Ferrisburgh - Pedestrian Safety Scoping

Request for Proposals Town of Ferrisburgh, VT Title – Ferrisburgh Pedestrian Safety Scoping Problem Ferrisburgh completed a Safe Routes to School Travel Plan in 2012. The town would like to take the next steps in scoping and preparing budgets for sidewalks and crosswalks identified in that plan that improve pedestrian connectivity along U.S. Route 7 near the intersection of Little Chicago Road and Middlebrook Road. Project Schedule November 8, 2022 RFP released November 15, 2022 Deadline for submission of questions and Intent to Respond November 23, 2022 Response to questions posted December 7, 2022 RFP submission deadline December 30, 2022 Consultant selection notification September 30, 2023 Project completion Background The intersection of Little Chicago Road and Middlebrook Road with U.S. Route 7 lies at the center of the Town of Ferrisburgh. Numerous public attractions are located within close proximity to the intersection including the elementary school, post office, a

delicatessen, the town green, the Union Meeting Hall, Town Offices, a Community Center, and a church. There are future plans for a Farmers’ Market, senior center, and day care facility in the area as well. Route 7 carries a very high volume of traffic: a 2017 intersection assessment counted more than 11,000 vehicles moving north south through the intersection. The 2012 Safe Routes to School Travel Plan identified a suite of potential projects in the area, including some new sidewalks. Ferrisburgh would like to develop an engineering plan and budget for pedestrian walkways serving the Town Center, an east/west crosswalk on U.S. 7, and a north/south crosswalk on Middlebrook Rd. connecting the town green with a currently vacant commercial lot. The project will build upon the Safe Routes to School Report of 2012, especially pages 21 and 222 and appendix B pages 7-12. Budget Funding for this study comes through the Addison County Transportation Planning Initiative. The total consultant budget is $25,000. 1 | Page Scope of Work The successful applicant will provide the Town of Ferrisburgh and the ACRPC: ⇒ An identification of alternative alignments for a new sidewalks and/or pedestrian walkways ⇒ A public involvement process developed in collaboration with the Ferrisburgh Town Center Committee to ensure local input and support of projects ⇒ An assessment of historic, archaeological and environmental constraints ⇒ Clear, written documentation of project issues and overall feasibility ⇒ A 30% design and preliminary cost estimate for a preferred alternative TASKS: Anticipated tasks to achieve the scope of work may include the following, however consultants are invited to submit a proposal that addresses the most relevant tasks within the scope of work consistent with the budget available if justification is provided. A. Project Kickoff Meeting - Meet with a local project steering committee to develop a clear understanding of the project goals, objectives, timelines and deliverables. B. Compile Base Map/Document Existing Conditions - Compile a base map using available mapping including VT Digital Orthophotos, digital parcel maps for the Town (if available) and other natural resource-based GIS data available from the ACRPC or the Vermont Center for Geographic Information (VCGI). The compiled information must be displayed in an ArcView-compatible format. Display of typical sections and other engineering type drawings may be done with software other than ArcView. Existing conditions to be noted include presence of existing pedestrian/bike facilities, roadway widths, subsurface drainage and any other items the consultant feels are appropriate. Additional items to be mapped may include: natural resource constraints, utilities, historic and archaeological constraints, etc. The consultant may elect to undertake a topographic survey to more accurately map roadway widths, location of existing buildings, drainage facilities and any other features that may be critical to the design of the project. C. Local Concerns Meeting - The project steering committee will organize and moderate a ‘local concerns’ meeting with Town representatives, the consultant, and the public to develop a clear understanding of the project goals, objectives and concerns. This meeting may be an opportunity to discuss any future maintenance issues or concerns with the proposed project. As an outcome of the local concerns meeting and the project kickoff meeting, the consultant will develop a Project Purpose and Need Statement for proposed improvements. The consultant will generate this statement based on local input and an understanding of existing conditions. Items that may be discussed are what different user groups are anticipated/desired (e.g. pedestrians, bicyclists, etc.) and what surface type is desired. D. Identify Land Use Context - The consultant will identify the existing and proposed land uses in the project area as well as the overall context of the area where the project is proposed. Based 2 | Page on existing land use patterns and potential connections to planned or existing pedestrian and/or bicycle facilities, the consultant will document predicted and existing pedestrian/bicycle travel patterns to gain an understanding of the best location for new