HomeMy Public PortalAbout4d Staff Report PW- UPR Waterline @ Eisen-Leon Replcmt Project
Town of Fraser
PO Box 370, Fraser, CO 80442 office 970-726-5491 fax 970-726-5518
www.frasercolorado.com
MEMO TO: Mayor Vandernail and the Board of Trustees
FROM: Allen Nordin, CWP, Public Works Director
DATE: April 19, 2017
SUBJECT: Staff Report PW: 2017 Waterline Project Between Eisenhower Drive and Byers
Avenue at UPRR – Phase 2
MATTER BEFORE BOARD:
Redesign of the original plans for the installation of new water distribution piping and alignment
to replace a failed transite water main line underneath the Union Pacific Rail Road (UPR) at
Eisenhower. Benefits of this project brings public health and safety to our system with
increased water quality while improving fire flows, system redundancy and improved ability for
system isolation.
ACTION:
Authorizing the Town Manager to enter into an agreement with ATH Specialties of Grand Lake
to expend funds from the W ater Fund for Phase 2 Base Bid of the project, in the amount of
$220,000 which includes a 20% contingency. An increase in quantities (asphalt & concrete) for
Phase 2 Base Bid of the project now outside of the UPR ROW has put the project cost
approximately $10,000 above the 2017 budgeted amount of $210,000. Phase 2 Alternate Bid
#1 for the work on Byers Ave. should be included in this year’s project at an additional expense
of $102,000 (includes contingency). Or, postpone the alternate bid work until next year at which
time the project would be put back out to bid and which may result in higher construction costs
in 2018.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The initial application to UPR for permitting our waterline project to be located within the UPR
right-of-way was intended to keep project costs down by minimizing hard surfacing removal and
replacement, while maintaining required separation distances from other above and below
ground utilities. During the permit application review process, UPR strongly encouraged us to
look at alternatives to keep the infrastructure outside of their ROW due to exorbitant UPR real
estate costs the Town would incur to UPR if allowed to be within their ROW. Staff moved
quickly into the redesign of the waterline realignment to place the project outside of their ROW .
Town of Fraser
PO Box 370, Fraser, CO 80442 office 970-726-5491 fax 970-726-5518
www.frasercolorado.com
With the pending failure of this waterline and the lack of functioning main line valves to isolate
this section of line underneath the rail road tracks, if, or when, this line fails, the potential
catastrophic impacts to significant infrastructure such as railroad traffic, nationwide fiber optic,
Public Service Company/Xcel gas utilities, and general vehicular traffic, it is past time to make
this replacement in advance of such failure. The engineering and bidding contract documents
were prepared concurrently in an effort to have this project awarded and the work completed by
late fall of this year. Funding for this project was included in the 2017 budget for $210,000.
BACKGROUND:
In February 2016, staff identified a leak in the water distribution line that runs beneath the UPRR
tracks north of Eisenhower Drive from Leonard Lane to Railroad Ave. A leak detection
company from Denver was contracted to help staff determine the exact location of the leak.
Following confirmation of the location, a contractor was hired to expose and repair the leak
which was estimated to have been leaking at a rate of approximately 12,000 gallons of treated
water in a 24-hour period, 360,000 gallons every month.
Once the water line was exposed, it was determined the pipe was that of the infamous transite
(asbestos/concrete) material and the leak was a previously repaired break that had a leak repair
clamp (aka ‘Band-Aid’) around it. The leak clamp bolts had worked their way loose over time
which allowed the old leak to continue and resurface in the dead of winter. Staff worked
diligently to isolate this section of water line using line valves according to our ‘as-built’
drawings, however, the valves were not able to be completely closed to provide the necessary
isolation.
Additionally, our utility maps of this area do not provide accurate information of other waterlines
that are believed to be feeding this section of line between the isolation valves from other
transite lines that are shown as abandoned on our maps. Given this dilemma, it was decided if
the contractor could tighten the old bolts enough to slow or stop the leak, we would close up the
site and address the repair in the spring of 2017 with a long-term solution.
Over the next several weeks, staff continued researching and developing an emergency
isolation plan in the event the line failed completely. The isolation plan would leave many
homes and businesses along the east and west sides of the UPR tracks without water service
and fire protection for an extended period of time.
In an effort to get ahead of the curve, we engaged our civil and water engineering consultants
last year to begin investigating what challenges we might come up against, including the UPR,
which turned out to be a fairly substantial challenge with the project review and approval
timelines being upwards of 120 days. Concurrently, our water engineering consultants
performed a hydraulic water model analysis of our system to assist with options for the design.
Other unknown challenges encountered were nationwide fiber optic, Public Service Co./Xcel
gas and sanitary sewer utilities.
Town of Fraser
PO Box 370, Fraser, CO 80442 office 970-726-5491 fax 970-726-5518
www.frasercolorado.com
The general details of this project include, abandonment of the transite line under the UPR
tracks and which we are currently processing an application for an abandonment permit;
installation of two new water lines parallel to the rail road tracks, one along Railroad Ave. on the
east side and one along Leonard Ln. on the west side, both connecting the existing Eisenhower
lines to the Byers Ave. line. With new parallel lines installed, not only does this eliminate a
railroad bore crossing, it also provides for the health and safety of our residents through system
redundancy, improved water quality and increased fire flows to areas in town that have
historically experienced decreased flows and water quality due to hydraulic constraints.
Additional valves are included in the project to replace existing aged valves for improved line
isolation options.
ALTERNATIVES:
1. Approve Phase 2 Base Bid + Alternate Bid #1 (Byers Ave) in the amount of $322,000,
recommended.
2. Approve Phase 2 Base Bid only in the amount of $220,000, budget for Alternate Bid
#1(Byers Ave.) in 2018 and put the project out to bid with anticipation of a higher cost for
the alternate work.
RECOMMENDATION:
Motion to approve Resolution No. 2107-04-03 authorizing the Manager to enter into an
agreement with ATH Specialties, Inc. for the 2017 Waterline Project Between Eisenhower Drive
and Byers Avenue at UPRR; Phase 2 Base Bid + Alternate Bid #1.