Construction of Torrance Transit Center Hits Another Snag
Armed with golden shovels Torrance officials recently celebrated the ground breaking of the Torrance Transit Center. Less than two weeks after that event, however, it would appear the project has been hit with yet another delay as City staff is recommending the Council reject all bids for Phase 1 of the project.
According to the staff report, Phase 1 (Rough Grading) includes the clearing and grubbing of the project site, importing the fill material, and the installation of the on-site drainage detention system. A total of six bids were received for the project as follows:
Bidder Total Bid
- LA Engineering $1,715,000.00
- Sanders Construction Services $2,428,000.00
- Fata Construction & Development $2,783,500.00
- Walsh Construction Company $3,004,000.00
- Southern California Grading $3,207,000.00
- PALP, dba Excel Paving $4,248,432.00
The lowest bidder submitted a letter to the City requesting their bid be withdrawn after they discovered a mathematical error after the bid opening that would have increased their price by just over $1 Million.
Staff disqualified the second lowest bidder after an examination of their proposal revealed that less than 50% of the work would be done by the prime contractor. In reviewing the contractor license for the third lowest bidder, staff found disciplinary action filed against the contractor in December 2014 that could result in their license being suspended or revoked.
The engineering estimate for the work was $1,900,000.00. With the 4th lowest bidder offering a price above $3 Million staff is recommending that the City “reject all bids and re-evaluate this phase of the project and the engineer’s estimate to determine if there are any potential options to reduce costs.”
The staff report also notes that to help mitigate any impacts to re-bidding this phase of the project that staff is exploring the availability of importing soil from other construction sites while the project is being re-bid. The report acknowledges, however, that should predictions of a rainy El Nino season materialize that it could delay construction activities even further.
The project has already suffered a number of delays including a change of architects and a redesign of the project as reported by the Daily Breeze. That same article also noted that the project is a catalyst for bringing the Green Line to the City by 2035. At the last Council meeting, Mayor Furey claimed that was inaccurate hinting that he expects the Green Line to come to Torrance much sooner.
Well now the city this time has made a smart decision however I saw nothing in the article stating what the percentage of cost to the city would be with respect to a Public Transportation project which should be funded by the State, County, and then the city, as well as Federal Grant money for development of rail services instead of having all the autos in the world being driven and the fwys and roads are all clogged up already. So what I would like to see is a complete analysis of the proposed effort showing the plan the phases of construction, and the cost for each phase as well as a total cost and timeline along with an outline of funding and how it will be procured. To me this is a long term project of at least 3-5 yrs maybe more. The planning of which should be a presentation that shows the intent, reason for, and value added of taking on this project by the city. However as I have stated I believe that the County, State, and Federal agencies should be involved since this project is not just for Torrance but for many who pass through our city traveling. This is a Public Transportatoin Project and should be subject to all agencies review and acceptance and funding request approval. Torrance should not have to pay for this on it’s own! What was the city thinking about when they explored bids for this?