J.B. & Co Awarded Contract for Belt Line 1.5 Enhancements

At its February 25 meeting, the City Council awarded a not-to-exceed contract in the amount of $1,798,287.95 to J.B. & Co. for the construction of enhancements on Belt Line Road between Marsh Lane and Midway Road, commonly referred to as Belt Line 1.5, and set a total project budget of $2,378,000. Council adopted the Belt Line Road 1.5 Master Plan in February 2019.

Following adoption of the Master Plan last year, staff informed Council that approximately $2,127,022 was available for the design, Right-of-Way (ROW) acquisition, and construction of the project and requested direction. The available funds included an anticipated $135,022 from DART Street Repair Funds, but did not include the DART Local Assistance Program (LAP).

Council directed staff to develop a total project budget based on the design consultant's recommended scope with the addition of two bus shelters, reduction of landscape repair items, and an update of the design services fee to reflect the actual contracted amount. From this direction, staff projected a total budget of $2,378,000.

The DART Board voted last month to fund $441,519 to assist Belt Line 1.5, including completing sidewalk gaps and adding additional bus shelters at select DART stops along the corridor. This additional funding above the $135,022 that was anticipated in the preliminary budget not only helps fund the gap between available funds and the project budget, it also allows the Town to include a $195K alternate bid item related to implementing Master Transportation Plan elements on Belt Line Road. This part of the project is contingent on the property owner sharing the cost.

You can watch the Council's Belt Line 1.5 discussion here.