RCTC approves Mid County Parkway 3 construction award to Skanska

Joy Edelis Yanez, RCTC senior capital projects manager, presented the Mid County Parkway 3 (MCP 3) construction package and asked the commission to award the contract to Skanska. MCP 3 would widen Ramona Expressway, add two new eastbound lanes, reconfigure the existing lanes to westbound, install a raised median, build a new bridge over the San Jacinto River and create a wildlife crossing and additional traffic signals. The project is intended to improve safety along a stretch the presenter described as “dangerous” and where memorials have been observed alongside the roadway.

Yanez said the project plans were approved by the County of Riverside and the City of San Jacinto in March, the project was advertised in July, and construction is expected to start in early 2026 with completion in 2029. "Achieving the milestone of awarding the construction contract and managing the construction of a project I helped bring through design is truly exciting personally and professionally," Yanez said.

Staff reported five bids were received; Skanska was the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. During bid review staff identified a minor subcontractor-name irregularity (Skanska listed "Legacy Reinforcing Steel" in one document but Legacy Foundations in others), and legal counsel concluded Skanska’s clear intent was to use Legacy Foundations for foundation and drilling work. Staff also noted a roughly $84,000,000 (about 44 percent) difference between the engineer’s estimate and the lowest bid, but argued the close spacing of the top three bids and similarity of line items support bid reliability. The total recommended not-to-exceed contract amount is just over $120,000,000. Staff also requested tribal monitoring agreement amendments for five federally recognized tribes at an estimated $600,000 to cover monitoring for ground‑disturbing activities.

Commissioners asked questions about bid competitiveness, construction management, and how unused contingency funds would be handled. One commissioner thanked staff for explaining why the engineer’s estimate was higher than the low bid. A motion to approve the recommended actions was moved and seconded; a roll-call vote of participating jurisdictions recorded unanimous approval and the item passed.

Next steps: RCTC will execute the contract and the related tribal monitoring and cooperative agreements; construction is expected to commence in early 2026.