The intersection of West Colony Road and Hoff Drive is often bustling with activity.

For starters, it’s an area filled with many goods and services for motorists and truckers, from locals to the passersby traveling near and along the busy section near the freeway.

In 2017, the City of Ripon was awarded $400,000 for the Colony Oak / Hoff Traffic Signal Project through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement otherwise known as the CMAQ Program.

“The project will install a traffic signal at the intersection of Colony Oak and Hoff and the Highway 99 northbound on/off ramps – currently traffic is controlled by stop signs,” said Engineering Supervisor James Pease in his report to the Ripon City Council during the Feb. 12 monthly meeting.

He added that the goal of the project is to improve traffic movements through the intersection, which, in turn, will lower air emissions from vehicles.

The funds received are only eligible the for construction portion of the project and will require a 20 percent match.

A Preliminary Environmental Study was conducted by city staff, with Caltrans staff being required to do additional studies in various areas in order to gain environmental clearance.

"Two of these studies require assistance from consultants who specialize in specific areas including traffic engineering and hazardous waste," Pease said. "In order to clear the traffic component of the environmental document, the city is required to develop a detailed traffic study of the intersection."

Enter KD Anderson & Associates, Inc. and Provost & Pritchard.

KD Anderson & Associates is a consulting engineering firm based in Loomis, serving Northern California, Central California, Oregon and Nevada. They were hired to identify the current traffic conditions and evaluate the effectiveness of the signal project within the context of Opening Day and Design Year traffic volumes at a cost not to exceed $9,965.

Funding was earmarked from the City Transportation Fund.

Likewise for Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group out of Salida. They'll handle the hazardous waste component of the environmental document for the initial Site Assessment in the amount not exceeding $4,900.

Provost & Prichard has already provided staff with a proposal to complete the initial site assessment for the project, which is necessary to determine any potential hazardous conditions, reporting the findings while making a determination.

The City has worked with both consulting firms in the past, according to Pease.

Council approved the hires, voting 4-0-1, with Daniel de Graaf abstaining due to his work with one of the firms.