The Cathedral City Council on Monday awarded construction and construction‑engineering contracts for a citywide traffic-signal hardware upgrade project funded largely through a Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Cycle 11C allocation approved by Caltrans.

Staff described the project scope as improvements at 49 signalized intersections to install LED safety lighting and traffic-signal backplates with retro‑reflective borders. Caltrans removed internally illuminated street-name signs from the scope during preliminary engineering, staff said, because those signs are not classified as HSIP safety countermeasures.

The city received three construction bids on Sept. 4; staff recommended awarding the construction contract to EconoLite Systems as the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. For construction engineering — inspection, materials testing and labor-compliance monitoring — staff recommended RT Engineering, the top-ranked proposer. Staff also recommended a 20% construction contingency, bringing the total construction budget to $838,800.

Finance details in the staff report show the HSIP grant balance at $931,230; staff said 90% of construction will be grant-funded and a 10% local match will come from Measure A.

Council member questions focused on a discrepancy between the plans and the bid schedule: staff acknowledged a mismatch in counts for LED luminaires (map indicated 149; bid schedule listed 141) and said the bid schedule is correct and the contingency will cover any reconciliation during construction.

Motion by Council member Lam, second by Council member Carnivale; motion carried by unanimous vote (all ayes). City staff will execute contracts and request bonds and insurance to proceed to construction.