Area roads slated for repairs
More than 40 streets rated poor and below in two Burbank neighborhoods — one in the hillside and one in the flatlands — are slated for repairs set to run from mid-February through May.
The areas include a section generally north of Glenoaks Boulevard and west of Irving Drive, surrounding Bryce Canyon Park, and a section on either side of the Golden State (5) Freeway between Magnolia Boulevard and the border with Glendale, from San Fernando Boulevard to Victory Boulevard.
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The project is part of a 10-year cycle of street improvements that began in 2011 with plans to fix the worst streets in at least two neighborhoods a year. So far, the city is “a little ahead,” according to City Engineer Sean Corrigan, with roughly 70% of the neighborhoods completed in five years, thanks to additional funding allocated by the City Council.
“It’s enabling us to really address a backlog of street needs,” Corrigan told the council earlier this month.
In 2013 and 2015, the city was able to do four districts each year, he said in an interview in late January.
Last month, the City Council approved a contract with Oxnard-based Toro Enterprises Inc. for the latest resurfacing work, which is projected to cost slightly more than $3 million, including the construction bid and 10% contingency amount of $2.9 million and an additional $100,000 for engineering support and inspection costs, according to a staff report.
Of seven bidders, Toro submitted the lowest proposal, with the highest bid at more than $3.5 million, not including the 10% contingency. The latest project, phase seven of the 10-year program, will resurface 104 blocks of 42 streets. A full list of the streets is available on the city’s website at bit.ly/streetsPhaseVII.
Toro was the winning bidder for the street work covering 96 blocks in four areas of the city last year, with a roughly $2.6-million proposal, including the 10% contingency fee. The City Council more than doubled its initial allocation of $1.3 million for the work in 2015.
Under a separate yearlong project this year, the city is installing a new 24-inch sewer line along Sparks Street and Chandler Boulevard and replacing existing pumps at the Beachwood pump station.
The city will also hire a contractor later this year to conduct a citywide scientific survey of street conditions in order to identify the roadways in the worst shape, which Corrigan said is done once every three to five years. The last survey was in 2012.
Corrigan said that the 20 numbered areas of the city are paired so that work is done in two different parts the city each year, rather than concentrated in one area or another. The areas surrounding Bob Hope Airport and in the Warner Bros. studio lot and ranch in the Media District are slated to be the last ones addressed.
Councilman David Gordon asked if the plan was to then begin the cycle over.
Corrigan said that “would depend on future council decisions, but I for one certainly hope so.”
Councilwoman Emily Gabel-Luddy said her notes to herself on the proposed work for this year said, “OK, let’s get it done.”
“Will do,” Corrigan said.
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Chad Garland, chad.garland@latimes.com
Twitter: @chadgarland