sidewalks/bike facilities. E. Develop Conceptual Alternatives - In cooperation with ACRPC and Town staff the consultant will be responsible for identifying potential alternatives for the proposed pedestrian facilities utilizing the information compiled for the base plan, and site visit(s). Conceptual alternatives should include roadway crossing needs. The consultant will also review the proposed alternatives to ensure that they meet the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines and other applicable State and Federal requirements. As part of developing alternatives, the consultant will assess the impact of the project construction on existing vehicle, pedestrian and bicycle traffic. An initial determination should be made as to what level of impact is likely to result from project construction; significant, moderate or minor. The study shall include a section on traffic management that discusses the possible impacts, what stakeholders may be impacted and what measures are likely to be needed to address work zone impacts during construction. If traffic control measures, including any needed temporary pedestrian facilities, are needed, their cost shall be identified in the overall costs for each alternative. Consultant will provide sketch plans and support to ACRPC and Town staff for engaging with potentially-affected property owners to discuss conceptual alternatives. Note that it is likely proposed alternatives will lie within State of Vermont rights-of-way. Therefore, coordination with various sections of VTrans must take place. At a minimum, the District Transportation Administrator and the Permitting Services section (provide permits for work in State ROW) should be involved. Other possible sections are Traffic Investigations (crosswalks, signs, traffic signal warrants), Structures (bridges and culverts) and Highway Safety and Design (changes in lane configurations or turning lanes). F. Identify Right-of-way Issues - Compile roadway right-of-way and abutting property ownership information along the proposed alignment of the project. This information should identify public/private ownership and any existing easements or restrictions (e.g. Act 250 permits) on affected property. Map right-of-way information on the same base mapping as the existing conditions – Task B). If the project is located along a state highway and will cross existing commercial or residential driveways that are excessive in width, a discussion should be included of the impacts of modifying the driveway to meet current standards (access management). The existing width of state highway right-of-way should be confirmed with the VTrans ROW section. ROW data for the state system can be requested by going to the following link – http://tinyurl.com/qgv5jua.) G. Identify Utility Conflicts - Identify and discuss all public and private underground and overhead utilities (water, sewer, fiber optics, electric, TV, cable, phone) in the project area. Include a preliminary assessment of whether any relocations will be required. Will the relocations occur outside of the existing Rights of Way? For underground utilities, an assessment should be made 3 | Page http://tinyurl.com/qgv5jua of whether they will be impacted by construction of the proposed improvements. The assessment should include identification of owners of potentially impacted utilities. H. Identify Natural and Cultural Resource Constraints and Permitting Requirements - Review natural and cultural resource issues including wetlands, surface waters, floodplains, river corridors,flora/fauna, endangered species, storm water, hazardous material sites, forest land, historic, archaeological and architectural resources, 4(f) and 6(f) public lands, and agricultural lands. Identify potential impacts on these resources and permitting requirements, including the potential for review under Act 250. All environmental resource ID work shall include the general project area in which all proposed alternatives will take place. If alternatives are provided in the scoping report, then recommendations for the alternatives’ effect on environmental resources shall be stated in the scoping report, along with anticipated permit requirements. Improvements for bicyclists and pedestrians are likely to increase impervious surface area. Especially where a closed, subsurface drainage system is proposed (new or addition to existing), an estimate of new, redeveloped and existing contributing surface areas should be included as well as an assessment of what will be required to obtain a stormwater discharge permit. An estimate of the area of disturbance that will result from the project should be included to assess the extent of mitigation that will be required under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (erosion prevention and sediment control) permit. This resource work will inform the alternative selection so that the project avoids and minimizes, to the extent practicable, impacts to environmental resources. Thorough and well-documented resource identifications will inform the selection of the Least Environmental Damaging Practicable Alternative (LEDPA) and development of Conceptual Plans. Scoping reports will be reviewed by VTrans Project Delivery Bureau Environmental Section (via Resource ID work request from VTrans