Stockton council authorizes $1.43M design contract for MLK underpass

The Stockton City Council unanimously approved May 21 the first‑phase design contract and related funding steps for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard underpass project, a multi‑modal reconstruction the city says will improve pedestrian access and safety.

Public Works Director Chad Reed recommended awarding a $1,429,195 professional‑services contract to Mark Thomas and Company to complete preliminary design and environmental documentation for the underpass. Reed said staff also requested appropriation of $1,000,000 from public‑facilities street improvement funds and approval of a cooperative agreement for $800,000 with the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission to split design costs; Reed said the work will position the project to compete for state and federal grant dollars and to be coordinated with the Stockton Diamond Grade separation project.

Reed described the underpass, which the city inherited from the state, as functionally obsolete and in need of extensive rebuilding; he estimated the overall project cost at roughly $60 million and said the design phase recommended tonight would carry the city about halfway through design with completion of phase work expected by December 2025. He emphasized the need to secure additional funding for final design, right‑of‑way and construction.

Vice Mayor Walmsley and Councilmember Dan Wright praised the move as necessary to make the project shovel‑ready and increase competitiveness for federal grants. Reed said the award and cooperative agreement would help align the underpass timeline with the Diamond Grade project and noted prior advocacy trips to Washington, D.C., to lobby for funding.

Council adopted the staff resolution and authorized the cooperative agreement and contract award by a 7–0 roll call vote. Reed said additional grant pursuit and right‑of‑way work would follow and that the city will continue to report updates as funding advances.