Update on 2015 Jarvis Street Reconstruction Plans and Estimated Costs

Purpose:
The purpose of this case is to update the Public Works Committee on Elk River’s Council approved plans and updated estimated costs to reconstruct Jarvis Street between Highway 10 and 165^th Avenue as part of their 2015 street reconstruction program, which includes approximately 3,800 linear feet of Jarvis Street that is shared between the cities of Elk River and Ramsey, and to improve the Jarvis Street railroad crossing to allow the crossing to become a railroad quiet zone.
 
Background:
On September 16^th, 2014, staff presented the attached proposal letter from the City of Elk River dated August 28^th, 2014 requesting that the City of Ramsey share in 50% of the costs to reconstruct about 3,800 linear feet of Jarvis Street between Highway 10 and 165^th Avenue that is shared by the two cities, and to improve the Jarvis Street railroad crossing to make it quiet zone eligible.  As noted at the time, though the railroad crossing is located entirely within the City of Elk River, City of Ramsey businesses and residents would benefit from the quiet zone so Elk River requested that the City of Ramsey contribute 50% of the costs.  Elk River proposed to reconstruct Jarvis Street as a 9-ton road with bituminous pavement and concrete curb and gutter at a width of 32-feet.  In addition, a 10-foot wide off-road bituminous trail was proposed to be constructed west of Jarvis Street to connect the City of Ramsey's Mississippi River Trail, which is proposed to be constructed along the south side of Highway 10, to Elk River's proposed Mississippi River Trail, which is proposed to be routed through the City of Elk River and not along Highway 10.  Though this work is not included in the City of Ramsey’s 2015 Capital Improvement Program it was discussed that the City of Elk River is willing to pay the City of Ramsey’s up-front costs and then allow us up to 3 years to pay back our portion of the costs, interest-free.  The total City of Ramsey estimated cost-share in September of 2014 was $970,728.
 
In January of 2015, City staff received the attached City Council case with attached Feasibility Report from Elk River, along with the attached memo from their consulting engineer Bolton-Menk, Inc, (BMI) dated October 29^th, 2014.  The memo addresses revised estimated project costs based on City Council direction to revise the design for reconstructing Jarvis Street from a 32-foot wide street with two 16-foot through lanes, to a 36-foot wide street with two 12-foot wide through lanes and two 6-foot wide on-road bike lanes.  No off-road trail is proposed to be constructed.  Per the attached memo and 2-page cost estimate reflecting the old 32-foot wide street design, the revised 36-foot wide street design increases the City of Ramsey’s costs by $56,910 resulting in a new total City of Ramsey estimated cost-share of $920,305.50.

Attached are updated plan sheets showing the 36-foot wide design for Jarvis Street.
 
The new total estimated cost-share for the City of Ramsey of $920,305.50.is $50,376 less than the amount previously discussed with the Public Works Committee when the Committee recommended Council approval of the project.  Since then, staff has been waiting for further direction from Elk River before presenting the project to the City Council for consideration of approval.
 
In 2014 City of Ramsey staff rated this section of Jarvis Street with a PASER rating of 2 which warrants a total reconstruction. While this is not the worst street in the City of Ramsey, it certainly ranks quite close and as such is included in the City’s 5-year CIP for street reconstruction projects.
 
Though the adjacent property uses are very different on either side of the shared section of Jarvis Street, with industrial properties in Elk River and residential properties in Ramsey, Jarvis Street is designated as a Municipal State Aid Street by both cities and as such must be reconstructed to State Aid standards as proposed by Elk River.

Reconstructing this section of Jarvis Street at the same time as the reconstruction of Andie Street and/or 164th Lane in 2016 and/or 2017 as shown in the current CIP would not be a good option as access to 164th Lane would be required from Jarvis Street from time to time.  Therefore, reconstructing Jarvis Street in 2015 fits well with our scheduled road reconstruction projects.

Based on Elk River’s estimated cost-share information attached, the City of Ramsey’s share of the project costs, estimated at 50%, equals $920,305.50.
 
As previously noted, the City of Elk River is agreeable to paying for the City of Ramsey’s share of the costs up-front with an interest-free payback period of 3-years.  The proposed funding sources for this work include a mix of State Aid funds and road reconstruction bond funds which would be used to pay the City of Elk River back over a 3-year period from 2016 to 2018.

This project is not included in the City’s 5-year Street Maintenance Program.