Traverse City commissioners will vote Monday to approve contracts for multiple city projects, including a $1.75 million water main project along Division Street, upgrades to the Hannah Park overlook, and safety improvements to West Front Street west of Madison Street where several accidents involving drivers leaving the roadway have occurred in recent years.

Division Street Water Main
Commissioners will consider approving a $1.75 million contract with FER-PAL Construction USA for what City Director of Municipal Utilities Art Krueger has called a “challenging water main” project along Division Street. A 12-inch, 48-year-old cast iron water main “has experienced degradation from corrosive soils, which is damaging the pipe exterior,” Krueger previously said. The city originally planned to replace the 3,400 feet of bad pipe through a horizontal drilling project, but bids in 2022 came in at $2.2 million – more than double the original engineering estimate of $1 million. “This stretch of water main is among a lot of wetland areas, which makes pipe replacement challenging and more expensive,” Krueger said.

The city now plans to use a cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) process to make the repairs, according to Krueger. That process involves workers excavating an access hole to the existing water main, cleaning and flushing it out, pulling a liner into the pipe, and then curing that liner in place. Because FER-PAL Construction USA is the only water main CIPP installer in Michigan, city commissioners in June approved directly negotiating a contract with the firm instead of going through a request-for-proposals (RFP) process.

The city allocated $1.2 million for the project in the 2024-25 budget. The engineer’s construction estimate was recently updated to $1.354 million, and FER-PAL Construction USA’s bid came in at $1,597,993 – nearly $244,000 over the estimate. With a 10 percent contingency added, the contract comes to $1.75 million. Because of several factors – including the nearby wetlands, the urgent need to address the corrosion on a significant city water main, and the shorter timeframe and cost savings of the CIPP approach compared to other water main replacement methods – Krueger is recommending awarding the contract despite the higher-than-expected price tag. Another contract for construction management services – which did go through an RFP process – is recommended to be awarded to the low bidder of Hubbell, Roth & Clark for $74,300. The project will be covered through the city’s water fund.

Hannah Park Overlook
Commissioners will vote Monday to approve a contact with Walton Contracting for just under $185,000 for improvements to the Hannah Park overlook at the southwest corner of the Union Street bridge. The overlook “provides a welcome respite – and great view of the Boardman-Ottaway River – for pedestrians along Union Street, as well as stair access to the lower bluff of Hannah Park,” according to TC Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Executive Director Harry Burkholder.

The existing overlook was damaged during recent bridge reconstruction, and the stairs down to the river are obsolete. Since they can’t be fixed up to ADA requirements and can’t be removed since they act as a stabilizer for the hill, the city plans to cover the stairs with soil and native plantings and build a new set of stairs near the Perry Hannah statue down to the river. Other planned improvements “include the removal and salvage of sidewalks, selective demolition of field stone walls, adjustments to existing features, and the installation of new elements such as clay paver bricks, concrete sidewalks, field stone wall veneers, railings, and wall reinforcement,” according to the city’s Bay Brief. “These improvements aim to upgrade the overlook's infrastructure, safety, functionality, and aesthetic appeal.”

The project will be funded by the DDA’s Old Town TIF ($105,000), the Brown Bridge Trust ($12,000), and the capital improvement fund ($68,000). If approved, project work is expected to start this month and be completed by late fall/early winter, according to the Bay Brief.

West Front Safety Upgrades
City officials hope to improve safety on a stretch of West Front Street west of Madison Street where several accidents involving cars leaving the roadway have occurred in recent years.

The city hired Hubbell, Roth & Clark earlier this year to analyze the corridor. Their findings “recommended a few improvements to this section of roadway that will improve safety for pedestrians, adjacent residents, and drivers,” says City Manager Liz Vogel. Recommended improvements include additional curve warning signs, median signs, reflective signposts, in-lane pavement markings, and guardrails, according to a memo from the firm.

The city next needs to hire a consultant to assist in creating bid documents for the improvements, according to Vogel. She’s recommending continuing to work with Hubbell, Roth & Clark on design and construction management services, “since they are familiar with the design already and can quickly prepare the bid documents so we may get the improvements built yet this construction season.”

The firm’s original contract was for $14,470.50, with a proposed addendum for the additional design services of $20,655. With a 10 percent contingency built in, that will bring the total contract cost to $37,191.