Council awards East Tripp Road reconstruction contract with fiber conduit option; completion target set to protect school start

The Sunnyvale Town Council on Monday awarded a construction contract to Reliable Paving, Inc. for the East Tripp Road water main replacement, drainage and full-width pavement reconstruction from South Collins Road to East Fork.

The base plus additive bid combined to $5,184,909.09; the additive alternate is a proposed conduit installation for future fiber-optic utilities priced at approximately $400,000 and included as an additive item. Staff reported the design opinion of probable construction cost was about $6.5 million; the lowest responsive bid came in substantially below that figure.

Town engineering staff described the project scope: replacement of water mains (including portions of 8-inch and 12-inch pipe), full-width hot-mix asphalt reconstruction, limited sidewalk work in front of Sunnyvale ISD property and the addition of a conduit for future fiber installation if the council includes the additive alternate. Design features include geogrid reinforcement and moisture/vapor barriers within the pavement section intended to extend pavement service life. Staff said the measures aim to improve the long-term performance of asphalt over local clay soils.

The contract includes a 270-calendar-day substantial-completion schedule and a specific incentive/penalty tied to an August 15 milestone to limit disruption before the school year: $1,000 per day (positive or negative) depending on whether the contractor meets the date for the school-area work. Staff emphasized coordination with Sunnyvale ISD and said Reliable Paving indicated readiness to begin pre-construction work and order long-lead materials once the contract is executed.

Council discussed conduit procurement and broadband provider interest. Staff said the town has reached out to incumbent providers; those providers expressed no immediate interest in occupying the conduit. The town is conducting an RFI process to discover other providers. Staff recommended proceeding with the full award and retaining the option to remove the conduit by a deductive change order if providers remain uninterested. Council accepted that approach.

Councilmember Finch moved to approve the award to Reliable Paving, Inc.; Councilmember Clark seconded. The motion passed 6-0.

Staff said construction will start after contract execution; a notice to proceed was discussed for early June and staff expects to coordinate temporary traffic patterns and pre-construction restoration and video surveys to protect existing features. The work includes tying into existing sidewalks and connecting to the town’s rails-to-trails planned facilities.