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Date: |
September 16, 2026 |
01 |
Title
Advertise and Award a Construction Contract for Drainage Culvert Repair and Replacement Associated with the Fiscal Year 2026-27 Resurfacing Program and Related California Environmental Quality Act Exemption (Districts: All)
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Overview
The County of San Diego (County) Department of Public Works (DPW) maintains over 19,000 drainage culverts in the unincorporated area. Drainage culverts convey water away from roadways, enhancing safety for roadway users and protecting the County’s transportation and drainage system from deterioration and costly repairs. DPW regularly assesses the condition of County-maintained culverts during field reviews and has identified locations for repair and replacement. These locations have been prioritized based on the condition of the culvert, community needs, project readiness, and resource availability. These improvements will restore the structural integrity and functionality of the drainage systems as well as reduce the risk of flooding and roadway failures on County-maintained roads.
The annual road resurfacing program includes the maintenance of culverts associated with the roads selected for resurfacing. Each fiscal year, after developing the road resurfacing schedule, DPW staff identify and assess culverts on these roads to determine maintenance needs and conduct outreach to the communities where culvert work is needed to share information about the schedule and approach. DPW identified a total of 53 culverts that require maintenance for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026-27 identified in Attachment A.
This request seeks approval to advertise and award a construction contract to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder for culvert maintenance on County-maintained roads. The estimated project cost for County-maintained culverts is $4,549,336, funded through Senate Bill 1 Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation State Gas Tax revenue, which includes a 10% contingency. The contingency is not included in the construction contract and is only used if approved by the County for unforeseen conditions that arise during construction. DPW plans to advertise and award the contract at the end of 2026 with construction beginning in early 2027 and completing by the end of 2027.
Body
Recommendation by Chief Administrative Officer:
1) Find in accordance with Section 15301(c) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) that the proposed project is categorically exempt from CEQA review because it consists of the maintenance of existing culverts involving negligible or no expansion of existing or former use.
2) Authorize the Director, Department of Purchasing and Contracting, to advertise and award a construction contract and to take any action authorized by Section 401 et seq. of the Administrative Code with respect to contracting for culvert repair and replacement.
3) Designate the Director, Department of Public Works, as the County Officer responsible for administering the construction contracts in accordance with Board Policy F-41, Public Works Construction Projects.
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Equity Impact Statement
The culvert maintenance work proposed in this action is directly related to the County of San Diego (County), Department of Public Works annual road resurfacing program and includes culverts that are associated with this resurfacing work. The road resurfacing program uses the most recent version of CalEnviroScreen (4.0) and Healthy Places Index (3.0) Geographic Information Systems layer to identify culverts that are located within underserved communities. Approximately 58% of the culverts on the list are within underserved communities. Road resurfacing and culvert maintenance will improve and protect the condition of the roads and facilitate transit and mobility to underserved communities. County construction contracts are also competitively and publicly advertised and bid and help stimulate the local economy.
Sustainability Impact Statement
Maintaining existing drainage culverts protects roads and provides benefits to sustainability in terms of economy, environment, social, health and well-being. Maintaining culverts in a timely manner prevents more costly future maintenance efforts, thereby supporting economic sustainability. Functional drainage facilities minimize flooding and promote the safe transit of vehicles and pedestrians, which supports the walkability of communities. The drainage improvements proposed in this action contribute to the County of San Diego's sustainability goals to improve water quality which supports the health and wellbeing of residents by minimizing contaminants in waterways and vectors such as mosquitoes that can transmit disease.
Fiscal Impact
Funds for this request are included in the Fiscal Year 2026-27 Operational Plan in the Department of Public Works Road Fund. If approved, project costs are estimated to be $4,549,336, which includes a 10% construction contingency. The funding source is Senate Bill 1 Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation State Gas Tax revenue. There will be no change in net General Fund cost and no additional staff years.
Business Impact Statement
County of San Diego (County) construction contracts include provisions in the Working Families Ordinance, are competitively and publicly bid, and help stimulate the local economy by creating primarily construction-related employment opportunities and fostering growth through the County's Small and Local Business program. All workers employed on the public works projects must be paid prevailing wages determined by the California Department of Industrial Relations, according to the type of work and location of the project. The prevailing wage rates are usually based on rates specified in the respective collective bargaining agreements.
Advisory Board Statement
Community planning and sponsor groups (Alpine, Bonsall, Campo/Lake Morena, Crest, Fallbrook, Hidden Meadows, Julian, Lakeside, North County Metro, Pala/Pauma, Rainbow, Ramona, San Dieguito, Spring Valley, Twin Oaks Valley, Valle De Oro, Valley Center) in the affected areas have been notified of this upcoming maintenance project and that this matter is being considered today.
