• The project will upgrade and modernize the SE 1st Street from a two-lane rural road to multimodal urban standards;
• The project will bring needed safety and environmental improvements by adding Low Impact Development (LID) stormwater facilities that separate pedestrians and bicyclists from vehicle traffic with raised bikeways and sidewalks, and the addition of pedestrian crossings and signals;
• The project will install and upgrade traffic signals and street lighting along SE 1st Street;
• This project will resurface SE 1st Street between 164th Avenue and 177th Avenue;
• Completion of this project will facilitate the adjacent project along SE 1st Street, between 177th Avenue and 192nd Avenue, which is currently at the 90% design level; and
• The project is funded through a combination of federal and state grants totaling $7.85 million, with the remainder coming from the City’s transportation fund.

Goal 1: Ensure our built urban environment is one of the safest, most environmentally responsible and well maintained in the Pacific Northwest.

Goal 1, Objective 1.1: Develop and maintain a safe, balanced and innovative transportation system that will meet the needs of future generations.

Goal 1, Objective 1.2: Ensure our infrastructure, including buildings and utilities, is safe, environmentally responsible and well maintained.

Goal 9: Build the strongest, most resilient economy in the region.

Goal 9, Objective 9.1: Create infrastructure and policies that support job creation.

The existing SE 1st Street corridor is a two-lane rural road that provides no center turn lanes or bike lanes and inadequate scattered sidewalks. SE 1st Street serves as an east-west arterial road connecting busy corridors in East Vancouver that collectively carry more than 60,000 vehicles a day. As the area around SE 1st Street has grown with more residential, retail, commercial and industrial sites, the street has not grown concurrently in order to safely provide access for increasing demand for multimodal transportation options to suit the urban environment it has become.

On July 13, 2021, the City received 10 bids for the subject project. The bids ranged between $9.89 million and $12.24 million. The low bidder was responsive. The bids are as follows:

Due to the federal funding associated with this project, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) set a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) goal of 19% and a training goal of 400 hours. Lee Contractors, LLC from Battle Ground, Washington, has provided a DBE Utilization Form and has committed to meeting these goals. The training goal is included in the list of bid items and pursuant to WSDOT requirements, the contractor is required to submit a training plan prior to the start of construction.

During the project, City staff will be monitoring the contractor’s progress at meeting the DBE and training requirements by way of monthly evaluations and a review of the mandatory information provided by the contractor to the Washington State Office of Minority & Women’s Business Enterprises and the Department of Labor and Industries. In addition, City staff will also be conducting on-site reviews with the contractor to ensure they are meeting the DBE and training goals throughout the construction of the project. In the event the contractor fails to meet either the DBE or Training goals, the City may impose monetary penalties and the contractor can be precluded from bidding on future City projects.

The SE 1st Street project does not include any City apprenticeship utilization requirements as federal grant funding requirements do not allow the inclusion of local agency apprenticeship programs.

1. Safety will be improved on SE 1st Street, between 164th Avenue and 177th Avenue;
2. SE 1st Street will be transformed from a rural 2 lane road, to an urban arterial meeting current design standards;
3. The project will facilitate and accelerate economic development activity on properties within the existing Columbia Tech Center campus and the Section 30 subarea ; and
4. Resurfacing the existing roadway will improve the pavement condition and reduce maintenance costs.