Project Manager) prior to development of Conceptual Plans. I. Alternatives Presentation - All of the proposed alternatives (including a mandatory “no build” alternative) will be evaluated in an alternatives matrix. Evaluation criteria will be developed in collaboration with the Steering Committee. The matrix may include resource impacts, right of way impacts, utility impacts, ability to meet the project purpose and need, estimated cost and any other factors that will help the community evaluate the alternatives being considered. Taking into consideration previously gathered information, conduct a public informational meeting to present all the different alternatives that have been considered. The outcome of this meeting should be an alternative selected by the community for further development. J. Develop Preliminary Cost Estimates - The consultant will develop preliminary cost estimates for further planning, design, construction and maintenance cost of the project. Construction cost estimates shall include preliminary bid item quantities. Per foot or lump sum costs will not be an acceptable substitute. The estimates should be based on the assumption that the project will be constructed using a combination of Federal and local funding and will be managed by the local community. The cost estimates should include amounts for construction, engineering, municipal project management and construction inspection. If the project is to be completed in phases, 4 | Page cost estimates for each phase shall be provided. K. Project TimeLine - The consultant will provide a project development timeline that takes the project through the design, permitting and construction phases assuming the use of a combination of Federal and local funding. If necessary, the consultant will develop a project phasing plan for construction of the project over a multi-year period. L. Report Production - Using information gathered from the activities outlined above and from the meetings with the Town, submit draft and final feasibility reports outlining the findings of the study (see Standards and Deliverables for number required). The steering committee will facilitate a public informational meeting to review the draft report before completion of the final report. The consultant shall follow the report format shown in Attachment B and is expected to include all of the elements listed in the outline. It is expected that the local legislative body will endorse or decline the proposed project at this meeting, or at a subsequent meeting of that body. M. Final Presentation - Once the report is accepted by the Town, the consultant will make a final presentation to the ACRPC Transportation Advisory Committee at their September 20, 2023 meeting. Format of Deliverables A.) All documents should be provided in digital format. Adobe .pdf format is required for the draft and final reports. A digital copy as an Adobe .pdf document of both the draft and final reports shall be sent to the ACRPC and the Town. All plans or plats shall be at least 24” by 36”. B.) All data, databases, reports, programs and materials, in digital and hard copy format created under this project shall be transferred to the Town and ACRPC upon completion of the project and become the joint property of the Town and ACRPC. Submission Requirements Please furnish one (1) digital copy of the proposal with pages numbered consecutively. A. Required Technical Information 1. Cover Letter 2. Qualifications of the Consultation Firm – please describe experience in areas needed to fulfill the project scope. Specifically, list which proposed project team members have worked on which related projects. 3. Scope of Work – a scope of work for the project detailing the consultant’s proposed approach to the base scope of the tasks described in the RFP, and any recommended adjustments to the scope or tasks. The consultant may also propose additional supplemental items to the scope of work. 4. Proposed Schedule – the schedule should include completion of work tasks and deliverables as well as any key meetings and comply with the timeline given in the RFP. 5. Project Organization – discuss project management structure and relate the job categories listed. 5 | Page 6. Resumes of key staff who will be working on the project (not exceeding 2 pages for each), a brief description of their roles in the project, and a brief description of their work on related projects. 7. References – please provide a minimum of three, including the name and telephone number of each. 8. Budget allocation – estimated costs of tasks included in the scope of work 9. The proposal shall not exceed 20 pages. Consultant Selection All proposals will be evaluated using the criteria listed below by a selection committee. The selection committee will consist of members appointed by Ferrisburgh and ACRPC staff. Proposals will be ranked based on the following criteria (total of 100 points): ● Demonstration of overall project understanding, insights into potential issues, and a demonstrated understanding of the project deliverables (25 pts) ● Qualifications of the firm and the personnel to be assigned to the project, and experience with similar projects (15 pts) ● Completeness and clarity of proposal and creativity/thoughtfulness in addressing the scope of work (15 