During a recent city council meeting, Steve Maldonado, the construction manager for Capital Improvements, provided an overview of the city's street maintenance program, highlighting significant challenges and future plans for roadway upkeep.

Maldonado reported that the city has approximately 600 centerline miles and over 1,400 lane miles of roads requiring maintenance. The current annual maintenance budget stands at $4.75 million, which includes $4.6 million allocated for contracted capital improvements and $150,000 for internal operations related to road materials.

A concerning trend was noted in the city's Pavement Condition Index (PCI) scores, which dropped from 63 in 2016 to 50 in 2022. This decline indicates a deterioration in road conditions, prompting the city to adopt a new pavement management strategy. Maldonado emphasized the importance of patience as the city implements a new software system to scan roadways, with the first assessments expected at the end of the current construction season.

To address the backlog of maintenance, the city aims to improve approximately 125 lane miles per year over the next 12 to 15 years. This approach is designed to gradually restore the roadways to a manageable condition, with a long-term goal of settling into a regular maintenance cycle of about 100 lane miles annually.

Maldonado also referenced a previous recommendation from an independent assessment in 2016, which suggested increasing the maintenance budget to $10 million, with a focus on alternative sealing methods. He reiterated that the city is now working to heed these recommendations as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance roadway conditions.

The meeting underscored the urgency of addressing the city's pavement issues, as the current PCI score indicates that the roads are at a critical tipping point. The council and staff were encouraged to consider public perception as the city navigates these necessary improvements.