sides of the roadway. Currently, on-street parking is not allowed on Shannon Road between 7
a.m. and 6 p.m., except on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.
In June 2018, the Town was awarded a Vehicle Emissions Reductions Based at Schools (VERBS)
federal grant in the amount of $940,100 from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission
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BACKGROUND (continued):
(MTC)’s One Bay Area Grant program (OBAG) distributed through the Santa Clara Valley
Transportation Authority (VTA) to partially fund the project. Funding is designated in the FY
2021/22-2025/26 CIP Budget.
On November 5, 2019, the Town Council authorized the Town Manager to solicit design
consultants and negotiate and execute a design consultant agreement in an amount not to
exceed $200,000. ActiveWayz Engineering was selected as the design consultant through the
procurement process. A consultant services agreement for an amount not to exceed $126,631
was negotiated and executed with ActiveWayz Engineering to include final design and
construction administration support.
ActiveWayz Engineering analyzed the site and proposed two initial design concepts in
collaboration with staff. Concept 1 included conventional sidewalks and Class II bikeways on
both sides of Shannon Road. Concept 2 was for street-grade sidewalks and Class IV protected
bikeways on both sides. The construction only cost for Concept 2 was estimated to be around
$2.9 million, which would not be feasible with the current project budget. These two concepts
were presented to the Complete Streets and Transportation Commission (CSTC) on August 12,
2021, and to the community on August 25.
Attendees of the first community meeting commented that the project should focus more on
the safety of young bicyclists and commuters to school on Shannon Road. As a result, a third
concept with Class IV bikeways with green bollards was developed. Primary features of the
three design concepts are summarized below:
Concept 1 – Conventional
Sidewalk + Class II
Concept 2 – Street-Grade
Sidewalk + Class IV
Concept 3 – Conventional
Sidewalk + Class IV
Type of Bike Lanes
Class II (5’-6’ wide) Class IV (5’-6’ wide plus 3’
separation from vehicle
lanes)
Class IV (green bollards) / Class
II (5’-6’ wide plus 3’ buffer from
vehicle lanes)
Street Tree Removals (in Public ROW)
Removal of three (3) trees Removal of nine (9) trees Removal of five (5) trees
On-Street Parking
South side (Los Gatos Blvd to
Cherry Blossom)
North side (Magneson Loop
to Cherry Blossom)
Approx. five spaces on south
side between Magneson Loop
and Englewood Ave
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Concept 1 – Conventional
Sidewalk + Class II
Concept 2 – Street-Grade
Sidewalk + Class IV
Concept 3 – Conventional
Sidewalk + Class IV
Conform Work in Private Property
Grading and other
modifications required
Reduces encroachment into
private property for
conform work
Grading and other
modifications required
Preliminary Estimate – Construction Only
$1.8M $2.9M $1.9M
The third concept was presented to the CSTC on September 9 and to the community on
September 29. CSTC voted in support of the Concept 3 due to the protected Class IV bike
facilities design, which provides higher sense of security/safety to bicyclists compared to Class II
bikeways. Also, 50% of the second community meeting attendees voted in favor of Concept 3,
and 44% voted for Concept 1 (standard Class II bikeway design). Few Shannon Road residents
expressed concerns regarding the removal of the on-street parking in front of their specific
properties, installation of Class IV bike lanes with green bollards, and questioned the need to
install wide sidewalks on both sides of Shannon. Some attendees expressed desires to maintain
the “rural and neighborhood feel” of Shannon Road.
On October 19, 2021, the Town Council considered the three design options and heard public
comments regarding Design Concept 3 recommended by staff. Council ultimately approved
Concept 3 without the green bollards in consideration of concerns heard from some Shannon
Road residents about how they would impact the look and feel of the street and the
neighborhood. Without the green bollards, the bike facility design for Concept 3 would be
buffered Class II type. Council further directed staff to investigate alternative barrier options
for bikeways acceptable to the Shannon Road residents and to continue engaging the
community for the final design.
