New Haven Safe Routes for All: Chapel Street Corridor

The City of New Haven, Connecticut, is soliciting Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) from a Consulting Engineering Firm or Consulting Team to provide comprehensive Design and Construction Engineering Services for the Safe Routes for All Chapel Street Corridor project, a 1.6-mile transportation safety improvement initiative extending from Ella T. Grasso Boulevard (Route 10) on the west to State Street on the east. The project, funded by the Federal Highway Administration's Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program with a total project cost of $13.8 million ($11.04 million federal funding and $2.76 million local match), encompasses upgraded traffic signal equipment and operations (including leading pedestrian intervals and clearance intervals), accessibility improvements, rectangular rapid flashing beacons, enhanced crosswalks, transit facility upgrades, bicycle facility upgrades, sidewalk replacements, ADA-compliant curb ramp upgrades, raised crosswalks, curb extensions, and conversions of select one-way streets to two-way operation. The scope includes replacement and upgrade of 14 traffic signals comprising six full intersection signal replacements, six signal upgrades, and two partial signal replacements, plus implementation of a full fiber-optic communication network to integrate signals into the City's centralized Advanced Traffic Management System. The consulting team shall also perform Construction Engineering and Inspection services during the construction phase and Supplemental Planning and Demonstration Activities including updates to the city's High-Injury Network map originally developed in 2019 with pre-2020 data, and roadway safety studies. Selection will be based on professional competence and experience with cost not being an evaluation factor at the SOQ stage, with evaluation criteria weighted as follows: experience with similar projects (35 percent), expertise and certifications of assigned team members (30 percent), technical vision and approach (20 percent), and reference checks from past municipal or nonprofit clients (15 percent). Submissions must include notarized disclosure and certification affidavits, current workforce demographic forms, statements of qualifications, project references, resumes of key personnel (limited to two pages each), and evidence of financial capacity; respondents must have an active Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number and comply with all applicable federal requirements including 2 CFR 200. The initial contract term is three years with two optional one-year renewals contingent upon Board of Alders approval. Questions must be submitted by April 27, 2026, at 5:00 p.m., with responses due by May 5, 2026, at 5:00 p.m., and proposal responses due by May 12, 2026, at 11:00 a.m.; submissions must be made electronically through the City's OpenGov eProcurement Portal with all responses becoming City property upon submission subject to public records disclosure except for materials clearly marked as proprietary.

The City requires contractors to comply with Equal Employment Opportunity provisions, the Ban the Box agreement, and Living Wage Ordinance requirements where applicable, and is committed to meeting utilization goals for minority- and women-owned businesses through its Small Contractor Development program and the U.S. DOT Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program, with 83 percent of the project area located in disadvantaged census tracts and $9.163 million of total federal funding specifically allocated to underserved communities. Contractors must maintain specified insurance coverage including General Liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence), Professional Liability ($1,000,000), Auto Liability ($1,000,000 combined single limit), and Workers' Compensation at statutory limits. The project must comply with all federal SS4A grant requirements including NEPA categorical exclusion status, Build America, Buy America Act requirements mandating domestic production of all iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials, and extensive federal compliance obligations covering civil rights, non-discrimination, environmental protection, labor standards, and debarment requirements. No pricing information is required in the initial SOQ submission; cost will be evaluated in a subsequent phase if the firm advances to that stage. The project is grounded in the City's Safe Routes for All Action Plan adopted by the Mayor and Board of Alders in 2022, with the Chapel Street corridor having recorded 3 fatalities and 23 serious injuries between 2017 and 2021 in the project segment alone, representing the third-highest number of fatalities and highest number of serious injuries and crashes among all city-owned streets.