23-053 - Engineering Design Services for the Highland Division Trail Construction
End date: Friday October 28, 2022 at 2 p.m.

The City through its Department of Public Works intends on retaining one multi-service professional engineering firm to complete all steps, as required by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Highway Division necessary to prepare Highway Design Submissions and conduct a Design Public Hearing using the planning study previously prepared for the Highland Division Trail. The selected consultant will be required to review the previous planning study, perform traffic engineering design, roadway design, bridge design, culvert design, utility analyses, pedestrian improvements and multimodal pathways, streetscape enhancements, lighting analyses, etc.

THE HIGHLAND DIVISION TRAIL

The City of Springfield through this solicitation, intends on selecting a MassDOT Prequalified design consultant to perform all necessary engineering services per all applicable Massachusetts Department of Transportation design standards related to the proposed Shared Use Path, pedestrian, landscape and utility improvements to the Highland Division Trail proposed in Springfield. The project will be funded for the design phases by the City of Springfield with the construction phase being funded by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation under the regional TIP process, coordinated through the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. It is estimated that construction cost for the project will be in the range of $11.0 million. The selected consultant will be engaged to prepare all necessary work to complete the 25% design (per MassDOT requirements), with the intention to further engage the consultant with a subsequent contract (at the City’s discretion) to complete the design services to the final PS&E submission

PROJECT HISTORY

In July 2019, the City of Springfield retained the services of the BSC Group to determine the feasibility of developing a multi-use trail through the East Forest Park Neighborhood along the former Highland Division Rail Line from Tulsa Street to Hickory Street. The study includes identifying design and construction constraints with respect to right-of-way, access, utilities, environmental resources, funding sources, and to develop a Master Plan with an implementation strategy.

A full copy of the final study document can be found under the heading DPW Projects on the Department’s website at https://www.springfield-ma.gov/dpw/dpw-projects/projects-in-design-phase/highland-division-trail. During the early autumn months, the City will be submitting a MassDOT Project Need Form and Project Initiation Form to Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) District 2 office, per the process established for the initiation of a federally funded project within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

It is intended that the design consultant will complete all steps, as required by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Highway Division necessary to prepare Highway Design Submissions and conduct a Design Public Hearing using the planning study previously prepared for the Highland Division Trail.

PROJECT LIMITS

The proposed Highland Division Trail will begin at Tulsa Street and traverse northerly through the abandoned rail corridor, across the railroad trestle to Hickory Street. The trail will cross both Sumner Avenue and Allen Street at-grade. Both crossings will require intersection improvements.

Since 1993, the rail line has been abandoned and all of the tracks and ties have been removed. Multiple utilities still remain within the corridor, which are maintained regularly and are further discussed in the study. Over all the corridor remains to this day fairly untouched since being abandoned. The corridor is fairly wide, averaging around 66-feet through most sections.

DESIGN CONSIDERATION

A number of design and project implementation challenges were documented in the BSC planning study. These include:

•        Wetlands associated with Watershops Pond;
•        Contaminated Soils;
•        Traffic impacts associated with two at-grade street crossings;
•        Right-of-Way Acquisitions;
•        Existing Right-of-Way encroachments

Ultimately, development of the project corridor into a multi-use trail will require measures and strategies to mitigate the challenges.

DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES

The Engineer will collaborate with the Department of Public Works, the Parks Department, Neighborhood Civic Associations, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC), and other parties to submit a Shared Use Path plan, in accordance with MassDOT’s most recent Project Development and Design Guide and other MassDOT requirements. This design effort will be based upon the study and resulting recommendations provided in the Highland Division Trail planning/feasibility study, dated August 2021, prepared by the BSC Group. The Engineer shall develop all the necessary design plans, specifications, estimates, etc. to implement the recommended improvements for submission to MassDOT that include these recommendations:

•        Geometric roadway improvements
•        Geometric intersection Improvements
•        Traffic flow / directional modifications
•        Traffic signal modifications / improvements
•        Pedestrian flow / crossing improvements
•        Addition of bicycle accommodations
•        Streetscape / landscape improvements
•        lighting Improvements
•        PVTA Routes, stops, and shelters
•        Pedestrian / bicycle Complete Streets accommodations
•        Shared use paths
•        Changes / modification to traffic rules—i.e. on-street & off –street parking
•        Coordination of utility companies / upgrades
•        Stormwater mitigation upgrades
•        Bridge improvements
•        Culvert improvements

25% Design Public Hearing Coordination will be provided by the Engineer per Task 6.0.


The City of Springfield will hold a non-mandatory pre-submission conference on October 19, 2022, 9:30 A.M. at 70 Tapley Street, Springfield, MA 01104. It is highly suggested that firms wishing to submit a response to this RFQ attend the conference to be able to address any issues or ask any questions. All questions regarding RFQ or its specifications must be received in writing to the Office of Procurement no later than October 21, 2022 by 4:00 P.M. Questions may be faxed or emailed. The Chief Procurement Officer reserves the right to reject any or all proposals.

The City of Springfield supports the goal of twenty percent minority and women participation in all contracts. No questions will be answered unless received by the Chief Procurement Officer at least 7 days prior to the expiration of the time set for submitting bids or proposals. The Chief Procurement Officer reserves the right to waive any informality in and to reject any or all bids if it is in the public interest to do so.

Contact: Lauren Stabilo lstabilo@springfieldcityhall.com 413-787-6284
Request the complete specifications for this solicitation (23-053)