DISCUSSION:
Online Survey on Priority of Design Elements
With the Council’s approval of the revised Concept 3, staff actively engaged with the Shannon
Road residents. Residents continued to request minimizing the safety improvements to keep
the rural neighborhood feel of Shannon Road. There were few variables for final design
considerations such as locations and widths of planter areas, sidewalk, bike lanes, buffer space,
on-street parking, and low-profile barriers. Staff conducted an online survey to better
understand the residents’ priorities on these different design variables. Shannon Road
residents were invited to rank the seven project elements by their priority (1 being the most
important element and 7 being the least important). By November 10, 2021, 21 out of the 35
PAGE 5 OF 10 SUBJECT: Approve Recommended Actions for the Shannon Road Pedestrian and Bikeway Improvements Project (CIP No. 813-0218) DATE: February 24, 2022
DISCUSSION (continued):
households/properties along the Shannon Road project limit, completed the survey. Survey
results are summarized here:
Shannon Road Neighbhorhood Survey
PAGE 6 OF 10 SUBJECT: Approve Recommended Actions for the Shannon Road Pedestrian and Bikeway Improvements Project (CIP No. 813-0218) DATE: February 24, 2022
DISCUSSION (continued):
The residents ranked adding planter spaces between the property line and sidewalk as the most
important element, while ranking on-street parking as the second most important
priority. Low-profile barriers in the buffer area to physically separate the bike and travel lanes
ranked the lowest in priority.
General comments received with the completed surveys include the following:
• Aesthetics of the neighborhood is important.
• Prefer narrowest design for sidewalks and bikeways.
• Planter strips next to properties are important.
• Need on-street parking for residents and workers/deliveries.
• Concerns about impacts to property front lawns or frontages.
Third Community Meeting
On November 17, 2021, staff hosted the third community meeting to share the survey results
and the corresponding design adjustments to Concept 3. The meeting was advertised through
door hangers, social media outlets, Town website Notify Me updates, and meeting notice signs
placed along Shannon Road. Approximately 30 community members attended the meeting.
Based on the online survey, the project team was able to accommodate approximately two feet
of planter space between the property line and sidewalk where possible and incorporate as
many as 15 on-street parking spaces on the southside of Shannon Road between Magneson
Loop and Cherry Blossom Lane.
After the presentation, staff responded to questions and comments from residents still wanting
narrower roadway improvements and keeping widths of design elements to a minimum. Staff
reminded the attendees that the design being developed has been approved by Council and
that this is a roadway safety project for pedestrians and bicyclists, especially for children
commuting to schools.
65% Design Plans and Fourth Community Meeting
The project team developed 65% design plans for the Shannon Road Pedestrian and Bikeway
Improvements based on the approved concept design (sidewalk with buffered Class II bikeways
on both sides) and design adjustments resulting from the online survey. On Saturday, January
15, 2022, staff hosted the fourth community meeting in-person on Shannon Road to present
the 65% design plans, discuss the upcoming project schedule, gather feedback, and walk the
site with individual residents. The meeting was advertised through door hanger notices, social
media, Town website, Notify Me updates, and meeting notice signs placed along Shannon
Road. Approximately 35 community members attended the meeting.
PAGE 7 OF 10 SUBJECT: Approve Recommended Actions for the Shannon Road Pedestrian and Bikeway Improvements Project (CIP No. 813-0218) DATE: February 24, 2022
DISCUSSION (continued):
A few Shannon Road residents commented again about making the sidewalk and bikeway
improvements as narrow as possible and incorporating more planting spaces to keep the rural
feel of the neighborhood. The pedestrian and bikeway elements were already narrowed to
incorporate additional on-street parking on the south side of Shannon Road and the two-foot
planter strips between the property line and sidewalk. Staff mentioned that the project team
will further investigate options to increase planting spaces, but certain design elements cannot
be compromised or minimized for a safety project, and that the design cannot deviate from the
concept approved by the Town Council.
From Shannon Road resident comments at the fourth community meeting, the designer
updated the 65% design plans to extend few planting spaces on the southside of Shannon Road,
which compromised few on-street parking. The updated 65% design plans can be viewed on
the project website (https://www.losgatosca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/29975/Shannon-Road-Ped--
Bikeway-Improvements---Revised-65-Plan?bidId=).
The latest project estimate for the 65% design increased to $2.45 million from the previous
estimate of $2.25 million due to the additional amount of pavement rehabilitation and storm
drainage improvements needed. Although significant improvements to the existing storm drain
system are needed, only some of the improvements that can be implemented as part of this
project are being included, such as extending the storm drain system to Robie Lane and
relocating sections of the existing storm drain line away from the new curb and gutter
alignment.
The project team discussed the need to extend the sidewalk on the southside of Shannon Road
to the western corner of E. La Chiquita Avenue, just east of Cherry Blossom Lane. Based on the
current project limits, the new sidewalk on the southside would end mid-block where Cherry
Blossom Lane intersects Shannon Road, which is not a desired situation. The addition of
approximately 90 feet of sidewalk and driveways would further increase the design and
construction costs. The project limits would need to be extended and this segment of the work
can be included as an additive alternate bid item to the project.
