Submitted By
Bill McKenna, Village Engineer/Assistant Public Works Director
Reviewed By
A.M. Zayyad, Deputy Village Manager
Agenda Item Title
Title
A Resolution Approving an Intergovernmental Agreement between the Villages of River Forest, Forest Park, and Oak Park for the Phase I Engineering Study of the Harlem Avenue Viaduct Project and Authorizing its Execution
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Overview
Overview
River Forest received $250,000 in State funds to complete the Phase I Engineering study for replacing the Harlem Avenue viaduct. River Forest previously received $800,000 in federal funds and completed a phase I study but that study has not yet been approved by IDOT until all of the stakeholders (the three Villages, IDOT, Union Pacific, CTA, and Metra) can sign an agreement approving the project. These new funds and scope of work are intended to update the previous phase I study and do the work needed to obtain this approval from all the parties. River Forest is the lead agency and will oversee the design effort being done by H. W. Lochner. Design costs which exceed or are ineligible for the grant funds would be split between the Villages based on the property ownership under the bridge with Oak Park paying 50% of the costs and River Forest and Forest Park paying 25% each per the terms of the Intergovernmental Agreement.
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Recommendation
Recommendation
Adopt the Resolution.
Background
In 2008 the Village of River Forest received a $800,000 federal grant to complete a Phase I engineering study for replacing the Harlem Avenue viaduct in order to improve safety, address accessibility concerns, and create a more aesthetically pleasing entry into the area. The new bridge will feature a clear span from the viaduct wall to viaduct wall with no columns. The viaduct is located over Harlem Avenue between North and South Boulevards and is at the intersecting border of the three communities of Oak Park, River Forest, and Forest Park.
The previous phase I Engineering for this project is substantially complete but has not been approved by IDOT. IDOT indicated that the project would not be approved until an ownership and maintenance Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) was in place between River Forest, Forest Park, Oak Park, IDOT, CTA, Metra, and the Union Pacific Railroad. Based on the difficulties of obtaining even a simple letter of support from the railroads, an IGA based on the limited details available from a Phase I study was not possible with the previous level of funding.
The Villages have previously applied for numerous grant opportunities to complete phase II designs and construction of the bridge but were never awarded a grant for the project, oftentimes due to lack of phase I approval for the project.
The State included $250,000 in its budget for River Forest to complete this Phase I Engineering Study. River Forest negotiated a contract with H. W. Lochner who previously completed the phase I work and has entered into an agreement with the State for using these funds. River Forest will be the lead agency on the project and oversee the contract with Lochner. The scope of work includes updating the existing phase I study for various items, developing architectural design concepts for the proposed bridge and treatments, and coordinating with the various stakeholders to try and obtain an agreement approving the project from all the key stakeholders.
Fiscal Impact
There are no anticipated costs for the Phase I Engineering Study since River Forest received $250,000 in State funds to complete this work. River Forest is the lead agency and will front the costs and be reimbursed by the State.
However, should there be unanticipated costs that exceed the DCEO grant amount or for services which are not eligible to be funded with the State DCEO grant, the Village of Oak Park would be responsible for 50% of those costs per the terms of the IGA. Potential costs that may exceed this amount may be for any direct costs with Union Pacific Railroad associated with their reviews and permitting or for costs for advancing the replacement bridge’s engineering design beyond what would typically be expected for a phase I study in order to get Union Pacific Railroad approval of the project.
Should there be costs that Village will need to participate in, the FY25 Budget includes funds for miscellaneous engineering consultant support in the Capital Improvement Fund, Public Works-Engineering, External Support account no. 3095.43780.101.530667 which would be used to cover any unanticipated costs. River Forest would invoice the Village for our share of these costs.
DEI Impact
N/A.
Alternatives
The alternative to this recommendation could be to delay action to gain additional information.
Previous Board Action
On February 19, 2008, the Village Board approved an Intergovernmental Agreement for the Phase I Engineering Services for the Harlem Avenue Viaduct.
Citizen Advisory Commission Action
N/A.
Anticipated Future Actions/Commitments
Should the project advance to the phase II design or construction, future IGAs would be needed to address any cost-sharing or maintenance responsibilities.
Intergovernmental Cooperation Opportunities
This project involves the three Villages working together along with the State, IDOT, Union Pacific, CTA, and Metra for the design of the replacement of the Harlem Avenue viaduct.