University Place council awards $1.27 million contract for Grandview/30th roundabout

The University Place City Council on April 7 authorized the city manager to award a $1,266,348.03 construction contract to RW Scott Construction for a roundabout at 30th Street West and Grandview Drive West.

Public Works Director Jack Eklund told the council the city received seven bids and that RW Scott submitted the lowest responsive, responsible bid: $993,932 for Schedule A (roundabout and roadway work) and $272,416.03 for Schedule B (replacement of an aging water main). “For this project, we received 7 bids and RW Scott Construction submitted the lowest responsive responsible bid in the amount of $1,266,348.03,” Eklund said during his staff report.

The council adopted the award after discussion about funding, schedule and utility coordination. Eklund said most of Schedule A is funded through a Transportation Improvement Board grant “now totaling over $764,000,” and that the city secured an additional $100,000 from the board to cover bid prices that exceeded the original budget. He said Schedule B will be paid by Tacoma Water (Tacoma Public Utilities) because it replaces an asbestos-cement water main with ductile iron pipe to improve reliability.

Council members pressed staff on timing and coordination with utilities and nearby residents. Eklund said the contract prohibits work that would significantly affect traffic during the school year; substantial disruptive work will not begin until after school ends in June, and the work is expected to wrap up in October barring weather or street-lighting delays. The contract packages the road and utility work under one contract to reduce overlap; Eklund said Tacoma Water’s main work will likely start first with some overlap between schedules.

Council discussion noted the project grew from resident concerns about safety at the nearby 30th/Grandview area and that staff developed a solution by siting the roundabout at 30th and Grandview to achieve the needed traffic calming. Members praised the engineering team for securing additional grant funding and for a competitive bid process; Eklund told the council the seven bids were “all within around 10% of each other.”

Motion and vote

The motion to authorize the city manager to award the contract to RW Scott Construction for Schedule A ($993,932) and Schedule B ($272,416.03), and to execute necessary contract documents, passed unanimously. The clerk called the roll; all members present voted in favor.

Why it matters

The roundabout is meant to reduce speeds, improve sight lines and increase safety on a primary school route near Colgate Park and local schools. The city’s choice to replace an aging asbestos-cement water main as part of the package aims to reduce later disruptions and improve water system durability.

What’s next

Staff will finalize contract documents and coordinate pre-construction notifications for residents and schools; construction will be timed to minimize student-travel impacts and is expected to proceed through the summer into fall. RW Scott Construction is scheduled to begin work after school is out.