Sammamish City Council Approves Traffic and Pedestrian Improvement Contract for SE 32nd St.

Plans for traffic and pedestrian improvements along and around Southeast 32nd Street took a step forward this week, as the Sammamish City Council approved a contract with Westwater Construction Co.

The contract, approved Tuesday, is for $298,000. It follows approval in March by the City Council to remove traffic barriers - many of which are from the days when Sammamish was part of King County - to improve connection of streets and neighborhoods. Even after the March vote, some residents voiced concern about safety along that street.

As part of the agreement to remove the barriers on Southeast 32nd Street, which connects with 228th Avenue Southeast and is near , city officials agreed to add sidewalks, curb extensions, traffic circles, traffic control signs, wider roadway shoulders and pavement marking.

City engineers estimated that the work would cost $224,515. But Laura Philpot, city public works director, explained that the estimate from engineers is usually based on the costs and bids from the past three years.

During this period, she said, the city received lower bids - sometimes about 30 percent less than what an engineer had estimated.

"Also, this is a smaller scale project and it is not uncommon to see a little higher cost for smaller projects (and lower costs for larger projects)," Philpot said in an email sent before the City Council meeting.

"Because we've had savings on other projects in the recent past, we’re able to propose to the City Council they award the project and to use savings from other projects to cover the difference."

City documents show that there was another company - Liahona Construction - interested in bidding. But that company's bid amount was deemed "Non-Responsive."

At the meeting, city staff explained that Westwater Construction Co. received praise from city of Redmond officials. Sammamish city staff consider Westwater to be "responsive and responsible."

The City Council also approved an amount of $45,000 to cover any unexpected circumstance with the Southeast 32nd Street project.

The project area includes 220th Avenue Southeast to 228th Avenue Southeast on Southeast 32nd Street, Southeast 32nd Street to Southeasts 33rd Place on 220th Avenue Southeast and 216th Avenue Southeast to 220th Avenue Southeast on Southeast 33rd Place, according to city documents.   

City staff will have to meet with the construction company to review formalities, including signing the contract and checking for insurance, before the work can begin, Philpot said.