Wagon Trail’s first phase on pace for June 2025 completion
Lance Armstrong / Calaveras Enterprise / September 4, 2024
The Calaveras County Board of Supervisors, on Aug. 27, received an informational-only update on work left to complete, costs and other aspects of Phase I of the two-phase Wagon Trail realignment project along Highway 4.
This phase’s construction, which commenced in January 2022, is anticipated to be completed in June 2025. The total projected cost of the Wagon Trail project is $53 million, stated Craig Pedro, the county’s interim public works director, during the Aug. 27 meeting.
As a major east-west connector through southern Calaveras County, Highway 4 provides access from the San Joaquin Valley to the Sierra Nevada mountains. This two-phase, 6.5-mile project extends from 2.6 miles east of Copperopolis to about 1.6 miles west of the Highway 4/Highway 49 junction in Angels Camp.
The project’s 3.2-mile first phase extends from Bonanza Mine Way to Appaloosa Road.
Phase II features work from Appaloosa Road for approximately 3 miles eastward toward Angels Camp.
According to a county staff report, the purpose of this project is to “reduce accidents, improve operational efficiency, and relieve current and future congestion.”
The recent update marked the first time that the board and the public had received a comprehensive report about Phase I of this project since last May, when the board approved a $6 million contract change order for the construction of a mechanically stabilized embankment (MSE) retaining wall and an open concrete channel to accommodate a rerouted section of Nassau Creek. That project was required to avoid a large, environmentally sensitive area and allow for the completion of the project’s first phase.
Through the concrete channel, the creek will return to its native channel.
During his presentation to the board in the Aug. 27 meeting, Pedro told the supervisors that the first 2 miles of the project’s 3-mile main line, from the west to the east, is in full service.
Using a graphic highlighting the status of the project, Pedro drew attention to the new, currently under construction connection of Hunt Road at Highway 4.
He also provided an update regarding the project’s section of Pool Station Road.
“There will be some adjustments made at (the) Pool Station Road connection when we start to bring this last section of new highway online to the immediate east of Pool Station Road,” Pedro said. “That intersection is an area that’s called ‘Cut Five,’ and you’ll see some pictures of that (area). That’s where a lot of dirt is being generated right now.”
Pedro also showed the location of the Nassau Creek-related MSE wall and concrete channel on the graph, as well as the site of the last segment of the future Highway 4 main line.
“Basically, it’s at rough grade now; the real controlling factor is that MSE wall and creek channelization area,” he said.
While showing a drone-generated video of the 3-mile, Phase I stretch of the project, Pedro referred to a section of that area that was elevated to both achieve the general grade desired and to hide portions of the special environmental areas that were covered with fill dirt.
Continuing, he called attention to Tiscornia Ranches-owned properties, a cattle tunnel under the roadway, and the old Highway 4 at Hunt Road.
Pausing the video at Pool Station Road, Pedro stated that a portion of this area will be raised to meet the desired grade for the new highway.
Continuing to the “Cut Five” area, Pedro mentioned that this area has “already been disturbed.”
“This is where there’s significant cut occurring in this area to lower it down and gain the desired grade in that area, and also to generate fill in other areas of the project,” he said.
Pedro referred to what is expected to be the “greatest logistical feat” of Phase I.
“When the day comes where we have to connect both sides of the new road segment, where we’re going to have to divert traffic, they’re figuring out how best to do that, so they could accomplish the grading that will actually connect these two sides,” he said. “And that will become the new main line of the highway, continuing on.”
As he showed a view of one of the environmental areas with a pool of water, Pedro recalled visiting this portion of the project in June.
“You could see them dealing with spring water all over the site, having to create pools where they could pump it out, spray it,” he said. “And it’s just an area that just has ongoing water challenges, but they persevere.”
Pedro also mentioned that a new road will be constructed at Appaloosa Road.
The video additionally shows the new Cherokee Creek bridge project, which while complementary to the Wagon Trail work is a separate project. Pedro stated that the new bridge is twice as wide and much safer than the old bridge.
In his review of Phase I of the Wagon Trail project, Pedro spoke about the major work that still needs to be done before that phase can be called complete.
He identified that work as the construction of the concrete channel and wall, the removal of temporary diversion pipes, the completion of the new Hunt Road at Highway 4 connection, bringing roads to grade and paving them, and switching traffic to the new highway segment from Pool Station Road to Appaloosa Road.
