2 contractors bid on South 17th Street re-alignment project near UW Tacoma

August 26, 2014 3:17 pm
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Two contractors have submitted bids on a City of Tacoma public works project that aims to make it a little easier to navigate the streets of downtown Tacoma near the University of Washington campus.
Two contractors have submitted bids on a City of Tacoma public works project that aims to make it a little easier to navigate the streets of downtown Tacoma near the University of Washington campus.

Two contractors have submitted bids on a City of Tacoma public works project that aims to make it a little easier to navigate the streets of downtown Tacoma near the University of Washington campus.

In December, Tacoma City Council approved a resolution allowing the City to enter into an agreement with the University of Washington Tacoma for the design and construction of the re-alignment of South 17th Street between Jefferson Avenue, Broadway, and South Commerce Street. For anyone familiar with the area, South 17th Street is cut off between Broadway and South Commerce Street by a small greenspace, forcing cars and pedestrians to head south on Broadway for a half-block, then backtrack a half-block north on Jefferson Avenue, before reconnecting to South 17th Street.

According to a report prepared by City of Tacoma staff, University of Washington Tacoma officials approached City officials to discuss the idea of turning South 17th Street into a through street. After a series of meetings, a re-alignment was proposed that would connect the two segments of South 17th Street, preserve a portion of the greenspace, and terminate Jefferson Avenue at Broadway. The two groups drafted an agreement whereas the City would manage the project while the University of Washington Tacoma would pay for the project.

The project will extend South 17th Street from Broadway to Commerce Street; re-align the intersection of Jefferson, Broadway, and South 17th Street; improve pedestrian amenities; construct a reinforced concrete wall, new sidewalk, bulb-outs, and ADA ramps; remove and replace asphalt and concrete pavements; and add new channelization, crosswalks, street lights, and a raised mid-block crossing, according to a legal notice published earlier this year in the Tacoma Daily Index. The project will also include significant utility work, such as a new storm drain system; a 60-inch diameter storm transmission segment; and a water supply main replacement.

The project budget is estimated at $1.55 million. A pre-bid meeting was held on Mon., Aug. 11, at 9 a.m., at Tacoma City Hall. The bid deadline was originally set to expire on Tues., Aug. 19, at 11 a.m. That deadline was revised to expire on Tues., Aug. 26, at 11 a.m.

The contractors that submitted bids are R. L. Alia Company (Renton, Wash. — $2,054,449.50 to $2,002,149.50) and Northwest Cascade (Tacoma, Wash. — $1,798,705.50 to $1,643,440.50).

To read the Tacoma Daily Index’s complete and comprehensive coverage of the South 17th Street re-alignment project, click on the following links:

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