pts) ● Demonstrated understanding of, and ability to meet schedule and budget (10 pts) ● Demonstrated knowledge of the project area (10 pts) ● Appropriateness of budget allocation by task (25 pts) The Addison County Regional Planning Commission (ACRPC) reserves the right to seek clarification of any proposal submitted and to select the proposal considered to best promote the public interest. All proposals become the property of the ACRPC upon submission. The cost of preparing, submitting and presenting a proposal is the sole expense of the consultant. The ACRPC reserves the right to reject any and all proposals received as a result of this solicitation, to negotiate with any qualified sources, to waive any formality and any technicalities or to cancel the RFP in part or in its entirety if it is in the best interest of ACRPC. This solicitation or proposal in no way obligates ACRPC to award a contract. Contract Requirements The contract shall not start until the successful applicant enters into a written contract with ACRPC to perform the work subject to this Request for Proposal. Sub-contractors must comply with all State and Federal covenants required by virtue of the funding source or contained or referenced in all subcontracts including, but not limited to, the following provisions: ● Insurance Coverage ● Indemnifications ● Workers Compensation ● Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity ● Americans with Disabilities Act ● DBE Obligation ● Audit and Record Retention ● Lobbying Restrictions Ownership 6 | Page All proposals submitted in response to this RFP become the property of the ACRPC. All reports, documents, maps, data and materials developed by the consultant for this project shall be the property of the ACRPC and shall be treated by the ACRPC as public information. Further Information Please contact Mike Winslow, Transportation Planner, ACRPC at 802-578-9999 or mwinslow@acrpc.org with any questions about this project. Please address your response to: Mike Winslow Addison County Regional Planning Commission 14 Seminary St. Middlebury, Vt. 05753 mwinslow@acrpc.org Resources Ferrisburgh Central School Safe Routes to School Travel Plan (2012) 7 | Page mailto:mwinslow@acrpc.org%20 mailto:mwinslow@acrpc.org%20 https://acrpc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/FBRG_school_travel_plan_201207.pdf Ferrisburgh Town Center SCHOOL POST OFFICE DELI TOWN GREEN UNION MEETING HALL TOWN OFFICES /COMMUNITY CENTER FERRISBURGH HISTORICAL SOCIETY METHODIST CHURCH BUILDING EMPTY BARN TOWN OF FERRISBURGH 3279 Route 7 Ferrisburgh, VT 05456 TO: Taylor Sisson, VTrans. FROM: Ferrisburgh Selectboard, and the Ferrisburgh Planning Commission; Ferrisburgh Central School; Ferrisburgh Building Committee; Friends of the Union Meeting Hall; Ferrisburgh Historic Society. RE: Safety Concerns on Route 7 in the Ferrisburgh Town Center. DATE: June 15, 2022 Introduction In July 2012 the Ferrisburgh Central School, working with a broad cross section of Ferrisburgh residents and organizations completed a detailed report on Safe Routes to School, Travel Plan (attached). Over the last ten years traffic has increased, and a traffic light has been installed on Route 7 at the intersection with Middlebrook and Little Chicago roads. Nonetheless, in the last few years the intersection has become increasingly busy and dangerous with increased speeding. The Town, in line with our Town Plan, is actively working to revitalize the Town center. This is taking place in a number of ways, through the work of the Selectboard and several Town committees. For example: The Town has established a Trails committee to evaluate pedestrian access and walking paths in Town; The Town has established a Town Center Committee tasked to explore Town Center revitalization from the intersection north to the Town Offices and Methodist Church. The Building Committee and Selectboard have submitted a grant application to study and design a Town Center Septic System to expand development in the Center. The Town Building Committee, working with the Friends of the Union Meeting Hall has begun the lengthy process to repair and renovate the UMH and utilize the building and Town Green on a more regular basis for community events and to rent out the use of this site. The School conducts school trips to the Union Meeting Hall and Town Green for history lessons including learning about the Abolitionist Frederick Douglass, and to take part in the March tradition of tapping the trees to make maple syrup. We have had to hire a sheriff to be on duty during events at the Union Meeting Hall and Town Green. The Historical Society , in the old schoolhouse on the corner, together with the Post Office and Gilfeathers shop combine to make the corner a very active location, and with the Town Office just up the road, there is a lot of traffic pulling in and out of Route 7. We believe that Safety mechanisms at this intersection must be updated as soon as possible. Request We believe that the following actions, at minimum, should be considered: 1. Add a crosswalk across Route 7, like the cross walk in North Ferrisburgh, with a button to press to cross the road. 2. Add a cross walk on Middlebrook road to access the overflow parking area and improve pedestrian access. 