Turlock road repairs can start this summer, consultant says. These streets are planned

Kristin Lam
·4 min read

Construction on 13 Turlock roads can begin as soon as late July, an engineering consulting company told the City Council on Tuesday, again pushing back its initially proposed start date.

Voting 4-1, the council approved paying Michael Baker International about $1.4 million to design repairs for 15 streets mostly in southern Turlock.

Two of the streets likely will be ready for construction in spring 2023 because they are more complex, said Jim Porter, the Michael Baker principal-in-charge for the project. The company plans to complete designs for the others by July 15, allowing construction to start at the end of July to early August, Porter said.

“Once we saw those (two) streets, we realized that there was no way that they could do grind and overlay and those require reconstruction,” Porter said.

During a Sept. 1 roads workshop, company representatives said construction on 15 streets could begin within 60 days of the council approving a consulting contract. Two weeks later, some residents urged the council to delay approving an agreement because of finance proposal concerns.

Turlock officials delayed approving a contract with Michael Baker and Public Facilities Investment Corp. (PFIC) until Nov. 9, which pushed back the initial timeline. Michael Baker’s November proposal said consultants could select within 30 to 60 days up to 15 streets to rehabilitate in the 2022 construction season.

The 13 streets proposed for construction this summer are as follows, per a city staff report:

  • 20th Century Boulevard from east of Golden State Boulevard to Geer Road

  • Carrigan Street from North Johnson Road to North Quincy Road

  • Corrello Street from Sierra Vista Drive to Marlee Drive

  • Delbon Avenue from North Olive Avenue to Colorado Avenue

  • East Avenue from Golden State Boulevard to Daubenberger Road

  • Flower Street from North Soderquist Road to North First Street

  • Julian Street from North Soderquist Road to North First Street

  • Locust Street from Vermont Avenue to West Main Street

  • Mira Flores Drive from El Paseo Street to Murphy Drive

  • North Orange Street from West Main Street to Flower Street

  • Old Vineyard Road from East Marshall Street to East Canal Drive

  • Park Street from North Soderquist Road to North First Street

  • Spruce Street from South Avenue to High Street

The two streets Michael Baker identified for spring 2023 construction are Wayside Drive from Geer Road to Pioneer Avenue and Fosberg Road from East Monte Vista Avenue to East Christoffersen Parkway.

Turlock road design cost questioned

The $1.4 million the council on Tuesday approved paying Michael Baker for design work adds on to the about $930,000 contract it approved in November. Under the $930,000 contract, Michael Baker and PFIC are developing a five-year plan to fix roads, evaluating street conditions and researching financing options.

Councilman Andrew Nosrati on Tuesday cast the sole vote against paying Michael Baker to design the 15 road repairs. He questioned the pricing and requested staff provide a cost comparison for a similar road design project. But Fred Pezeshk, Turlock’s roads program manager, said he did not find a comparable project to analyze because Turlock has lacked funds for repairs at this scale.

The acting city engineer had not reviewed Michael Baker’s design proposal as of Tuesday, Pezeshk added. Councilwoman Nicole Larson also asked whether the council could go out to bid for design proposals from other firms to get the best quality at the lowest price. Pezeshk said issuing an request for proposals was possible, but did not recommend it.

“There is absolutely no guarantee that the next qualified person or firm that you find is going to have a lower cost associated,” Pezeshk said. “I just wanted to make sure that it is clear that when it comes to professional services, we cannot go to the low bid or sit there and compare prices. It simply is not the acceptable practice.”

Larson motioned to seek bids from other companies to design the 15 roads, but the proposal failed, having only Nosrati’s support. From her experience as a contractor, Councilwoman Pam Franco said she knows Michael Baker’s asking price is not expensive.

Construction of the 15 roads will cost an estimated $12 million to $14 million, per a city staff report. Staff plan to ask the council to approve funding at a future meeting once costs are known.

For road rehabilitation this fiscal year ending in June, the council allocated $5.6 million of expected Measure A sales tax revenue. In her last State of the City Address, Mayor Amy Bublak announced a goal to fix all Turlock roads in need of repair within five years.