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City staff warns Walnut Avenue safety fixes delayed by Caltrans standards, contractor negotiations
Summary
City staff updated the council on the stalled Walnut Avenue pedestrian and bicycle project, saying a revised Caltrans‑approved guardrail detail and a contractor change order left a $100,000 RSTP grant plus an estimated ~$60,000 shortfall while negotiations continue.
City staff told the Greenfield City Council that work on the Walnut Avenue pedestrian and bicycle project has been stalled since May 2025 because the existing slope does not meet Caltrans guardrail standards and the agency required a nonstandard (and costlier) guardrail detail.
At the meeting staff summarized the permit timeline: revised plans were submitted in late May and, after exchanges with Caltrans, a revised permit was issued on Oct. 15. Staff said the revised detail calls for a concrete‑beam system rather than the original wood‑post Midwest guardrail system, increasing construction complexity and cost.
“We did receive the revised permit from Caltrans, and that was on October 15,” staff said, noting the change required a different installation method (pour‑in‑place or prefab concrete posts and beams) that the original subcontractor declined to install. Staff said a mid‑cycle RSTP grant of $100,000 from TAMCC was awarded to help close the gap but that contractor quotes remain higher than the funded amount, leaving an estimated $60,000 shortfall under current negotiations.
Staff described next steps as completing negotiations on PCO (potential change order) number 3, presenting the change order for city council approval, and potentially requesting a supplemental appropriation from SB‑1 funds if needed before executing the change order and restarting construction.
Council members asked why the constructability issue was not identified earlier. Staff said the project team did not perform a full topographic survey during initial design to keep early costs down and that parts of the slope have been degraded by informal pathways and encampments, making the slope steeper than earlier drawings indicated.
“We didn't do a survey of the land, an actual survey,” staff said, adding that Caltrans and city staff worked to agree on an acceptable, though nonstandard, detail for the steep slope.
The council did not take a final action on the change order at this meeting; staff said they will return with negotiated contract terms and an appropriation request if needed. The city will continue negotiating with the contractor and subcontractors and provide updates to the council as the process moves forward.
Implications: The project remains on hold until the city and contractor reach a PCO agreement and any additional funding needs are addressed. The RSTP award reduces the shortfall but does not fully cover the difference in contractor estimates.
