Request for Proposals Consultant Services

Traffic Engineering Services
The City of Blue Island, Illinois
Submittal Deadline: February 15, 2008

The City of Blue Island wishes to obtain qualifications and a priced proposal from qualified transportation engineering firms for a study that will assess the feasibility of changing the existing one-way couplet of Gregory Street and Western Avenue to two-way operation. This study will become part of the City's Western Avenue Corridor Plan.

Background
In September 2005, the City of Blue Island adopted the Blue Island Plan for Economic Development ("the Plan"), which outlines a Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) strategy centered around the Vermont Street Metra Station and a portion of the Western Avenue Commercial Corridor. The goal of this plan is to foster development that will create jobs and raise local tax revenues, while celebrating Blue Island's historic identity, preserving its diversity, enhancing its natural environment, and improving the quality of life for all residents. The Blue Island Plan is available online at http://www.cnt.org/smart-communities/blue-island.

One challenge that must be addressed is the existing traffic pattern in Blue Island's Main Street District where Western Avenue changes from a two-way to a one-way couplet. The existing one-way traffic flow encourages cars to speed through downtown Blue Island, making the street pedestrian unfriendly and contributing to the economic decline of Western Avenue from 127th Street to Grove Street. In order to view the boundaries, along with other attachments, for the proposed traffic study, please visit www.blueisland.org and click on the link to the "Traffic Study RFP" located on the first page. The boundaries are outlined in Attachment A.

A key objective of the Plan is to reconfigure the intersection at Western & Gregory Avenues to correct the problems associated with the existing traffic pattern and create a gateway into the City's Main Street district. The Plan proposes 3 alternative designs for the reconfiguration, described below and illustrated in Attachment B. The purpose of this project is to determine the feasibility of the proposed alternatives.

• Options 1 and 3 involve "retrofitting" the Gregory overpass by reducing traffic lanes and adding sidewalks with decorative bridge design elements and greenery; create a street that is a scenic platform overlooking the proposed nature trail and the Cal Sag Channel.
• Option 2 proposes to demolish the Gregory overpass and return the street to ground level, restoring a block now shadowed by the overpass to productive use.

Scope of Work
The selected firm will perform a comprehensive traffic analysis of the entire study area for all peak traffic periods using the methods outlined in the most recent edition of the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) for both the existing and proposed configurations. Recommend cross-street orientation (i.e., one-way versus two-way) and traffic control changes (if any) for the proposed configurations.

• Reassign traffic based on proposed directionality changes
• Identify roadway improvements
• Investigate the ability of trucks to access downtown businesses with the proposed configuration.
• Quantitatively compare the change to the amount of on-street parking available between the existing and proposed configurations, if any.
• Provide preliminary cost estimates for all recommended improvements.

All mappable data collected by the consultant must also be provided to the City in a format that can be utilized by the ArcView Geographic Information System.

Proposal Format and Requirements
The proposal submitted for all work must clearly identify all required work items and person-hours. At a minimum, the proposal shall, in text and graphics:

• Demonstrate a clear understanding of the scope of the studies, including the transportation and planning issues outlined in this RFP;
• Set forth a detailed methodology for performing all tasks. This includes, but is not necessarily limited to, data collection, analysis, graphic representations, consultation with the City's agencies, advisory committees and the like;
• Describe all final products to be submitted;
• Submit detailed resumes of all project personnel, clearly identifying past projects of a similar nature and at least 3 references;
• Identify a project manager, who will take responsibility for all work elements;
• Submit a schedule for completion of all work elements; and
• Submit a fee proposal, with a break down by task, person hours for each task, labor and project related costs.
• Whenever possible, the consultant is required to utilize existing data.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Submitted proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Qualifications/experience of the consultant firm/team, key personnel, and the personnel who will be working directly on the project.
• Understanding of the Scope of the Work.
• Approach to the project.
• Record of past performance on similar projects/reference checks.
• Demonstrated ability to work with professional staff and lay committees,

• Demonstrated ability to complete tasks on time, and
• Costs (including the value of the consultant's work as represented in the proposal).

PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL DEADLINE
All firms interested in submitting formal proposals for the project described herein must submit one (1) CD and five (5) paper copies of all required information no later than 4:00 p.m. on February 15, 2008 to:

Aileen McEldowney
Planning Department
City of Blue Island
13051 Greenwood Avenue
Blue Island, IL 60406

Please direct all questions in writing via e-mail to Aileen McEldowney amceldowney@cityofblueisland.org.