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Council OKs roughly $2.4 million in final change orders, funding plan for La Paz Road widening (CIP 01756)
Summary
Mission Viejo council unanimously approved a final construction change order and construction-management increase for the La Paz Road widening project, authorizing about $2.16 million in contractor change orders plus $280,000 for construction management and identifying a mix of reimbursements, turn‑back funds and gas‑tax dollars to cover costs.
Mission Viejo City Council on Monday approved what staff described as the final construction change order and associated costs for the La Paz Road Widening project (CIP 01756), voting unanimously to authorize roughly $2.4 million in additional expenditures.
City engineering staff told the council the change order before them—approximately $2,160,000—captures cost escalation, contractor overhead and several large-ticket items tied to delays. The city also requested authorization for $280,000 in additional construction‑management services to Arcadis, bringing the total request to about $2,400,000.
Staff said the city will seek reimbursement for $520,530 from the local water district for work performed on its behalf, transfer about $710,000 in surplus turn‑back funds from last year’s resurfacing program, and use approximately $1.2 million from the city’s Arterial Highway Pavement Rehabilitation (gas tax) fund. Officials said they intend to apply for additional federal grant funding and have submitted requests through other regional programs to recoup some costs.
Council members pressed staff on the project’s schedule and reasons for delay. Staff described several unanticipated conditions discovered during construction, including a deteriorated bridge overhang that required demolition and reconstruction, buried railroad cobble that impeded caisson drilling, discovery of asbestos‑containing sidewalk material requiring special handling, a Kinder Morgan fuel line conflict that had to be resolved, and recent rain that pushed the schedule. Staff said the work is scheduled to reach substantial completion with three lanes in place and final striping expected the first week of March.
Council Member Kelly moved the recommended action; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously. The council’s approval allows staff to complete negotiations and finalize the change order consistent with the authorized amounts. No individual council vote breakdown was recorded beyond the unanimous verbal roll call.
The council did not adopt a single, guaranteed offset if federal grant reimbursement is denied; staff said the contingency plan is to defer other pavement projects into the next budget cycle and to pursue multiple grant avenues and reimbursements to limit general‑fund exposure. Staff also said the schedule and traffic capacity improvements should reduce long‑term disruption once complete.
