OPC was awarded a contract for right of way services on this significant project, a vital piece of the region’s future transportation network. The JPA Connector project is a 35-mile parkway-style facility that will improve travel in the region, enhance quality of life, boost local and regional economies, and even help the environment. The project spans from Interstate 5, south of Elk Grove, to Highway 50 in El Dorado County, just east of El Dorado Hills, and brings a wide range of benefits to those who live, work, and drive in the region. As a more direct line between the southern and eastern reaches of the county, the Connector will also reduce distances traveled—saving precious time, reducing fuel consumption, and lowering vehicle emissions.
The JPA gave OPC the opportunity to contribute substantial early planning by providing preliminary impacted parcel information, right of way impacts analysis, right of way cost estimates, mitigation strategies, and a large narrative report on all research and findings. It is a $500 million project that the JPA divided into nine segments (A1, A2, B, C, D1, D2, D3, E1, E2).
OPC utilized the expertise of its Land Planning Group, to provide analysis of nearly 280 potentially impacted parcels, while estimating costs of acquisition, relocation, loss of business goodwill, severance damages, demolition, and support costs. In addition to the original scope, which included cost estimates and a narrative report, OPC provided additional analysis including parcel mitigation strategies, forecasting, risk assessment, and additional reporting among other things. {Photo credit: GoogleEarth}
OPC’s efforts and analysis on this early planning phase of the project led to a reduction in estimated right of way costs from nearly $41 million down to approximately $20 million. Such results have further established OPC’s status as the premier right of way expert in the state of California.