Construction Projects Presentation
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City Council Work Session May 23, 2024 Coordination and Communication for Road Construction Projects in Chandler Agenda • Current construction control and coordination • Current communication initiatives for road construction projects • Current and near future projects that affect Chandler streets • Common questions received • Staff recommendations Why Does the City Complete Projects within the Roadways? • Infrastructure maintenance and improvement: Keep systems safe and functional for residents. Maintenance prolongs life of assets and create less cost over the life of the asset, which keeps costs lower for residents. • Enhanced mobility and accessibility: Improve utility, communications and transportation network for residents. • Safety Improvements: Traffic signals, street lighting, crosswalks. • Community revitalization: Revitalize neighborhoods and commercial districts (e.g. Galveston Neighborhood). Current Construction Control Policies and Coordination City Policies: • Holiday Moratorium: No work surrounding major retailers from the week before Thanksgiving until after New Years Day. • Financial penalties for street cuts on roads paved within six years. • Required Right-of-Way Encroachment Permits: Allows and documents all work in the city’s ROW, including detour routes. • Avoid city CIP road projects on adjacent arterial roads (does not include utility and other projects). • Police officers at major intersections during construction. Current Construction Control Policies and Coordination Efforts City CIP Project Process: • Typical CIP projects take multiple years from start to finish • Contractor required to have all material procured before receiving their notice to proceed from the city • Coordination with other agencies, developers and contractors • City team holds resolution meetings with all affected stakeholders • Night and weekend work considered whenever practical • Milestones built into contracts to control work sequence and timing of lane/road closures City Communication and Coordination: • City contractor performs public outreach and business liaison for city projects. • Communication starts during design phase until end of construction (multi-year process) • Design Phase: • Prepares and distributes mailers to residents, stakeholders, and businesses in the area notifying them of the project and upcoming public meetings. • Prepares, facilitates, and captures feedback at two public meetings held at 30% and 90% design milestones. • Creates and maintains project webpage. Construction Phase: • Mailers are sent to residents, stakeholders, and businesses in the area notifying them of the upcoming project construction. • Project webpage updated (continuously, approximately every three weeks). • E-blast begins (project updates emailed to individuals, stakeholders, city staff, etc., sent out approximately every three weeks). • Variable message boards and static project information boards are posted at the extent of the project. Variable message boards are routinely updated. • Project hotline for phone calls Current Construction Control Policies and Coordination Efforts Current Construction Control Policies and Coordination Efforts City Communication and Coordination: • Traffic restrictions project map on chandleraz.gov • Streets division sends weekly schedule info news blasts • Traffic management center coordinates traffic signal timing, including real-time adjustments • Major arterials/federal projects get “no conflict letter” from utility companies • Designer and developer/utility companies review and sign each other plans to verify coordination • WAZE traffic app City’s Current and Near Future Projects Current Projects Under Construction Important Note: Project boundaries are approximate Not all projects will have traffic impacts simultaneously. Important Note: Project boundaries are approximate Not all projects will have traffic impacts simultaneously. Important Note: Project boundaries are approximate Not all projects will have traffic impacts simultaneously. Outside Agencies/Private Development Projects Important Note: Project boundaries are approximate Not all projects will have traffic impacts simultaneously. • Federal pre-emption prohibits the city from preventing non-city utility work. • Development Service Policy (DSP-201) “Public Notification for Non-City Utility Projects” requires a minimum of 7 days notice within 300 feet of non-city utility construction projects. Coordination Of Non-City Projects • Federal pre-emption prohibits the city from preventing non-city utility work. • Development Services Policy (DSP-201) “Public Notification for Non-City Utility Projects” requires notification to residents, businesses, and HOA’s a minimum of 7 days notice within 300 feet of non-city utility construction. • Coordination with other agencies, developers and contractors. • City team holds resolution meetings with all affected stakeholders. • CIP hosts monthly Transportation Coordination meeting with City staff • Traffic control plans are reviewed and monitored by City Traffic Engineering Specialists to ensure that approved traffic control plans are implemented and maintained correctly. • Overlapping Traffic Control Plans are not permitted. • Traffic Management Center coordinates traffic signal timing making real-time adjustments, as needed. Traffic Data Related to Road Construction Projects Chandler Traffic Engineering Data • Sensors on stoplights report time it takes to travel between arterial intersections • Data provided gives the ability to calculate average speed of drivers • Identification of problem areas and allows historical data to be compared • According to the data, 2% of arterials have seen significant decreases in traffic speeds, 43% experience non-noticeable decreases in speed and 55% saw increase in speed • Near known construction locations (e.g. Price frontage road, previously at Dobson/Chandler), traffic speeds were much slower • Vast majority of residents are experiencing similar commute times to last year. Commonly Asked Questions Why do traffic control barricades remain up during non-working periods? • Safer conditions – provides consistency in driver expectations • Barricades in place for possible night work • Excavations or other hazards that can’t be removed or covered • Efficiency in construction – fewer hours spent setting barricades means more time spent working • Removal and resetting barricades daily would increase time for the project by up to 35% • Overall cost of projects would increase due to extended time, plus increased cost of traffic control • Barricade companies not available for this type of service • Only barricade companies with IMSA/ATSSA certification and insurance can perform work in right of way • Typically, non-city utility contractors are required to remove traffic control Why don’t we do more construction work at night? • Night and weekend work is allowed and sometimes mandated on some city projects • City’s noise ordinance prohibits construction work after hours within 500 feet of residences (weekdays 5 a.m. - 10 p.m., weekends 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. with some permitted exceptions) • Reduced access to materials and project supervision for the contractor and city staff • Work efficiency can drop to 10-20%, lengthening the project schedule therefore increasing project cost • Worker safety issues • If day and night work were required, the schedule may decrease but the project cost would likely increase significantly (up to 40% increase likely) New Communication Procedures for Non-City Projects • One-stop destination page on city website for construction projects that restrict or close city streets in Chandler (in progress) • Leverage city communication channels to promote awareness of projects and significant construction activities • Select firm to serve as a neighborhood and business liaison during Loop 202 construction to supplement ADOT’s outreach efforts (potentially other non-city projects also) New Notification Procedures for ADA/Street Maintenance Work • Notification to HOAs affected by the ADA/street work (via mail/email). • Notification to “ALL” property owners affected by the work (not just driveway impacted residents) via additional door hangers and/or emails (currently 5-7 days). • Include notification to residents of upcoming schedule (ADA in Year 1, mill and overlay in Year 2). • General project signs will be set approximately 30 days prior to work, notifying residents in general vicinity of the upcoming work and shall remain until work is complete. Recommendations Lane Rental Fees – Incentives and Disincentives • Options • Charge per lane per day. Collect fee up front. • Charge per lane, per day. Collect deposit up front and provide rebate if completed early. • Create penalty fees for projects not completed on time. • Can do one or all of the options. • Other agencies have lane rental fees that range from $75 to $200 per day. • City inspectors enforce each day and a charge for a Traffic Control Inspection Fee is applied. Recommendations Thank you! Questions?