As for driver safety, Pedro noted that trucks will continue to haul dirt across the highway.
“That seems to be going on without any accidents right now, but just want to make sure people are careful in that area, so we don’t have any accidents,” he said.
The anticipated project completion dates, as presented in the Aug. 27 update, are November 2024 for the Nassau Creek channel, April 2025 for the mechanically stabilized embankment wall, and June 2025 for the shifting to the final segment of the new Highway 4 alignment.
Pedro said that the project is well on its way to being completed.
As for funding for the Phase I project, Pedro noted that there is a little more than $13.7 million available in the road impact mitigation fund.
Supervisors inquire about project
In response to an inquiry by Chair Jack Garamendi, who referenced a total of $13.2 million in Phase I dollars, Pedro explained that the $13.7 million figure includes about $500,000 in income from projected road impact mitigation funds.
“I’ve checked (about that figure) with both people that work most closely with (the project), and they feel that’s legitimate,” Pedro said.
Garamendi also inquired about the overall cost of the project, and was told by Pedro that the project is projected to cost $53 million, with cost incurred of “just over $31 million.”
Supervisor Gary Tofanelli expressed concern with an area east of the wall, toward Appaloosa Road and the bridge, which has experienced off-and-on construction work.
“Why don’t we have crews working on both the west end near Hunt Road, finishing all that off, and then on the east end and finishing all that off, so all we have is the wall left?” he asked. “And once that’s done, we just connect it up, instead of waiting all the way until April or whatever to finish it off in June.”
Tofanelli added that it does not seem to him that there is “much construction management going on.”
Howard Zabell, the project manager, who joined the meeting online, responded to Tofanelli’s concern, noting that even if work was occurring further east in the Appaloosa Road area, that portion of the project would not be completed any sooner, because of its shorter duration timeline.
In response to Zabell’s comments, Tofanelli explained that he remained concerned, mentioning that this section’s completion could be delayed by an unexpected obstacle.
Zabell told Tofanelli that he understood his concern and that he would have a discussion regarding this matter with the construction management team, as well as with Sukut Construction, which is working on the project.
Vice Chair Martin Huberty inquired about why a new Hunt Road connection is included in the project.
Pedro explained that it is part of the original design that was approved by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).
“I know Caltrans likes to rescind their old highways as quickly as possible,” he said. “For the people that commute on that road, it’s going to be a much shorter connection to and from than having to backtrack. And then also, the distance between the Pool Station (Road) intersection and Hunt (Road), as it is today, is closer than what the traffic engineers like.”
Supervisors’ delay vote on $2.1M contract change order for Wagon Trail project
In a separate agenda item at the Aug. 27 Board of Supervisors meeting, the supervisors agreed to postpone their vote on the county staff’s recommendation that they approve a $2.1 million contract change order with Sukut Construction for continued excavation activities in environmentally sensitive areas within the Wagon Trail project area.
The original change order, which was approved by the board last March, called for the removal of 90,000 cubic yards of material in the areas of the mechanically stabilized embankment wall and Pool Station and Hunt roads, at an estimated cost of $855,000.
Following a presentation by Pedro on the recent contract change order recommendation, Supervisor Gary Tofanelli expressed his frustration.
“They have a change order right now,” he said. “They have a change order for $855,000 for 90,000 cubic yards. That was their change order. We have a project manager and a construction manager come back and tell us that they had no idea (of the cost overruns) just because Sukut didn’t bill. (That) is just crazy to me.
“Do we not have people out there on foot watching what’s going on and not seeing it? When Sukut hit $855,000, they never came forward and said, ‘Hey, we’re at the end of our change order?’”
Zabell responded to Tofanelli’s comments, referring to his concerns and frustration as “completely legitimate.”
“The way that it’s supposed to work is the contractor bills as they go,” he said. “They can bill one day at a time if they want. For reasons I don’t think I understand, and I don’t think I ever will, their billings are very, very delayed. And so, it’s a legitimate question to say, ‘Why didn’t you know about this? Because we (the project team) should.”
Zabell told the supervisors that bills for this work have only been received through April 20.
The supervisors voted 4-0 to continue this agenda item at the Board of Supervisors chamber, 891 Mountain Ranch Road, San Andreas, on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 9 a.m. Supervisor Amanda Folendorf was absent from the meeting and thus did not participate in that vote.
|
