Work will likely commence this spring on widening and other improvements to a stretch of 220th Street SW., but will be substantially more expensive than initially thought.
The Edmonds City Council on Tuesday, March 1, approved asking for bids on the project, although city officials don’t know exactly how they’ll pay for a potential 15 percent increase – $600,000 – in costs.
In the planning since 2002, the project will impact the road from Ninth Avenue S. all the way to 84th Avenue W. The work will include:
• Aligning the center of the road and lower the road at 92nd Avenue to improve safety.
• Adding sidewalks and bike lanes.
• Left-turn pockets at Ninth, 96th, 95th and 84th avenues.
• Traffic signals at Ninth and 84th avenues.
• Lighted pedestrian crossing at 96th Avenue.
• Landscaping at some locations.
• A permanent radar speed sign.
The initial cost estimate by city staff and consultants Perteet Engineering was just more than $4 million. However, in early February, Perteet officials re-examined and updated the estimate and found that some costs had risen by as much as 20 percent.
The revised estimate submitted by Perteet is $4.6 million
According to city documents, there are four main reasons for the increase, including:
• Materials – Steel and concrete costs have risen significantly in the past year.
• Oil prices – The cost of fuel for trucks and heavy equipment is rising. Oil prices also impact the cost of asphalt.
• Utilities cost – The estimate for water main work that will be done as part of the project was increased by city staff.
• ADA requirements – A new curb ramp design required by the state Department of Transportation to comply with federal American with Disabilities Act costs substantially more than had been anticipated.
City officials are looking for funding sources to make up for the extra $600,000 in costs, according to city documents. Possibilities include canceling or deferring other projects or pieces of this project, looking to state and federal programs for more money and transferring funds from other city budget items.
The exact cost won’t be known until bids are received and opened, officials said.
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