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Council approves Segerstrom/Rosewood traffic signal contract after members press for clearer schedule
Summary
Council approved a construction contract to install a traffic signal at Segerstrom Avenue and Rosewood, while members pressed staff for a clearer completion timeline; staff said the contract requires 60 working days but material procurement could delay work into the fall.
The Santa Ana City Council voted unanimously to award a construction contract to install a traffic signal at Segerstrom Avenue and Rosewood, an intersection near a new high school project, after several council members pressed staff for firmer completion dates and transparency about material delays.
Public Works Director Nabil Saba told the council that the contract requires 60 working days of construction but that delivery problems for traffic poles have lengthened the calendar schedule: "We have 60 days for the completion of the project, working days. However, we have experienced delivery issues with the traffic poles themselves ... we anticipate the completion of this project to be, in the fall of this year," Saba said.
Council Member Becerra had pulled the item to ask when the project would be complete and to press staff to include an estimated calendar completion date in future reports. Members said they want concrete metrics to hold contractors accountable and to give constituents a clearer timeline. Deputy Director/City Engineer Rudy Rosa explained the city’s practice for traffic-signal projects: contractors submit a schedule at a preconstruction meeting; staff tracks working days and may pause the working-day clock during material delays, and liquidated damages apply if the contractor exceeds the agreed working days.
Council members expressed concern that the 60 working-day measure could stretch over many calendar months if materials are delayed and urged staff and contractors to provide clearer start dates and delivery milestones. Staff said the contractor’s mobilization schedule becomes binding after the city issues the notice to proceed and that the city enforces liquidated damages when applicable.
The motion to approve the contract was made by Council Member Becerra and seconded by Mayor Valerie Amezquah; the vote was 7-0.
Council members noted the signal’s safety role for nearby students and said they appreciate the school district’s contribution: the school district will pay for the work and contract through the city. Several members asked for improved public communications when schedules change so neighborhoods and parents can plan for construction impacts.
The contract’s term in the staff packet is expressed in working days; staff committed to provide more precise contractor schedules after award and to communicate expected calendar timing to council members and the affected community.
