HomeMy WebLinkAboutA027 - Resolution approving PSA with Strand Associates for the South Dayton Ave Corridor StudyITEM #:28
DATE:06-09-26
DEPT:PW
SUBJECT:PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH STRAND ASSOCIATES,
INC. FOR SOUTH DAYTON AVENUE CORRIDOR STUDY
COUNCIL ACTION FORM
BACKGROUND:
The Ames Area MPO's (AAMPO's) 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan, Ames Connect
2050, identified the need to conduct a study of the South Dayton Avenue corridor from the
U.S. Highway 30 interchange to SE 5th Street due to the corridor's importance as a regional
transportation connection serving industrial, commercial, and developing areas in southeast
A m e s . It should be noted that the northern terminus of the project extends to SE 5th
Street to ensure future truck traffic impacts from the operations of the Resource
Recovery and Recycling Campus (R3C) are considered during the study.
South Dayton Avenue is also an important freight corridor and serves as a key regional detour
route for both Interstate 35 and U.S. Highway 30 during incidents, closures, and construction
activities. Existing congestion along the corridor, combined with anticipated future
development in southeast Ames, is expected to further increase traffic volumes and
multimodal transportation demand over the coming decades.
Funding available for the project is as follows:
Source Amount
AAMPO Federal Planning Funds $96,000
City of Ames 2026/27
Traffic System Capacity Improvements Program
(Road Use Tax Fund)
$24,000
Total:$120,000
CONSULTANT SELECTION:
Consistent with federal and state procurement regulations governing the use of federal MPO
planning funds, the City of Ames issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) on January 8, 2026.
Per federal requirements, the RFP did not request fee information with submittals in order to
ensure a qualifications-based selection process.
Proposals were evaluated by a selection team composed of City of Ames and AAMPO staff
using the following weighted criteria:
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RFP Scoring Criteria Points
Project Understanding & Approach 45
Project Team & Key Personnel 20
Previous Experience 20
Understanding of Study Area/Ames 10
Ability to Perform Work 5
Total Possible Score:100
A total of five proposals were received in response to the RFP. Their total scores as
determined by the selection team using the above criteria is as follows:
Rank Firm Score
1 Strand Associates 94.7
2 HDR 92.3
3 Foth 92.0
4 JEO 81.0
5 Snyder & Associates 79.3
Based on the above scores, staff negotiated a professional services agreement (see
attached) with Strand Associates, Inc. for completion of the study.
PROJECT SCOPE:
Under the proposed agreement, Strand will perform transportation planning and traffic
engineering services for the study. The study area includes South Dayton Avenue from the
U.S. Highway 30 interchange area to SE 5th Street, portions of SE 16th Street and Isaac
Newton Drive, and includes 10 study intersections (see attached study area map ).
Services will include:
Evaluation of existing traffic operations, safety conditions, access management, freight
movement, and bicycle/pedestrian infrastructure within the corridor.
Forecasting future traffic volumes and evaluating the impacts of anticipated development
in southeast Ames through interim year 2035 and future year 2050 conditions.
Development of traffic models and operational analysis for existing, interim, and future
conditions at study intersections.
Development and evaluation of corridor and intersection improvement concepts,
including roadway, intersection, and multimodal improvements.
Public engagement activities including stakeholder coordination, surveys, public
meetings, and project updates.
Preparation of planning-level cost estimates, implementation strategies, and a final
corridor study report identifying preferred improvements.
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Assistance with presenting the study's findings to the Ames City Council.
The completed study will help guide future transportation investments along the corridor and
support future project development, potential grant applications, and coordination with
anticipated growth in southeast Ames.
Services may begin no earlier than July 1, 2026, and the study is scheduled to conclude by
June 2027.
ALTERNATIVES:
1. Approve the Professional Services Agreement with Strand Associates, Inc. of Madison,
Wisconsin for the South Dayton Avenue Corridor Study in an amount not to exceed
$120,000.
2. Direct staff to negotiate an agreement with the next highest ranked firm.
CITY MANAGER'S RECOMMENDED ACTION:
South Dayton Avenue is a critical corridor serving industrial and commercial areas, future
development in southeast Ames, regional freight movement, and detour traffic associated with
Interstate 35 and U.S. Highway 30. As development and traffic demand continue to
increase, it is important to identify long-term transportation improvements that
maintain safety, mobility, and corridor efficiency.
The proposed study will evaluate future transportation needs along the corridor and
identify preferred roadway, intersection, and multimodal improvements. The study will
also provide planning-level cost and implementation information to help guide future
capital planning and funding decisions.
Strand submitted the highest-ranked proposal through the qualifications-based
consultant selection process, and staff successfully negotiated an agreement within
the available project budget. Therefore, it is the recommendation of the City Manager that
the City Council adopt Alternative No. 1.
