Logo courtesy of the City of Biggs

BIGGS, CA (MPG) – The City of Biggs is moving ahead with a $113,100 project to close a gap in the sidewalk along 5th Street, creating a continuous pedestrian route from the south end of the city toward downtown.

The Biggs City Council awarded the contract Aug. 11 to FBD Vanguard Construction Inc. of Livermore, the lowest responsive bidder among seven companies competing for the work.

The project will construct ADA-compliant sidewalk along 5th Street between Bannock and Trent streets, reconstruct driveway approaches and add curb ramps with detectable warning surfaces. Work also includes replacement of a concrete valley gutter at Aleut Street and adjustments to water meter boxes.

City Engineer Dave Harden said the project was designed to fill the missing pedestrian connection along the west side of 5th Street.

"We're only looking at the west side halfway up from Trent to Bannock and then we're doing a curb return at Aleut because there's already sidewalk from Bannock to Aleut," Harden said.

The work will connect existing sections of sidewalk and provide pedestrian access along 5th Street toward B Street.

The council also approved an additional $5,280 in curb and gutter work. Harden said portions of the gutter near the driveways are deteriorated and pond water, making it more practical to replace them while the sidewalk project is under construction. The base construction bid was $107,820.

The project will not address all of the infrastructure concerns along 5th Street.

During consideration of the contract, questions were raised about conditions on the east side of the street between Aleut and Bannock streets, including an area where a trench has been created because of a flooding problem.

Harden said available funding did not allow the city to include those improvements.

"We didn't have enough funding to address that with this project," Harden said.

The project is funded in part through the REAP 2.0 Transportation Grant Program administered by the Butte County Association of Governments. Harden said the grant is intended to reduce vehicle miles traveled by providing pedestrian pathways, and the 5th Street project met those requirements by improving connectivity.

The council approved the $107,820 base bid along with the $5,280 curb and gutter work, bringing the total contract with FBD Vanguard Construction to $113,100.