Seaside awards $12.17M contract for Broadway Complete Streets project, including seven roundabouts

The Seaside City Council unanimously approved June 18 a package of contracts to build the Broadway Avenue Complete Streets project — a grant‑funded redesign of the upper Broadway corridor that includes lane reductions, seven roundabouts, landscaping and utility coordination.

Assistant Public Works Director Andreas Bearer summarized years of design and outreach and noted the City secured approximately $9.45 million in Caltrans/TAMC grant construction funds. Bids opened in April; staff recommended awarding the primary construction contract to Don Shaping Company as the lowest responsible bidder and requested additional contingency and construction‑management agreements. Council approved a construction contract not to exceed $12,176,375, a construction contingency and professional‑services agreements for inspection and design‑during‑construction support.

The scope includes upgrading aging pavement, lowering conflict points with roundabouts and working with the Seaside County Sanitation District to replace an older sewer main while construction is underway — a coordination staff said yields economies of scale and lowers overall cost. Bearer briefed the council on schedule assumptions: utility work first, staged roundabout construction progressing up the corridor, and an expected 350 working‑day contract (roughly 18 calendar months) beginning in September 2026. Staff said they intend to complete the stretch in front of Martin Luther King School during school break the following summer to minimize safety impacts.

Several residents and council members raised implementation concerns: replacing mature trees removed for construction, irrigation plans for new plantings, traffic‑management and detour communications during construction, quality control and coordination with utility agencies to avoid re‑excavation. Staff said tree replacement and landscaping are part of the design, a pre‑construction meeting will firm up the contractor schedule and a public‑communication plan will be posted and repeated during construction.

Council members said the project is intended to improve safety for pedestrians and drivers, especially near schools, and to beautify Broadway as a gateway. Staff emphasized the project is almost entirely grant‑funded, while the city will cover construction‑management and inspection costs from the grant package and budgeted CIP lines.

Council approved the resolutions and contract awards, and staff will return with more detailed construction scheduling and community outreach materials before major work begins.