ATTACHMENT(S):
PSA - S Dayton Ave Study.pdf
Project Study Area Map.pdf
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AGREEMENT FOR ENGINEERING SERVICES
This Agreement is made on the 9th day of June, 2026, between the City of Ames, Iowa, a municipal
corporation (“City”), and Strand Associates, Inc.®, (“Engineer”). The parties agree as follows:
Article I
Description of Project
This project consists of traffic and planning-related engineering services for the South Dayton
Avenue Corridor Study.
Article II
Engineer’s Scope of Services
The Engineer shall perform professional engineering services relevant to the Project in
accordance with the terms and conditions set forth here, and as provided in Exhibit I, which is attached to
this agreement and by this reference made a part of it.
Article III
Changes in Scope
If changes occur either in the Engineer’s Scope of Services or the Description of the Project, a
supplemental agreement may be negotiated at the request of either party.
Article IV
Engineer’s Fee
A.Basic Fee.
1.As compensation for services as described in Paragraph A of Exhibit I of this Agreement,
and for services required in the fulfillment of Article II, the Engineer shall be paid a “Basic Fee,” which
shall constitute full and complete payment for those services and all expenditures that may be made and
expenses incurred, except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement. The Basic Fee shall be on
an hourly rate basis plus expenses not to exceed $120,000, invoiced monthly.
2.The parties agree that the Basic Fee is based upon the Scope of Services to be provided
by the Engineer. The Engineer’s compensation will not be adjusted unless the Scope of Services as
described in Exhibit 1 of this agreement is changed by written agreement of the parties to this Agreement.
B.Payment shall be made by City to Engineer as follows:
1.The City shall make monthly payments to the Engineer for Services performed in the
preceding month based upon monthly invoices. Monthly invoices will include a brief progress report
summarizing Services performed during that performance period. Nonpayment 30 days after the date of
receipt of invoice may, at the Engineer's option, result in assessment of a 1 percent per month carrying
charge on the unpaid balance.
2.Nonpayment 45 days after the date of receipt of invoice may, at the Engineer’s option,
result in suspension of Services upon five calendar days' notice to the City. The Engineer will have no
liability to the City, and the City agrees to make no claim for any delay or damage as a result of such
suspension caused by any breach of this Agreement by the City. Upon receipt of payment in full of all
outstanding sums due from the City, or curing of such other breach which caused the Engineer to suspend
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Services, the Engineer will resume Services and there will be an equitable adjustment to the remaining
project schedule as a result of the suspension.
Article V
Ownership of Plans and Documents: Records
A.The field notes, design notes, original drawings of the construction plans, and logs of any wells
drilled, as instruments of service, are and shall remain, the property of the Engineer; however, the City
shall be furnished, at no additional cost, one set of reproducible mylars of the original drawings.
B.The City shall make copies, for the use of the Engineer, of all of its maps, records, laboratory
tests, or other data pertinent to the Services to be performed by the Engineer under this Agreement, and
also make available any other maps, records, or other materials available to the City from any other public
agency or body. Engineer may rely upon the information provided by the City and will make the City
aware of possible errors in the information.
C.The Engineer shall furnish to the City, copies of all maps, records, field notes, and soil tests that
were developed in the course of Services for the City and for which compensation has been received by
the Engineer.
Article VI
Termination
A.This Agreement may be terminated by either party upon 30 days’ prior written notice to the other
party in the event of substantial failure by the other party to fulfill its obligations under this Agreement
through no fault of the terminating party.
B.This Agreement may be terminated by the City for its convenience upon 30 days’ prior written
notice to the Engineer.
C.In the event of termination, as provided in this Article, the Engineer shall be paid as
compensation in full for services performed to the date of that termination, an amount calculated in
accordance with the payment schedule in Article IV of this Agreement. Such amount shall be paid by the
City upon the Engineer’s delivering or otherwise making available to the City, all data, drawings,
specifications, reports, estimates, summaries, and that other information and materials as may have been
accumulated by the Engineer in performing the services included in this Agreement, whether completed
or in progress.
Article VII
Assignment
This Agreement shall not be assignable except at the written consent of the parties, and if so
assigned, shall be binding upon the successors and assigns of the parties.
Article VIII
Disclosure
The Engineer affirms that it has not made or agreed to make any valuable gift whether in the form
of service, loan, thing, or promise to any person or any of the person’s immediate family, having the duty
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to recommend, the right to vote upon, or any other direct influence on the selection of consultants to
provide professional design services to the City.
