Bay Drive Protected Bike Lanes and Path Design Phase

The City of Santa Cruz seeks a qualified firm for the Complete Streets design of the Bay Corridor from West Cliff Drive to High Street. The Bay Corridor Project envisions a Complete Street corridor between West Cliff Drive and High Street within the City of Santa Cruz. This corridor serves as a primary route for key community destinations, including the West Cliff Drive Multiuse Path, Coastal Rail Trail, Bay View Elementary School, Mission Hill Middle School, Santa Cruz High School, University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC), multiple parks, affordable senior housing, and the Mission Street neighborhood commercial center. Currently, the route includes sidewalks with limited modern accessibility, class II bike lanes, wide travel lanes, and long crossing distances. Transit serves this corridor at 15 minute or better headways. The City of Santa Cruz aims to transform this corridor to a human centered route. This includes a vision for complete separated bike facilities the entire length, accessible pedestrian facilities, shortened crossing distances, intersection design that increases the safety and mobility for all roadway users, and increases transit accessibility. The proposed physical improvements will provide street and sidewalk improvements on the Bay Corridor as well transit boarding islands for enhanced transit access. Improvements will enhance the multimodal accessibility of the corridor, making it more comfortable, safe, and convenient for all roadway users. By creating a safe route and reducing user stress, the Project will encourage more students and community members to walk and bike and will strengthen connection to area wide bicycle and pedestrian networks. The Project hopes to reduce motorized vehicle trips and encourage increased walking, biking, and transit use among all community members, resulting in reduced air pollutants, improved public health and greater community cohesion. The City of Santa Cruz has initiated community engagement, including a review at the Transportation and Public Works Commission, the Bay View Elementary Parent Teacher Association (PTA), coordination with Caltrans and the State Water Board, and Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (METRO). This project area includes the intersection of Bay Street with State Route 1/Mission Street. The City and Caltrans are entering in to a cooperative agreement for design so the intersection can be constructed as a part of the upcoming Caltrans CAP-M project. The selected consultant will support that effort at City's direction. At this time, all parties anticipate that the City of Santa Cruz will take the lead on the design of this section with coordination with the Caltrans project team. This contract anticipates that the selected vendor will continue coordination with Caltrans to allow for logical termini and independent utility of the project sections. This project is anticipated to be delivered in multiple phases due to funding opportunities. This RFP includes the enclosed design services for the segments of Bay between California and Escalona and between Nobel/Iowa to High Street. The City of Santa Cruz anticipates the design to include a two way separated bike lane on the west side of the roadway. The initial concepts include, but are not limited to, the proposed physical improvements shown in Attachment A–Preliminary Concept Design Exhibit. In general, the purpose of this RFP is to select a qualified professional engineering consultant to support the City with services that include environmental and right-of-way clearance, design of all civil and traffic improvements, design support during construction and services during closeout of the project