Background
The County of San Diego, (County) Department of Public Works (DPW) maintains over 19,000 drainage culverts in the unincorporated areas of San Diego County. Culverts convey water beneath or away from roadways enhancing safety for motorists, minimizing contaminants and health hazards such as sediment and mosquitoes in our waterways, and protecting roadways from costly damage and public inconvenience. Culvert maintenance is a necessary component of maintaining the almost 2,000 miles of County-maintained roads which provides for the safe conveyance of people and goods throughout the county and supports a robust economy. The proposed culvert maintenance work also supports the April 22, 2026 (10), Board of Supervisors (Board) action to maintain an average Pavement Condition Index (PCI) of 70 within the County-maintained road network with funding from the Senate Bill 1 (SB1) Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation State Gas Tax revenue. PCI is an industry standard rating system used by DPW to rate the condition of roads with a PCI of 0 representing a failed road and a PCI of 100 representing a newly paved road. The annual road resurfacing program includes the maintenance of culverts that are associated with roads selected for resurfacing to avoid damage to the County-maintained road network.
Following the development of the road resurfacing list each fiscal year, DPW staff identify the culverts that are associated with these roads. Each of these culverts is then evaluated by DPW staff based on the severity of rust, holes, and other potential damage that could impact the functionality of the culvert. Culverts identified with significant rust, holes, or other issues requiring maintenance are added to the culvert maintenance list. A thorough design process is implemented for each of these culverts to identify the most cost-efficient maintenance strategy. Culverts requiring maintenance are generally put into one of three industry standard maintenance categories: replacement, lining, or invert paving. Culvert replacement involves completely excavating and replacing the existing culvert. This treatment is typically required when more significant rust, holes, or other issues are present that preclude other treatments. Culvert lining is a process where the existing culvert remains in place and a lining material such as metal, plastic, or fiberglass is installed to protect the existing metal pipe and rehabilitate the culvert to like new condition. Lining is typically used in situations where minor to moderate degradation is observed or where the depth precludes efficient replacement. Culvert invert paving is a process where a few inches of reinforced concrete are added to the bottom of culverts to fill any holes or voids. Invert paving is used for larger culverts where human entry is possible.
Culvert maintenance work associated with road resurfacing has been included as part of the resurfacing projects, advertised in separate construction contracts or conducted using Job Order Contracting (JOC), a contracting method that is used to allow low bid contractors to conduct a variety of maintenance related activities under a single contract. Each JOC contract is valid for only one year and has a statutory contract limit of $3 million plus adjustments based on the California Consumer Price Index. JOC contracts have been successful in conducting culvert maintenance work associated with resurfacing in the past but have limited contract capacity, a limited number of construction contractors, and are shared throughout the County for all types of maintenance work. Each fiscal year, DPW selects the procurement methods that best align with available funding and schedule goals to ensure culverts are constructed prior to resurfacing efforts.
There are 53 culverts located throughout the unincorporated areas of the county associated with the FY 2026-27 resurfacing activities that are planned to be constructed as part of this project. The list of culverts and associated details are included in Attachment A.
Prior to the start of construction, project notifications will be provided in English with a statement in each of the threshold languages referring readers to a webpage with the associated notification where Google Translate will provide translation to all threshold languages. A QR code will make webpage access quick and easy for the public. Notification methods such as mailers, doorknob hangers, social media postings, and signage, will be provided to residents and businesses in the vicinity of the construction activities. The notifications will describe the nature of the project, construction duration, and that traffic control devices such as cones, signage, and flaggers will be used to provide safe pedestrian and vehicular access. County representatives will be on-site throughout the duration of the project and will be available to respond to any project-related inquiries from the public.
This request seeks approval to advertise and award a construction contract to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder for culvert maintenance on County-maintained roads. The estimated project cost for County-maintained culverts is $4,549,336, funded through SB1 Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation State Gas Tax revenue, which includes a 10% contingency. The contingency is not included in the construction contract and is only utilized if approved by the County for unforeseen conditions that arise during construction. DPW plans to advertise and award the contract at the end of 2026 with construction beginning in early 2027 and completing by the end of 2027.
Environmental Statement
Section 15301(c) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines exempts from CEQA review the “operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of existing or former use.” This exemption includes the maintenance of existing highways, streets, sidewalks, gutters, and bicycle and pedestrian trails. The key consideration in determining whether this exemption applies is whether the project involves “negligible or no expansion of existing or former use.” The proposed project consists of the award of a culvert maintenance project that is necessary to ensure existing right-of-way facilities continue to function as designed. Therefore, the project is categorically exempt in accordance with Section 15301(c) of the CEQA Guidelines because it consists of the maintenance of existing public culverts involving negligible or no expansion of existing or former use.
Linkage to the County of San Diego Strategic Plan
Today’s recommendations support the Sustainability, Community, and Equity Strategic Initiatives in the County of San Diego’s 2026-2031 Strategic Plan by utilizing sustainable planning practices that avoid more costly future repairs, focusing on underserved communities, and providing adequate maintenance to ensure safe communities that improve the quality of life of all residents.
Respectfully submitted,
Dahvia Lynch
Deputy Chief Administrative Officer
Attachment(s)
Attachment A - Department of Public Works Culvert Maintenance List for Fiscal Year 2026-27