Article IX
Indemnity
The Engineer agrees to indemnify the City and its officers, agents, and employees against all
actions of any character brought because of any injury or damage sustained by any person, persons, or
property resulting from any asserted negligent act, error, or omission of the Engineer or its agents or
employees. The Engineer is not required under this agreement to defend the City, its officers, agents, or
employees, or any of them from assertions that they were negligent, or indemnify them from liability
based on their negligence. The indemnity required here shall not be limited by reason of the specification
of any particular insurance coverage in this Agreement.
Article X
Insurance
The Engineer agrees to procure and maintain at its expense until final payment by the City for
services covered by this Agreement, insurance in the kinds and amounts provided below with insurance
companies authorized to do business in the State of Iowa, covering all operations under this Agreement,
whether performed by it or its agents. Before commencing the services, the Engineer shall furnish to the
City a certificate or certificates in form satisfactory to the City, showing that it has complied with this
paragraph. All certificates shall provide that the policy shall not be changed or canceled until at least
30 days’ prior written notice shall have been given to the City. Kinds and amounts of insurance required
are as follows:
Insurance Requirements
Minimum Scope of Insurance: Coverage shall be at least as broad as:
Insurance Services Office form number CG 00 01 covering Commercial General Liability.
Insurance Services Office form number CA 00 01 covering Automobile Liability, comprehensive
form.
Workers’ Compensation insurance as required by the laws of the State of Iowa and Employer’s
Liability Insurance.
Professional Liability insurance.
Minimum Limits of Insurance: Engineer shall maintain limits no less than:
General Liability: $1M combined single limit per occurrence for bodily injury, personal injury,
and property damage.
Automobile Liability: $1M combined single limit per accident for bodily injury and property
damage.
Workers’ Compensation and Employer’s Liability: Statutory Workers' Compensation limits as
required by the laws of the State of Iowa.
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Exhibit I
Scope of Services
Project Information
The study area for this project includes the following roadway segments and intersections:
1.Roadway Segments:
a.South Dayton Avenue from 400 feet south of the US 30 eastbound ramp terminal
intersection to 400 feet north of the SE 5th Street intersection.
b.SE 16th Street from 400 feet west of Isaac Newton Drive (west) to 400 feet east of
Isaac Newton Drive (east).
c.Isaac Newton Drive (west) from SE 16th Street to S Dayton Avenue and Isaac Newton
Drive (east) from S Dayton Avenue to SE 16th Street.
2.Intersections:
a.South Dayton Avenue and US 30 Eastbound Ramp Terminal.
b.South Dayton Avenue and US 30 Westbound Ramp Terminal.
c.South Dayton Avenue and SE 16th Street.
d.South Dayton Avenue and Isaac Newton Drive.
e.South Dayton Avenue and Theisen’s Driveway.
f.South Dayton Avenue and Development Road (future connection only).
g.South Dayton Avenue and S Dayton Place.
h.South Dayton Avenue and SE 5th Street.
i.SE 16th Street and Isaac Newton Drive (west).
j.SE 16th Street and Isaac Newton Drive (east).
Scope of Services
Engineer will provide the following Services to City:
1.Review City-provided intersection traffic count data for the ten study intersections and
City-provided continuous count data from the Dayton Avenue/East 13th Street intersection for
use in seasonal factoring the intersection count data. Develop existing traffic count information
for the A.M. and P.M. peak hours and daily traffic volumes at the ten study intersections.
2.Review City-provided Strava Metro data to evaluate multimodal usage within the study area.
3.Review recommendations in the WalkBikeRoll Ames Plan prepared by others for the study area.
4.Obtain crash data for the study area using the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Iowa Crash
Analysis Tool for the five-year period from 2021 to 2025.
5.Calculate intersection crash rates, summarize intersection crash trends, and obtain Potential for
Crash Reduction data from the Iowa Department of Transportation at each of the study
intersections.
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6.Communicate with the Ames Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (AAMPO) to obtain
roadway background growth rates to develop traffic forecasts. The traffic forecasts for use in the
operations analysis will be based on the background growth rates and added development traffic.
Development information is anticipated to be provided by the City Planning department.
Development traffic will be calculated in accordance with the Institute of Transportation
Engineers Trip Generation Manual, 12th Edition.
7.Perform an intersection operations analysis of the intersections in the study area using Synchro 12
outputting Highway Capacity Manual 7th Edition reports. The evaluation will be for the A.M. and
P.M. peak hours for the following scenarios:
a.Existing 2026.
b.Interim Year No-Build.
c.Future no-build 2050.
d.Future build 2050. (Up to three concepts per intersection)
e.Interim Year City-Preferred Alternative.
8.Conceptual Layouts:
a.Prepare up to 20 intersection layouts for the ten study intersections. It is anticipated there
will be one to three alternatives per intersection.
b.Prepare up to two preliminary alternative typical sections for the South Dayton Avenue
corridor.
c.Prepare up to two preliminary layouts for multimodal improvements for up to
three locations.
