(Seguin) — The city of Seguin has hired a contractor to begin construction on the expansion of the Walnut Branch Hike/Bike Trail. The Seguin City Council this week approved the hiring of Myers Concrete Construction to take the trail from just south of the Seguin Public Library all the way down into Max Starcke Park.
City Engineer Dave Rabago says the $5.1 million project is being partially funded using funds from the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) as part of the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).
“The project consist of approximately 3,000 linear feet of 10 foot multi-use trail. Off of Convent, we have this loop right here and then we took it from the existing portion right here off of Convent, all along Walnut Branch South and we have another trail connection here to Koepp Street and then we go under Austin Street into Starcke Park East,” said Rabago.
Myers Concrete Construction did not submit the lowest bid for the project. The low bid was withdrawn by the bidder. But Rabago says Myers submitted the overall best bid. He says they were chosen based on their experience and their ability to get the job done.
“The city received four bids for this project that ranged from $3.9 million all the way to $5.9 million. Based on the reviews from our consultant, both with TRC and also city staff, we recommend awarding the contract to Meyers Construction LP based on favorable references and experience with similar projects in the amount of $5,186,889.01,” said Rabago.
The $5.1 million price tag is about $2 million more than what the project was expected to costs. Those cost projections were based on numbers that were put together by the city almost five years ago.
“The bids came in higher than previously anticipated. We had anticipated around $3.1 when the application was submitted to the MPO. After going through the bid process, it came in just over $2 million above the cost estimated that was submitted to the MPO,” said Rabago.
City Manager Steve Parker says they knew the project costs were going up. He says that’s why they included some additional funding in the city’s new budget to cover those expenses, and to make sure they project moved forward.
“Our growth was good. It was able to allow us to do this project without impacting the tax rate but I think there was a few things in that original estimate — lighting and a couple of things that weren’t in the original $3.1 that did get added on,” said Parker.
Parker says some of the increase is do to the length of time that has passed between the original estimate that was given to the MPO nearly five years ago, and the actual awarding of a construction contract now. He says there were also some additional features added to the project. He says the enhancements included not only lighting, but also the creation of a loop on the trail near Goodrich Street, which is a feature that is expected to make use of the trail in that area safer.
“We added that at the recommendation of TxDOT and the MPO. If you took that as a straight shot down from Goodrich and tied it in to where the yellow part right there, you’d would be adding 70 feet. TxDOT, MPO and even our engineers acknowledge the fact that if you bring that in, it would be such a steep incline. It would meet ADA, accessibility –you could do it but he says they were concerned with the safety aspect of it. So, we started looking at it and do the analysis. So for an extra 500 feet, it cleans up the safety issues a lot better. It also cleans up two properties that are down there that are really overgrown that are on people’s properties that we were planning to buy the right-of-way for so it makes that project I think a lot more aesthetically pleasing,” said Parker.
Council members raised some concerns about how the additional funds would be covered. Parker says the money is in the current budget, and the revenue will be generated as part of a $12 million certificate of obligation (CO) that the city will seek to cover the trail’s overage, and also pay for some street improvements and an upgrade to the city’s Central Fire Station in downtown Seguin. Those CO’s are expected to be approved by the city council later this month.
Construction work on the project should begin soon. Once it’s complete, it will add a significant amount of trail space in the city, including adequate distance for organizations to host 5K runs and walks along Walnut Branch. Parks Director Jack Jones told the council this trail will travel across a large portion of the city.
“Phase One was put in a few years back, 2.5 miles one way so from the construction point or the loop south, that’s about almost .4 to.5 and the access to Starcke Park Trails so we actually add another mile and a half — so basically from the river all the way north you are looking at four miles, one way,” said Jones.
Once the project is completed, it will create a trail that will travel from FM 78 all the way down to Max Starcke Park East. It will provide pedestrian access to a number of locations, including Park West, the Seguin Public Library, Texas Lutheran University and Starcke Park. Pedestrian access to Starcke Park has always been a challenge, because it was difficult for people to get across the Walnut Branch creek bed. This new access point is expected to help draw more people into that outdoor space.
The city council approved construction contract during its meeting held on Monday night at Seguin City Hall.