Last December, the Hollywood Road sidewalk project consultant Mead and Hunt submitted 60% of the design plans for City staff’s review. After reviewing the plans, staff requested that the consultants change the design scope from a 26’ road with a 5’ sidewalk to a 27’ road with a 5’ sidewalk, and to add a sidewalk adjacent to the Hollywood Neighborhood Park. The consultants determined that the additional 1’ of the impervious surface would necessitate the following additional requirements: offsite stormwater management design, topographic and tree survey, utility research and incorporation, additional design concept and plan preparation, traffic control, erosion and sediment control design, and permitting. The total proposed cost of the additional requirements is $33,394.36. The consultants submitted a supplemental proposal on January 3, 2022, for the City’s approval of the additional work.
The City and design consultants also hosted a community meeting on January 19, 2022, to solicit the community’s opinion on the 60% design plans. Residents at the meeting, while united in support of the sidewalk, raised concerns about whether the narrowing of the street would exacerbate existing problems caused by on-street parking. To determine the validity of residents’ concerns and develop mitigating strategies for any identified issues, City staff previously authorized a contract amendment in the amount of $10,182.91 to perform traffic and parking studies from 49th Street to Rhode Island Avenue, and at the intersection of Hollywood Road and the Rhode Island Ave Service Road. The results of these studies will be presented to the City Council in the coming weeks along with the proposed design.
At this week’s meeting, the City of Council will consider approving an amendment to the contract agreement with Mead and Hunt for additional services in the amount of $33,394.36 for the Hollywood Road Sidewalk project.
Hollywood Road is a paved roadway with two-way traffic, parking on both sides of the street and no existing sidewalk. In 2018, the City completed a feasibility study which determined that the south side of the street was an acceptable location for a 5’ wide sidewalk. In June 2021, the City signed a consultant agreement with the engineering firm of Mead and Hunt, Inc. in the amount of $100,957.74 to create 100% design plans and specifications for the future sidewalk, which will extend from Baltimore Avenue to Rhode Island Avenue.
The City was awarded a grant of $79,200 from the Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) for the project with a 20% match requirement.
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