Next Steps
Staff will continue to work with utility companies for utility relocation plans and complete the
95% and 100% construction documents by this summer for approvals by the California
Department of Transportation (for the federal grant process) and the Town Council. Staff
anticipates that the earliest construction could start is Fall 2022, but further delays may be
incurred from utility relocations to be conducted by Pacific Gas and Electric Company, San Jose
Water, West Valley Sanitation District, and other communication and network providers.
Construction for the Shannon Road project itself is estimated to take approximately six to eight
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DISCUSSION (continued):
months to complete. The project team will continue to work with individual residents along
Shannon Road while moving forward with the final design.
Transportation Fund for Clean Air Grant
In July 2021, staff submitted a grant application for the TFCA County Program, a local fund
source of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District programmed and distributed through
VTA. On November 4, 2021, the VTA Board approved an award of $174,250 to be retroactively
available on July 1, 2021, for Shannon Road project related Town expenses.
Staff is recommending that the Town Council accept the TFCA grant in the amount of $174,250
from VTA to supplement project funding, authorize the Town Manager to execute a grant
agreement for the TFCA funds, and authorize a revenue and expenditure budget adjustment for
the grant amount.
First Amendment to Consultant Services Agreement with ActiveWayz Engineering
An amendment to the consultant services agreement with ActiveWayz Engineering is needed
for the additional design services due to an extensive on-going community engagement
process, multiple iterations of designs, increased magnitude of utility design work, and an
extension of the project limits. The increased cost due to the additional services is $44,840, as
indicated in the First Amendment (Attachment 2), bringing the total contract amount to
$171,471. There are sufficient funds in the project budget for the agreement amount increase.
Additional agreement amendments would be required if further design changes are made,
which would also drastically impact the project schedule.
CONCLUSION:
The Town Council’s approval of the TFCA grant would allow additional funds to supplement the
project. The approval of the First Amendment to the consultant services agreement would
allow the design consultant to continue with the final design work.
The project team will continue to engage the community through the design and construction
process. Further updates to the project would be made available on the Town’s project
webpage at https://www.losgatosca.gov/2687/Shannon-Pedestrian-and-Bikeway-Improveme.
COORDINATION:
This project has been coordinated with the Complete Streets and Transportation Commission
and significant public outreach has been conducted.
PAGE 9 OF 10 SUBJECT: Approve Recommended Actions for the Shannon Road Pedestrian and Bikeway Improvements Project (CIP No. 813-0218) DATE: February 24, 2022
FISCAL IMPACT:
As reported at the October 19, 2021 Council meeting, staff is recommending a funding strategy
associated with the project given the need for additional funds to complete the project. The
funding strategy identifies alternative sources of funds to utilize in the delivery of the project.
The final project estimate will be completed with the final design, at which time staff will
recommend the appropriate budget actions.
The following table outlines the current funding, potential projects where funding could be
consolidated to the project, and anticipated project costs:
Staff costs are tracked for all projects. Tracking of staff costs allows for accountability in the
costs of projects, recovery of costs from grant funded projects, and identification of future
staffing needs. This project utilizes a combination of full-time budgeted staff and temporary
staff that support fluctuating workloads. The costs for temporary staff will be directly
Budget Costs
VERBA Grant Funds $940,100
TFCA Grant Funds (Approved with this Staff Report)$174,250
GFAR $179,896
Total Budget $1,294,246
Potential Additional Funding
Annual Storm Drain Project (Storm Basin)300,000$
Annual Sidewalk Repairs – Multiple Locations (GFAR)60,000$
Bicycle & Pedestrian Improvement Project (GFAR)200,000$
Annual Street Restriping Project (GFAR)150,000$
Annual Street Resurfacing Project (GFAR)407,225$
Massol Intersection Project (GFAR)50,000$
Subtotal 1,167,225$
Total with Potential Budget 2,461,471$
ActiveWayz Engineering $126,631
First Amendment to Design Agreement (Approved with this Staff Report)$44,840
Construction $2,000,000
Construction Contingency $200,000
Temporary/Part-Time Staff $80,000
Material Testing $10,000
Total Expenditures $2,461,471
Remaining Budget $0
Shannon Road Pedestrian and Bikeway Improvements
CIP No. 813-0218
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FISCAL IMPACT (continued):
associated with this project while full-time staff are accounted for in the department’s
operating budget.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
This is a project defined under CEQA as being Categorically Exempt per Section 15301(c)
Existing streets, sidewalks, trails and similar facilities and 15304(h) Creation of bicycle lanes on
existing rights-of-way. A Notice of Exemption will be filed. Under the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA), the project is determined to be categorically excluded from a detailed
environmental analysis.
Attachments:
1. TFCA Funding Agreement with VTA
2. First Amendment Including Original Agreement with ActiveWayz Engineering