County approves sidewalk contracts for six local areas

• East Mission Rd. (1 segment)
• Dulin Rd. (3 segments)
• Via Altamira (8 segments)
• Lake Park Court (2 segments)
• Hawthorne St. (1 segment)
• Merida Dr. (1 segment)

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors authorized the advertisement for bid and subsequent award of a contract to remove and replace damaged concrete road infrastructure including sidewalks, curbs, gutters, and surface damage and to install curb ramps which meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

The supervisors' 4-0 vote Oct. 28, with Ron Roberts at a meeting with San Diego Association of Governments staff, authorizes the director of the county's Department of Purchasing and Contracting to take the necessary actions to advertise and award a contract while designating the director of the county's Department of Public Works as the county officer responsible for administering the contract. The supervisors also found the repair and maintenance work categorically exempt from California Environmental Quality Act review.

"Sixteen different sites in North County will see improvements and, of those, six are in Fallbrook," said Supervisor Bill Horn.

The other 10 sites are in Borrego Springs, Valley Center, and unincorporated San Marcos, Vista, and Escondido, and the figure of 16 sites is actually only that for the Fifth Supervisorial District represented by Horn. An additional 15 sites are in Ramona, which is considered North County but is part of Dianne Jacob's Second Supervisorial District, and three additional 4S Ranch sites are in the Third Supervisorial District represented by Dave Roberts.

"I'm pleased to see us continuing to work to make our sidewalks, curbs, and gutters safer for our residents," Roberts said.

Some of those sites consist of multiple non-contiguous segments. The contract will include eight segments on Via Altamira, three segments on Dulin Road, two segments on Lake Park Court, and one segment apiece on East Mission Road, Hawthorne Street, and Merida Drive.

The Department of Public Works conducts regular inspections which identify locations for potential improvement, and input from citizens also contributes to the list of potential projects which are prioritized based on where public safety can be best improved.

The contract is structured to include a base bid of 138 segments with additive alternatives, or clusters of locations which can be added to the contract if funding permits, comprising an additional 19 locations. All of the North County segments are part of the base bid.

A balance in the county's Road Fund will provide the estimated $500,000 cost of the construction contract, which includes contingencies. Construction is scheduled to begin in January 2016 and be complete during summer 2016.