Authorize Execution of Amendment No. 7 to City Secretary Contract No. 35341, an Engineering Services Agreement with Transystems Corporation Consultants in the Amount Not to Exceed $160,000.00 and an Underpass Agreement with Union Pacific Railroad Company in the Amount Not to Exceed $4,300,000.00 for the Hemphill/Lamar Street Project from Lancaster Avenue to West Vickery Boulevard (COUNCIL DISTRICT 9)

It is recommended that the City Council:

1.  Authorize the execution of Amendment No. 7 to City Secretary Contract No. 35341, an Engineering Services Agreement with Transystems Corporation Consultants in the amount not to exceed $159,081.00 for the final design and provide construction phase services for Hemphill Street from Lancaster Avenue to Vickery Boulevard for a revised contract amount not to exceed $1,392,934.25; and

2.  Authorize the execution of a Railroad Underpass Agreement with the Union Pacific Railroad Company for the City-managed construction of Hemphill Street from Lancaster Avenue to Vickery Boulevard at a cost to the City not to exceed $4,300,000.00 (City Project No. C00141).

The Hemphill Street Connector Project from Lancaster Avenue to Vickery Boulevard will provide a four-lane divided tunnel arterial under IH-30 and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks.

Amendment No. 7 with Transystems will provide task-ordered engineering services to complete final design and provide construction phase services. Each task-order is negotiated based upon the defined scope of services. The total cost of all executed task orders with Transystems will not exceed $160,000.00. Staff considers this not to exceed cost to be fair and reasonable for the anticipated services proposed to be performed.

The Railroad Underpass Agreement permits the construction of the new Hemphill Street segment under the existing Union Pacific Railroad Company (UPRR) Facilities. Under this Agreement, the UPRR will grant permanent access under its rail yard and construct the permanent track connections, including providing flagmen, at an estimated cost of $4,300,000.00. The City will construct the new UPRR bridge, retaining wall, and roadway within UPRR right-of-way and maintain portions of the improvements once construction is complete. This Agreement is anticipated to be executed within 60 days.

Over the next 90 days, Staff is working closely with North Central Texas Council of Governments and funding partners to finalize the construction funding plan and initiate project bidding.

Upon finalizing the construction funding, an Interlocal Agreement and construction contract will be presented to the City Council for approval and construction efforts can then begin. It is anticipated construction will start in the summer of 2017 with a 30 month duration.

M/WBE Office - TranSystems Corporation d/b/a TranSystems Corporation Consultants is in compliance with the City's M/WBE Ordinance by committing to an additional 7 percent M/WBE participation on this Amendment No. 7.

The Hemphill Street Connector project is located in COUNCIL DISTRICT 9, Mapsco 76D and 76H.