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Consent Item Indian River County, Florida Department of Utility Services Board Memorandum Date: June 20, 2023 To: Indian River County Board of County Commissioners Through: John A. Titkanich, Jr., County Administrator Sean C. Lieske, Director of Utility Services From: Howard G. Richards, PE, Manager - Capital Projects Prepared by: Harrison Youngblood, PE, Utilities Engineer, Utility Services Subject: Approval for 8th Street and 74th Avenue Utility Relocation due to Conflict with Florida Department of Transportation Project Background: Dating back to 2021, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) had relayed that they were planning to replace the 81h Street bridge at 74th Avenue to provide more space for vehicles to pass by one another as they are maneuvering over the bridge. Due to the new bridge being wider to accommodate additional lanes for vehicular traffic, the piles on the south side of the bridge will be in conflict with the current 24" sewer force main that runs along 8th Street and is bored under the canal at 74th Avenue. Upon learning of the conflict, the Indian River County Department of Utility Services (IRCDUS) contracted Masteller and Moler (MM), via Work Order 7, to perform design for relocation of the force main including new directional drill under the canal. The design was completed after multiple rounds of revisions to address the drainage design that FDOT incorporated into the project. During the months prior to the FDOT bid award for the 8th Street bridge, IRCDUS corresponded with the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) regarding permit requirements under the State 404 Program, which during the initial phase of design was regulated by the ACOE. Sometime towards the end of 2021, the ACOE transferred the permitting authority for the State 404 Program to FDEP. At the time in which IRCDUS was going through the permitting process, neither ACOE nor FDEP was able to provide a clear answer to who had regulating authority, and whether or not a state -issued permit was required under the program. It wasn't until the project bid had been awarded by FDOT and the pressure from FDOT, that prompted FDEP to assume permitting authority for the State 404 Program. By then, the permitting delays had caused the construction phase of the IRCDUS force main relocation to be behind schedule to meet the timeframe denoted in the original FDOT Utility Work Schedule (UWS). Analysis: All FDEP permits for the relocation of the utility have now been acquired by IRCDUS. One remaining permit required prior to construction is the Indian River Farms Water Control District (IRFWCD) permit for the crossing of the directional bore under the canal at a cost of $250.00. In order for IRCDUS to complete Page 1 of 2 F:\Utilities\00_UTILITY - AGENDA TEMPLATE & GUIDELINES\2023 Agenda Items\062023 BCC Agenda Items\8`h Street & 74th Avenue Utility Relocation 250