Staff Report
PREPARED BY: LISA PETERSEN
Assistant Parks and Public Works Director/Town Engineer
Reviewed by: Town Manager, Assistant Town Manager, Town Attorney, Finance Director, and Parks and
Public Works Director
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: 12/18/2018
ITEM NO: 8
DATE: DECEMBER 12, 2018
TO: MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
FROM: LAUREL PREVETTI, TOWN MANAGER
SUBJECT: PROJECT 813-0231 - BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
(BLOSSOM HILL ROAD):
A. APPROVE THE PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE BICYCLE AND
PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENT PROJECT (BLOSSOM HILL ROAD) AND
AUTHORIZE THE TOWN MANAGER TO ADVERTISE THE PROJECT FOR
BID.
B. AUTHORIZE THE TOWN MANAGER TO AWARD AND EXECUTE A
CONSTRUCTION AGREEMENT IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED
$550,032, INCLUDING CONTINGENCIES.
C. AUTHORIZE STAFF TO EXECUTE POTENTIAL CHANGE ORDERS IN AN
AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED FIFTEEN PERCENT OF THE CONTRACT
AWARD AMOUNT.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the Town Council:
1. Approve the plans and specifications for the Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvement Project
(Blossom Hill Road) and authorize the Town Manager to advertise the project for bid.
2. Authorize the Town Manager to award and execute a construction agreement in an amount
not to exceed $550,032, including contingencies.
3. Authorize staff to execute potential change orders in an amount not to exceed fifteen
percent of the contract award amount.
BACKGROUND:
Within the Fiscal Year 2018/19 – 2022/23 Capital Improvement Program budget, the Town
Council allocated funding for Bicycle and Pedestrian improvement projects in the Town. At the
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SUBJECT: PROJECT 813-0231 BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
DATE: DECEMBER 12, 2018
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BACKGROUND (continued):
October 17, 2017 Town Council meeting, the Council approved a prioritization of Bicycle and
Pedestrian projects within the Town’s approved Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan to be
funded within the allocated CIP budget. The Blossom Hill Road (Blossom Hill Road) bicycle and
pedestrian improvements were identified as the highest priority CIP projects.
After Council’s October direction, staff began working on the design which included the
following:
• Class IV bike lanes on Blossom Hill Road (Blossom Hill Road) between Roberts Road East
and Oak Rim Way
• Right turn lane and Class I multiuse path on the eastbound approach of Blossom Hill Road
at Roberts Road East
• Fisher Middle School frontage striping improvements on Roberts Road East
Class IV bike lanes are bike lanes separated from vehicle traffic with a physical barrier. Class I
multi-use paths serve both bicyclists and pedestrians on a pathway that is physically separated
from vehicle traffic and the street.
At the October 16, 2018 Town Council meeting, Council accepted two grants previously
authorized for submittal by the Council for the project, including $242,000 from the
Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA) and $39,500 from the County Program Manager Fund.
The plans and specifications for the project have been completed and are available for review
on the PPW capital improvement webpage at www.losgatosca.gov/108/Capital-Improvement-
Program. A plan exhibit is provided in Attachment 1.
DISCUSSION:
The Town completed an online Student Study Travel Survey to solicit parent and student input
on what improvements would most benefit school students who walk and bike to school. The
survey results from 1,100 respondents showed that the improvements that would most likely
change student transportation decisions are biking and walking facilities with physical
separation from vehicular traffic. Additionally, parents noted they would be more likely to
encourage their children to bike or walk to school if these types of separated facilities were in
place.
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SUBJECT: PROJECT 813-0231 BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
DATE: DECEMBER 12, 2018
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DISCUSSION (continued):
The Blossom Hill Road bicycle and pedestrian improvement project would be the first Class I
and Class IV separated bicycle facilities along a major Town arterial roadway. This section of
Blossom Hill Road experiences a high volume of school traffic and often experiences vehicular
congestion from traffic to and from Fisher Middle School and Van Meter Elementary School. As
highlighted by the survey, installing new separated bicycle and pedestrian facilities may
encourage more students to bike and walk to school, which would reduce congestion on this
corridor and create a safer environment for all bicyclists and walkers.
