TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Bob Moehling, Public Works Director
PREPARED BY: Jeff Hitch, City Engineer
SUBJECT:
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Continuation of the Emergency Declaration, Appropriation of Funding, and Award of Construction Contract for Hayes Avenue Bridge at Miller Canyon Creek
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RECOMMENDATION
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Amend the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Budget for Fiscal Year 2025/26 and establish appropriation of $200,000, using Unassigned Fund Balance from the Drainage Area Fee fund to CIP No. 11004; and
Adopt Resolution No. 25-4863 entitled: A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Murrieta, California, Declaring that Emergency Conditions Persist, Appropriating Funding, and Approving the Execution of a Contract for Reconstruction of the Hayes Avenue Bridge at Miller Canyon Creek without Notice for Bids Pursuant to California Public Contract Code Section 1102, 20168, and 22050.
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PRIOR ACTION/VOTE
On June 20, 2023, the City Council authorized an on-call consulting services Agreement with Michael Baker Internation, Inc. for civil engineering services (Vote: 4-0).
On June 4, 2024, the City Council approved Resolution No. 24-4745, approving the Capital Improvement Plan Budget for Fiscal Year 2024/25, and the Fiscal Year 2024/25 to 2028/29 Capital Improvement Plan (Vote: 5-0).
On March 18, 2025, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 25-4816, declaring an emergency condition for the Hayes Avenue Bridge at Miller Canyon Creek, authorizing a purchase order for Michael Baker International in the amount of $89,580.92, and amending the Capital Improvement Plan budget to create the Hayes Avenue Bridge at Miller Canyon Creek Project CIP No. 11004 and appropriate $725,000 of Area Drainage Fees (Vote: 5-0).
On June 17, 2025, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 25-4847, declaring that emergency conditions persist in connection with the Hayes Avenue Bridge at Miller Canyon Creek (Vote: 5-0).
CITY COUNCIL GOAL
Plan, program and create infrastructure development.
BACKGROUND
On February 6, 2025, staff encountered a pothole in the deck of the Hayes Avenue Bridge crossing Miller Canyon Creek, located generally between Ivy Street and B Street. Upon this discovery, Engineering staff believed the bridge could be unsafe and closed the bridge until further evaluation could be completed.
Michael Baker International (MBI) was contracted using the City’s existing on-call agreement to perform a structural evaluation of the bridge. The evaluation was performed, and a report was generated and provided to the City. The report concluded that the bridge is structurally deficient for fire truck access and needs to be replaced. The bridge has a span that is 15-feet long, is 24-feet wide, and has concrete abutments with wooden girders and decking covered with asphalt concrete. MBI subsequently provided the City with a proposal to provide environmental and engineering services for engineering plans and emergency environmental permits necessary to replace the bridge with an alternate reinforced concrete box culvert. Environmental and engineering design has since been completed, and the permit documents are ready to be submitted once a contractor is ready to commence work.
The adoption of an emergency declaration on March 18, 2025, allowed for emergency permitting as well as foregoing the normal public works bidding requirements pursuant to the Public Contract Code. Staff has negotiated a scope and fee with a local contractor, Murrieta Development Company, Inc. (MDC), to perform the construction. Staff also coordinated with another contractor, Mark Company, but found MDC’s pricing to be more favorable. MDC last completed emergency work for the City on the Alta Murrieta Drive Sinkhole Repair in 2019. The scope of work to be performed by MDC will consist of removing the existing bridge structure, minor grading, and construction of a cast-in-place reinforced concrete box (RCB), concrete wingwalls, rip rap energy dissipators, new pavement section over the RCB, and guardrail. Construction is anticipated to commence within two weeks of the award and take three to four weeks to complete.
The emergency conditions will remain until the bridge has been repaired. Under the California Public Contract Code, the City Council is required to periodically review whether the emergency conditions have abated and/or continued and to adopt a resolution by a four-fifths vote to confirm the continuation of the emergency or to declare the emergency to be concluded.
Upon completion of scope and fee negotiations with MDC, staff found the proposal to be consistent with current market values. Staff recommends awarding the construction contract to Murrieta Development Company, Inc. in the amount of $567,802, plus a 25% contingency of $141,950.50, for a total of $709,752.50.
The CIP 11004 project was funded with $725,000 of Area Drainage Fees during the March 18, 2025, emergency declaration. The construction pricing was found to be higher than anticipated. to cover design, construction, and construction inspection. Therefore, an additional $200,000, of Area Drainage Fees are necessary to fully fund this construction with a small remaining balance in case of unforeseen expenses.
FISCAL IMPACT
The proposed contract amount to be awarded is $567,802, plus an additional 25% contingency amount of $141,950.50, for a total of $709,752.50. Funding is available in CIP 11004.
Amend the Capital Improvement Plan budget to appropriate an additional $200,000 of Area Drainage Fees into CIP 11004.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Resolution No. 25-4863
2. Contract between the City of Murrieta and Murrieta Development Company, Inc.
3. Proposal from Murrieta Development Company, Inc.
4. Vicinity Map