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Public works seeks 20% change‑order authority increase for 2nd Avenue roundabout amid underground surprises
Summary
Construction manager Colby Fletcher told the committee the 2nd Avenue roundabout project has encountered unidentified utilities, bedrock excavation and higher asphalt/fuel costs; staff requested increasing change‑order authority from 10% to 20% to finish the project without contractor stoppage.
Colby Fletcher, construction manager for Tumwater’s transportation engineering department, asked the Public Works Committee on May 7 to place a recommended action on the May 19 council consent calendar to increase the director’s change‑order authority from 10% to 20% for the 2nd Avenue pedestrian and bicycle improvements project.
Fletcher described the project scope: a noncircular “peanut” roundabout at 2nd and Linwood, corridor reconstruction from K Street to B Street, sidewalks, ADA ramps, bike lanes, stormwater treatment, water‑main work and a signalized pedestrian crossing. Construction began Jan. 21, 2026; the intersection is currently closed for major demolition and storm sewer work.
Work uncovered a larger extent of pavement deterioration and a number of unrecorded underground conflicts — including undocumented gas and sewer lines and significant bedrock excavation during storm‑sewer installations — that expanded the scope beyond the original contract. Fletcher also cited asphalt and diesel price increases used in contract price adjustment formulas and said staff modeled conservative scenarios for volatility.
Contract numbers provided: an original contract award of $3,545,000, a director’s 10% authority level that reaches about $3,900,000, and an executed‑to‑date amount of roughly $3,680,000 with several change orders pending. Staff said a 20% authority level would raise the director’s available amount to about $4,254,000 and help avoid a contractor work stoppage and associated delay costs.
Fletcher said the project includes a $2,100,000 WSDOT Safe Routes to School grant; remaining increases would be covered by the Transportation Benefit District, transportation CFP and, where applicable, water CFP for water‑main improvements. He estimated substantial completion in August 2026, with the roundabout likely opening mid‑July and a brief additional closure for permanent striping.
The committee voted to forward the recommended increase in change‑order authority to the May 19 council consent calendar. No final appropriation was made at the committee meeting; council action will be required to authorize the increased limit or to allocate additional funds.