In addition to the design scope noted in the Background section of this report, the design will
also include traffic signal modification at the intersection of Blossom Hill Road and Roberts
Road East, lane striping changes, parking removal along Blossom Hill Road to allow for the new
improvements, and a relocation of the westbound Blossom Hill Road merge point towards Los
Gatos Boulevard. During the design development, staff conducted a traffic pilot project related
to the change of the merge point and attended a special Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory
Commission (BPAC) public outreach meeting to discuss the design and roadway changes related
to the project with the public. The pilot traffic project and special BPAC meeting are discussed
below in more detail.
Blossom Hill Road Westbound Merge Pilot Project
Parks and Public Works staff implemented a morning lane closure on westbound Blossom Hill
Road between Los Gatos Boulevard and Roberts Road East on May 30, 2018. The project
moved the westbound Blossom Hill Road traffic merge point at Roberts Road East closer to the
Los Gatos Boulevard intersection to simulate changes that would be made with the Blossom Hill
Road bicycle and pedestrian improvement project. During the morning school drop-off period,
traffic was initially impacted for a 20-minute period, causing some cars to wait an extra signal
cycle to cross the Los Gatos Boulevard intersection. Staff will mitigate this impact by extending
the westbound green time on Blossom Hill Road at Roberts Road and by extending the left turn
pocket from Blossom Hill Road to Roberts Road East.
During the pilot closure, it was also observed that westbound cars attempting to bypass
Highway 85 to reach Highway 9 changed their driving behavior and turned north on Los Gatos
Boulevard. Change in driver behavior once the project is constructed will help disperse traffic
from this area of Blossom Hill Road and typically drivers will acclimate to roadway changes
within a few months. These adjustments are expected for the lane changes that will be
implemented with the Blossom Hill Road bicycle and pedestrian improvement project.
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SUBJECT: PROJECT 813-0231 BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
DATE: DECEMBER 12, 2018
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DISCUSSION (continued):
Special BPAC Public Meeting
The BPAC held a special meeting on November 8, 2018 to discuss the design for the upcoming
Blossom Hill Road bicycle and pedestrian project. Residents living within 300 feet of the project
limits were mailed letters regarding the meeting. In addition, information about the meeting
was provided in the Los Gatos Unified School District’s newsletter, on Nextdoor, on the Town
What’s New website, and on the newly developed Town Bicycle and Pedestrian Project
webpage www.losgatosca.gov/BikePedImprovements. The meeting was attended by five BPAC
members and eight members of the public.
Staff explained the key details of the conceptual design (Attachment 1). This included a
discussion on the new westbound right turn lane onto Roberts Road East, the new Class I
(widened sidewalk) bike lane at this same location, and the new Class IV (barrier) bike lanes
from Roberts Road East to just west of Los Gatos Boulevard. Additionally, staff talked about
parking changes for the project that require removal of approximately ten parking spaces (out
of 29) on Blossom Hill Road for bicycle safety and to obtain the needed roadway width. Staff
noted the exact number of spaces removed would be determined during the final design of the
project. Based on the final design, 12 spaces will be removed. Staff also discussed the
relocation of the westbound lane merge point on Blossom Hill Road .
Residents in attendance were excited and supportive of the project. Questions from the public
revolved mainly around project logistics, such as public education, maintenance, and project
funding. The presentation provided at the meeting and proposed project layout are included
on the project webpage. Staff encouraged residents at the public meeting and through other
forms of notification to sign up for the Notify Me option on the project’s webpage to stay up to
date on the project.
Next Steps
Should Council approve the plans and specifications and authorize project bidding, the
following is the anticipated project schedule:
Project Bid Opening January 24, 2019
Construction Contract Award March 2019
Construction Start June 2019
Construction Complete August 2019
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SUBJECT: PROJECT 813-0231 BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
DATE: DECEMBER 12, 2018
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CONCLUSION:
The proposed project continues to advance the priorities identified by the Town’s Bicycle and
Pedestrian Master Plan and the Traffic Around Schools study.
COORDINATION:
This project has been coordinated with the Town’s BPAC and through community outreach as
highlighted in this report.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Bicycle & Pedestrian Improvements
Project 813-0231
Budget Costs
GFAR $ 538,550
TFCA Grants $ 281,500
Traffic Mitigation $ 34,028
Total Budget $ 854,078
FY 18/19 Prior Commitments $ 53,866
Project Construction (Including Contingencies) $ 550,032
Total Expenditures $ 550,032
Remaining Balance $ 304,046
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
This is a project as defined under CEQA but is Categorically Exempt (Section 15301c). A Notice
of Exemption was previously filed.
ATTACHMENT:
1. Plan Exhibit