Rotation #9- Capital Improvement Projects Division



The Twin Peaks Interchange

Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) falls under Marana's public works departments, and involves all roadway and transportation construction constructed by the Town of Marana. One of their latest  projects is the Twin Peaks Interchange, an award winning structure that bridges over the Union Pacific Railroad and connects the Dove Mountain community with Continental Ranch. It recently opened up in the fall of 2010, and has significantly reduced travel time and increased safety in adjoining roadways.

CIP is comprised of design and construction engineering divisions. The engineering division's mission statement is as follows:

The Capital Improvement Program Engineering Division is committed to continuously improving the infrastructure of our Town with the safe and efficient flow of vehicular, pedestrian and bicycle traffic for the Town of Marana’s residents.

I spent the first part of my day with Ryan Benavides, Asisstant Public Works Director. He oversees CIP and assists the Public Works Director in operations and maintenance. Current projects in the CIP department are as follows:

• Pruning trees along the freeway to uphold the clean Marana environment
• Putting up a floodwall in San Lucas to protect the community from flood waters flowing from the Tortolita Mountains
•  Installing waterlines on Heartman road.
• Putting in a right turn bay on Cortaro approaching Silverbell.
• Pavement preservation on Tangerine from Thornydale to the Pima County border
• Beginning a park project involving Wild Burro Trailhead by the Ritz-Carlton.

Other projects include general maintenance and permit projects and modifying storm drain systems.

Flooding and Canals



Marana flooding 1993

Before modern settlements, Marana was originally fairly wet and swampy with a large population of mesquite trees. With water from both the Santa Cruz River and flowing off the Tortolitas, a large portion of Marana is in floodplains.

CIP gets to construct ways of reducing the flooding. One way is to capture water in a channel that will travel straight and downhill toward the Santa Cruz. Levies are built within the freeway system, as well as drainage structures added under the I10 interstate during the I10 expansion project.

Although Marana hasn't experienced a severe flood since the 1980's, it is the CIP's job to design for probabilities, what they call "the 100 year storm". It is better to be prepared now, then to have a problem later and not have the infrastructure required to alleviate it.

The Project Process

Projects take a long time from the point of planning to completion. First, a capital project is considered anything that is at least $100,000 in value, and has a useful life of 5 years. The CIP department meets with all directors for a "call for project". Details on the projects are then explored. How will it be funded? Is it council driven? What are the fiscal impacts of the project? Then a financial status of the town is analyzed, which usually consists of looking at last year's finances. Projects are then ranked, and assigned according to funding availability. Typically CIP wants to do several projects a year. Projects that advance the town's strategic plan usually have priority. 

 The next step is studying the area. This includes archaeology, drainage study, and determining a conceptual layout of the project. This is an important step, because many times delays in the project can occur for reasons found here. For example, several projects had to be stopped when a Native American village and burial site was uncovered in the dirt! 

Next, permits are acquired. This process takes awhile, because of the involvement of multiple organizations. Rights of entry must be established, and also land acquisition if applicable. This period could take typically 2 years.

During this time, the design engineers and construction managers are working together on the plans. Once the plans are finished, the project goes to bid with contractors. There are 3 ways to conduct a bidding process. There is the Design-Build method, the Design-Bid-Build method, and the Construction Management At-Risk method. Construction Management At-Risk, or CMR as it's commonly called, is the preferred method in Marana because it encourages a partnership between the town and the contractor. It is typically the most cost-efficient method, and does not leave Marana hanging when unexpected costs come up. The contractor works with the engineers to create an end goal together that prevents any surprises. Here is a presentation given by Clarus Group comparing the three methods.

Sidewalk Project outside Community Christian Church

I had the opportunity to scope out a future project site, where CIP will be putting in sidewalks in front of the Community Christian Church on Sandario and Grier. I learned about the planning process that went into determining what kind of ramps were put in for where the sidewalk met the street pull out. It's a much more technically involved project than I could imagine, having no prior knowledge of construction. I enjoyed seeing the behind-the-scenes process of what makes our streets drivable every day, and I have a new-found appreciation for the work that goes into improving the community from an infrastructural perspective.