3. Ensure that the traffic lights have Traffic Control Pre-Emption sensors in place to stop traffic during an emergency. 4. Reduce the speed limit on Route 7 from the present 40 mph to 30 mph for the section through the Town Center and the Town Hall 5. Consider a wider array of traffic calming mechanisms. Next Steps: Please let us know the appropriate contact person at VTrans to work with the Town, and determine a date when we can meet to discuss next steps. Jessica James, Chair, Ferrisburgh Selectboard. cc. Rep. Diane Lanpher; Rep Matt Birong, Senator Hardy; Senator Bray; Adam Lougee, ACRPC; John Bull, Road Commissioner; Chief Wager, Ferrisburgh Fire Department; Vergennes Fire Department; Ferrisburgh Trails Committee; Bob Beach, Chair Planning Commission; Anne Cohn, Safe Routes to School; Carl Cole, Safe Routes to School; Rae Donovan, Principal, Ferrisburgh Central School. Encl. Safe Routes to School Report. Email from Jon Kaplan at VTrans- Aug 2. Jean – Thanks for your inquiry regarding traffic issues around the intersection of US7, Little Chicago Road and Middlebrook road in Ferrisburgh. I believe that the Town has been provided a written response to the speed limit request, which is under the authority of the Vermont Traffic Committee and will be addressed through that process. 1. Add a crosswalk across Route 7, like the cross walk in North Ferrisburgh, with a button to press to cross the road. The signal has the ability to have a pedestrian phase added. However, VTrans would require the Town to provide connecting pedestrian infrastructure (i.e. sidewalks) before we make any changes to the signal. We would coordinate with the town and work out the details of adding in the pedestrian phase. VTrans would pay for the pedestrian signal equipment (indicators and pushbuttons) and would do the work to install it. The Town would need a highway access permit to do any of the sidewalk work within the state highway right of way. 2. Add a cross walk on Middlebrook road to access the overflow parking area and improve pedestrian access. Unless it is in the state highway right of way, a crosswalk on Middlebrook Road would be under the town’s jurisdiction and would not need any coordination or approval by VTrans. We do note that there is driveway opening on the south side of Middlebrook Rd. and would recommend that a crosswalk be located further east on Middlebrook so that it does not direct pedestrians into the driveway. 3. Ensure that the traffic lights have Traffic Control Pre-Emption sensors in place to stop traffic during an emergency. The existing signal does not have pre-emption but the controller has the capability to add this feature. Given the fact that there are multiple intersections in Ferrisburgh/Vergennes that do not currently have preemption equipment, VTrans would need to prioritize and program a project to accomplish this. The Operations and Safety Bureau has not installed preemption equipment previously and we would look to a project or contractor to install and configure the equipment. 4. Reduce the speed limit on Route 7 from the present 40 mph to 30 mph for the section through the Town Center and the Town Hall Speed limit changes on state highways are under the authority of the Vermont Traffic Committee. We understand, via a separate email, that the Town is submitting a request to lower the limit to 35 MPH (not the 30 MPH in the original letter to VTrans). The VTC meets roughly quarterly and the next meeting has not been scheduled yet, but it will likely be this fall. VTrans Traffic investigators provide speed study information to the VTC and they will review the site and provide a recommendation on this request to the VTC. The Town will be provided formal acknowledgement of the request and the process. 5. Consider a wider array of traffic calming mechanisms. VTrans is willing to provide feedback on anything the town wants to propose. There are no plans to make any changes to this section of Route 7 at the moment. Other Items In a separate email, the Town indicated locations of possible sidewalk segments. Because the town has not conducted any formal evaluation of the feasibility of these sidewalks, we strongly recommend that they do so. There are two grant programs available through VTrans to conduct scoping (feasibility) studies of bicycle and/or pedestrian infrastructure. They are both available through the Agency’s Municipal Assistance program. The bike/ped program just completed this year’s round of funding applications and would not be open for new applications again until April 2023. The other program is called Transportation Alternatives and the solicitation process will be starting up in August or September. Information about both programs may be found here. I hope that this response provides you the information you were seeking. Please let me know if you have further questions. Jon Kaplan, P.E. | Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator Operations and Safety Bureau Vermont Agency of Transportation 2178 Airport Road | Berlin, VT 05641 Jon.kaplan@vermont.gov 802-498-4742 cell vtrans.vermont.gov VTrans Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Web Site: http://vtrans.vermont.gov/highway/local- projects/bike-ped VTrans Bicycle and Pedestrian Design Resources: https://vtrans.vermont.gov/highway/local- projects/bike-ped/resources