Board of Supervisors approve over $3 million in road improvement projects

EL CENTRO — Imperial County has begun a bidding process for more than $3 million in road improvement projects in Heber and Desert Shores, with bids being accepted from construction companies beginning Sept. 7.

The Imperial County Department of Public Works will soon send notices inviting formal bids to the required construction trade journals as required by the Public Contract Code, with the Clerk of the Board conducting public notice advertising activities. The project plans and specifications will be on file with the Clerk of the Board.

During its regular Tuesday meeting, the Imperial County Board of Supervisors approved the three projects following a presentation by John Gay, Public Works director, paving the way for the bidding process to begin.

The $1.3 million Heber Townsite Roadway Improvement Project will improve about 3.6 miles along multiple roadways throughout Heber, with construction tentatively scheduled to begin in December.

The $325,043 Hawk Street Project, a separate but related roadway improvement plan also in Heber, calls for changes to the surface street from Dogwood Road to Heber Road.

“Road improvement projects will greatly benefit the residents in the Desert Shores community,” said Ryan Kelley, District 4 supervisor.

Phase II of the Desert Shores Townsite Roadway Improvement Project, at an estimated construction cost of $1.4 million, will include changes to about 6.82 miles of roadways in that community. Construction on this project also is tentatively scheduled to begin in December.

Phase I of the project was completed in 2015, and primarily included improvements to Desert Shores Drive and the street sections north of Desert Shores Drive.

It also included the main circulation streets of Palm Drive, Monterey Avenue and a small section of Mountain View Drive. In total, Phase I improved about 4.35 miles, or about 40 percent, of the 11-mile Desert Shores Roadway System, according to the project description.

Both the Heber and Desert Shores projects will include asphalt concrete leveling, slurry sealcoat and application of a two-inch skin patch.

Also approved by the board were about $134,400 in improvements to Wieman Road at the intersection of Cady Road.

That project is tentatively scheduled to begin in January 2019.

There is no projected impact to the County General Fund, according to Gay, as funding for the projects is sourced from Senate Bill 1, which was passed in April 2017.

SB1 aims to raise about $52.4 billion over the course of a decade through new taxes that went into effect Jan. 1. Taxes include a 5.75 percent increase in the diesel sales tax, a 20-cent increase in the diesel excise tax and a 12-cent increase in the gasoline excise tax.

Revenue sources also include an annual $25 to $175 vehicle fee levied on motorists who register their vehicles in the state.

“As the agency that oversees road conditions in the Heber area, it was important to the County of Imperial that, as SB 1 funds became available, we complete these improvements for its residents,” said Luis Plancarte, District 2 supervisor.

“The ability to utilize SB 1 funding is essential to all areas of our County,” Kelley added.