Cupertino council approves construction contract for Stevens Creek Class 4 bike lane Phase 2A

The Cupertino City Council voted to award a construction contract for the Stevens Creek Boulevard Class 4 bike lane Phase 2A project and to approve related contract and budget changes.

Public Works Director Chad Moseley told the council the recommended actions were to: award a construction contract to Golden Bay Construction, Inc. for $1,569,798; authorize the city manager to execute the contract when conditions are met; allow Public Works to approve construction change orders up to a 10% contingency ($156,980) for a total potential construction amount of $1,726,778; approve a first amendment to the design-services contract with Pacquar Consulting Group to add $96,620 (for a new not-to-exceed total of $310,483); and adopt a budget modification that increases grant revenue estimates by $1,500,000 and transfers $693,000 in SB 1 funds into the capital project.

Moseley said Phase 2A runs from Wolf Road to De Anza Boulevard and that Phase 1 (Tantau to Wolf) was completed in 2021. He said the city received an $807,000 One Bay Area Grant (OBAG) award that applies to Phase 2A and that the SB 1 allocation covers additional project funding. He warned the council that Caltrans procedures generally require awarding contracts within six months of authorization to proceed; the project received authorization August 29, 2024, so staff said awarding before the end of February reduces risk to the grant funding.

Jason Wong, senior civil engineer, and Transportation Manager David Stillman answered technical questions from council members about the design and traffic operation. Councilors asked whether the protected bikeway would change vehicle lane counts at key intersections (it will not change vehicle-lane configuration, staff said) and whether motorists will still be allowed right turns on red (yes, from vehicle lanes, not from the bike lane). Wong explained the proposed separator is precast concrete blocks spaced to form a continuous physical barrier like the Phase 1 installation; staff said bollards were evaluated as a lower-cost alternative but do not provide the same level of protection. Staff cited an estimated cost of about $70,000 for plastic bollards spaced 20 feet apart versus about $310,000 for the concrete-block separators for the same stretch.

Councilors also discussed safety data. David Stillman told the council that in a 10-year period at the De Anza–Stevens Creek intersection there were 15 reported vehicle/bicycle/pedestrian accidents, six of which involved right-turn movements (about 40 percent of that intersection's collisions). Council members and public commenters disagreed over whether concrete blocks or bollards provide better safety and about tradeoffs between cost and network coverage.

After public comment, the council passed a substitute motion to approve the staff recommendation and proceed with contract award and related actions. Staff noted that significant changes to the design after contract award could require re-bidding under public contracting rules.

Staff estimated Phase 2 design plus Phase 2A construction expenses around $2.2 million before reimbursements; once grants are reimbursed, staff said an estimated remaining balance of about $1.6 million could be applied toward Phase 2B.