9.Develop preliminary opinion of probable construction costs (OPCC) for the City-preferred
alternative at each intersection. The OPCC will be prepared in accordance with the Association
for the Advancement of Cost Engineers Cost Estimate Classification System, Class 4 estimate.
10.Develop preliminary schedule of implementation for the preferred alternative at each intersection.
11.Prepare materials for and attend the following meetings:
a.Virtual kickoff meeting with City.
b.Virtual progress meeting with City to discuss results of the existing condition analysis.
c.Virtual progress meeting with the AAMPO, City Public Works, and City Planning to
obtain and discuss development information for up to 15 parcels in the study area.
d.Virtual progress meeting with City to discuss results of the future no-build condition
analysis and discuss build concepts to consider for further evaluation.
e.Virtual progress meeting with City to discuss the results of the preliminary alternative
analysis.
f.Up to two virtual progress meetings with Iowa Department of Transportation to provide
an overview and progress updates on the study.
g.In-person meeting with local businesses or developers. Materials are anticipated to
include an agenda, sign-in sheet, roll plot of the corridor, and a slideshow.
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h.Virtual progress meeting with City to discuss the preliminary alternative evaluation and
public feedback. This meeting will assist City in selecting preferred alternatives for the
study area.
i.In-person meeting with City Council to summarize the study purpose, data analyses,
public feedback process and input received, the conceptual alternatives, and the
City-preferred alternative. Materials are anticipated to include a roll plot of the corridor
and a slideshow.
j.In-person meeting with City Council to summarize the study and to gather feedback on
preferred alternative.
12.Surveys and Website:
a.Develop a survey using Microsoft Forms to gather public feedback on needs for the study
corridor and to establish community-identified priorities.
b.Develop a survey using Microsoft Forms to gather public feedback on the conceptual
alternatives for the study corridor.
c.Develop and host a website for the study. The website is anticipated to include areas with
high-level information about the study and updates on the progress, schedule, and to post
surveys. The content to be placed on the website is intended for a general audience and
will conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA
accessibility criteria.
13.Summary Report:
a.Prepare a draft South Dayton Avenue Corridor Study report.
b.Address one round of City comments on the draft report, as appropriate. Revise and
resubmit a final South Dayton Avenue Corridor Study report.
Service Elements Not Included
The following services are not included in this Agreement. If such services are required, they will be
provided through an amendment to this Agreement or through a separate agreement with City.
1.Additional Site Visits and/or Meetings: Additional City-required site visits or meetings.
2.Bidding- and Construction-Related Services: Any services involved in performing bidding- and
construction-related services.
3.Drawings and Specifications: Final design services including drawings and specifications.
4.Preparation for and/or Appearance in Litigation on Behalf of City: Any services related to
litigation.
5.Revising Designs, Drawings, Specifications, and Documents: Any services required after these
items have been previously approved by state or federal regulatory agencies, because of a change
in project scope or where such revisions are necessary to comply with changed state and federal
regulations that are put in force after Services have been partially completed.
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Schedule
Execution of this Agreement is anticipated to be June 9, 2026. Services may begin no earlier than July 1,
2026. Services are scheduled for completion on June 30, 2027.
Standard of Care
The Standard of Care for all Services performed or furnished by Engineer under this Agreement will be
the care and skill ordinarily used by members of Engineer’s profession practicing under similar
circumstances at the same time and in the same locality. Engineer makes no warranties, express or
implied, under this Agreement or otherwise, in connection with Engineer’s Services.
City’s Responsibilities
1.Assist Engineer by placing at Engineer’s disposal all available information pertinent to this
project including previous reports, previous drawings and specifications, and any other data
relative to the scope of this project.
2.Furnish to Engineer, as required by Engineer for performance of Services as part of this
Agreement, data prepared by or services of others obtained or prepared by City relative to the
scope of this project, such as soil borings, probings and subsurface explorations, and laboratory
tests and inspections of samples, all of which Engineer may rely upon in performing Services
under this Agreement.
3.Provide access to and make all provisions for Engineer to enter upon public and private lands as
required for Engineer to perform Services under this Agreement.
4.Examine all reports, sketches, estimates, special provisions, drawings, and other documents
presented by Engineer and render, in writing, decisions pertaining thereto within a reasonable
time so as not to delay the performance of Engineer.
5.Provide all legal services as may be required for the development of this project.
6.Pay all permit and plan review fees payable to regulatory agencies.
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Isaac Newton Dr
Isaac Newton Dr
S Dayton Ave
SE 16th St
= Study Intersection
S Dayton Ave Corridor Study – Study Area Map
Potential Future Road
New R3C
Campus
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