TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THRU: Jarad Hildenbrand, City Manager
FROM: Christopher Cash, Public Works Director
1. Subject
title
Award of Contract to Peterson-Chase General Engineering Construction Inc. for Bridge Preventive Maintenance/Repair; Bid No. 24-25.23 (SP-3880).
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2. Summary
Bids for the Bridge Preventive Maintenance/Repair Project were received and opened on July 24, 2025. Three bidders responded to the notice inviting bids. The apparent low bidder is Peterson-Chase General Engineering Construction, Inc. of Irvine, CA in the amount of $2,696,416.
3. Recommended Action
recommendation
1. Accept into the City’s revenue budget $1,014,624 in grant funds from Federal Highway Administration Highway Bridge Program to Reimbursable Capital Projects (550):
550-5101-43301-255703 Structural Evaluation of City’s Bridges
2. Authorize the appropriation of $1,014,624 to Reimbursable Capital Projects (550):
550-5101-82001-255703 Structural Evaluation of City’s Bridges
3. Authorize the appropriation of $580,748 from Measure M2 (263) unreserved fund balance to:
263-5101-82001-255703 Structural Evaluations of City’s Bridges
4. Approve the contract with Peterson-Chase General Engineering Construction, Inc. in the amount of $2,831,237, representing an original bid amount of $2,696,416, plus a 5% contingency of $134,821, for Bridge Preventive Maintenance/Repair; and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute on behalf of the City.
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4. Fiscal Impact
The expense for this contract is $2,831,237 and will be funded through Reimbursable Capital Projects (550) and Measure M2 (263) respectively:
550-5101-82001-255703 Structural Evaluations of City’s Bridges $2,402,059
263-5101-82001-255703 Structural Evaluations of City’s Bridges $429,178
5. Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 5: Improve infrastructure, mobility, and technology.
6. Discussion and Background
The City of Orange (City) applied for and received grant funds from Federal Highway Administration Highway Bridge Program (HBP) as administered by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) for the rehabilitation of City-owned bridges. This program is a competitive grant program that provides funding to public agencies for maintenance of bridges within their jurisdiction. The HBP grant funds 88.53% of eligible construction cost with the City matching 11.47% of eligible costs plus non-participating costs of $117,965 (100% City’s cost) that includes concrete sidewalk, curb and gutter, asphalt concrete and other various costs.
The City was awarded this project in 2013 with an initial federal funding amount of $881,847 for Preliminary Engineering ($221,325) and Construction ($660,522) phases of the project. In 2017, due to scope of work changes that resulted in higher construction costs, Public Works staff requested and obtained additional HBP funding for construction which increased the HBP construction funding to $1,474,661. Subsequently, it was accepted and appropriated for the project by the City Council.
On May 2, 2024, the City received authorization from Caltrans Local Assistance to begin the construction phase of this project. However, because of the long delay from Caltrans to program funds for this project, construction costs significantly increased creating a funding shortfall. Again, Public Works staff pursued and obtained additional HBP funding to cover construction cost escalations. The revised funding document was recently approved and adjusted the total HBP construction funding to $2,489,285 for construction. Staff recommend accepting the funding increase of $1,014,624 into the project’s revenue account and appropriating it to the project’s expenditure account.
The scope of the project includes the methacrylate bridge deck treatment, expansion joint replacement, polyester concrete overlay, concrete repair, and steel components repairs. The bridges selected for rehabilitation are:
1. Tustin Avenue over Santiago Creek (Bridge #55C0043)
2. Memory Lane over Santa Ana River (Bridge #55C0046)
3. Katella Avenue over Santa Ana River (Bridge #55C0563L)
4. Orangewood Avenue over Santa Ana River (Bridge #55C0050)
5. Ball Road (Taft Avenue) over Santa Ana River (Bridge #55C0159)
6. Chapman Avenue over Santa Ana River (Bridge #55C0054)
7. Chapman Avenue over Santiago Creek (Bridge #55C0057)
8. Glassell Street over Santiago Creek (Bridge #55C0016)
The City Council previously approved an advertisement for bids on June 10, 2025. The bid solicitation was advertised on June 19, 2025, for a period of five weeks and bids were opened on July 24, 2025. Three bids were received as follows:
1. Peterson-Chase General Engineering Construction, Inc., Irvine $2,696,416
2. American Civil Constructors West Coast LLC, Benicia $3,010,000
3. Myers & Sons Construction LLC, Sacramento $3,675,559
The low bid is about 15.8% lower than the engineer’s estimate. Staff checked the references and qualifications for Peterson-Chase General Engineering Construction, Inc. and found them to be acceptable, with adequate years of experience in completing contracts of similar nature to this project. Therefore, staff recommend that Peterson-Chase General Engineering Construction, Inc. be awarded the contract in the total amount of $2,831,237, representing an original bid amount of $2,696,416, plus a 5% contingency of $134,821, for Bridge Preventive Maintenance/Repair Project.
Construction is scheduled to begin in October 2025 and is expected to be completed within 90 calendar days after receiving all required State, County, and local encroachment permits. Specifications and cost estimates are available for review in the Public Works Department.
7. ATTACHMENTS
• Contract with Peterson-Chase General Engineering Construction, Inc.
• Bid Abstract