Memorandum
City of Lawrence
Public Works
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TO: |
Mark Thiel, Assistant Director of Public Works – Infrastructure Management |
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FROM: |
Steven M. Lashley, P.E., Project Engineer – Infrastructure Management |
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CC: |
David P. Cronin, P.E., City Engineer Charles F. Soules, P.E., Director of Public Works |
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Date: |
February 9, 2016 |
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RE: |
Pavement Management Program Update – Cycle 4 Status & 2016 Program February 23, 2016 Regular Agenda Item – Approve 2016 Comprehensive Street Maintenance Program with additional identified expenditures
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Please include the following item on the City Commission regular agenda for consideration at the February 23, 2016 meeting:
Program Update
The second quarter (Phase 2) of street rating Cycle 4 was completed in 2015 and followed by recent comparative analysis of the new survey data with existing data in the City’s pavement management program. This management program provides Public Works with a tool to maintain an inventory of street pavement, their respective condition and maintenance work history, and the ability to identify budget needs and impacts associated with preservation strategies and asset management. By applying this tool and with the continued support of the City’s citizens and representatives, the City has seen the implementation of a wide range of maintenance techniques from preventative maintenance measures to major rehabilitation and reconstruction impacting overall Pavement condition Index (PCI) and pavement deterioration. Per the 2015 citizen survey, the maintenance of streets remains a top priority for improvement.
Positive contributing impacts of the program can be seen through the last several years. However, it is evident through data analysis that overall impact is leveling out potentially indicating signs of regression that appears to correlate with the street maintenance funding level (see Comparative Impact Graph below).
Program Summary
Results of the current street rating data indicate the following (also see PCI map):
- Since the inception of the Program in 2006, the City has been making progress to PCI goals as seen by the Average PCI progressive increase of 9.45% from Cycle 1 thru Cycle 4. However, from Cycle 3 thru Cycle 4 so far, there is no significant change in the overall PCI. This indicates the program’s progress is slowing and a potential sign of future regression (see graph below).
- Deterioration rates are positive overall (see graph below). However, some categories are showing a reversed trend downward. The streets are no longer being sustained in their current condition when deterioration rate indicators fall below zero or go negative.
- The overall percentage of streets in “fair to poor” condition (currently 17.5% of rated streets) has continued to decline but the overall change has begun to level out (see graph below). This 17.5% represents approximately 968,000 square yards of street pavement surface area, or 145+ lane-miles, that remain as a backlog of streets below the critical point where preventative maintenance is no longer cost effective and requiring, at minimum, an asphalt overlay or mill/overlay. The cost to only mill and overlay these streets today will likely exceed $17.5 million and does not take into account the real need for higher expense reconstruction costs in various locations throughout the City.
- The overall percentage of curb and gutter generally rated as “good” has also leveled out and the percentage of “poor” curb has begun to increase. These variations indicate an increasing amount of “fair” curb deteriorating into a “poor” condition. The City has approximately 3.17 million linear feet of curb/gutter and approximately 260,000 linear feet of curb/gutter is in "poor condition". Potential estimated cost to remove/replace curb and gutter with incidentals (such as driveways) is $40 per linear foot, equating to approximately $10.4 million of poor curb to replace. The City needs to consider establishing additional funding for a curb replacement only program. The current maintenance program process typically only includes significant curb removal and replacement if the street also has the need for a mill and overlay and to be performed contiguously.
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Contracted Street Maintenance Funding Level in Comparative Budget Years |
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Year |
(in Millions of $) |
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2012 |
$5.7 |
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2013 |
$4.4 |
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2014 |
$4.3 |
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2015 |
$3.6 |
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2016 (Budgeted) |
$2.8 |
Note: Table correlates with Comparative Impact Graph
2016 Street Maintenance Program & Funding
In August 2015, the City commission approved approximately $2.81 million to be utilized for the 2016 Contracted Street Maintenance Program. The pie chart below gives a breakdown of the various funding sources. The “Proposed 2016 Comprehensive Street Maintenance Program” map is attached to this document. The map includes streets identified for maintenance work such as crack sealing, microsurfacing and patching, mill and overlay, curb and gutter, and internal street maintenance project areas that include concrete and asphalt rehabilitation work. Other significant project locations and impacts such as the KLINK mill and overlay project and the Bob Billings Parkway Safety Corridor Improvements project are also shown.
Staff has also identified additional maintenance projects not included in the 2016 program and are currently unfunded (see map). These identified streets are in need of maintenance based on their PCI’s. They were identified as a need in order to keep positive PCI and deterioration rate growth. The map represents a maintenance need of an estimated additional $6.6 million which corresponds to the cumulative shortfall ($3 million+ from 2015 and $3 million in 2016) including an inflationary cost of construction and based on previously recommended annual funding of approximately $6 million per maintenance year to sustain current street conditions. The gap grows on the amount of maintenance coverage that can be done to maintain City streets with the increasing costs of construction.
Staff Coordination & Recommendations
The proposed 2016 program map has been reviewed by the Utilities Department and the Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) as well as other private and public entities. Public Works will coordinate potential conflict locations with Utilities Department including scheduling and phasing of projects.
Recommendations have been provided by the BAC per their January 11, 2016 meeting minutes. Proposed 2016 Comprehensive Street Maintenance Program street locations with corresponding recommendations by BAC and Public Works are attached which include the installment of approximately ninety-four additional bicycle pavement markings (sharrows) and twenty bike route signs, estimated to exceed $40,000. Other complete streets items include previously approved traffic calming on Crescent Road from Naismith Drive to Engel Road, estimated to exceed $30,000 (tentatively 3 speed humps).
Annually, the maintenance program has been incurring an increasing amount of costs associated with pedestrian/ bicycle and traffic calming needs. For example, in 2012 there was $10,000 in bicycle markings, $32,000 in 2014, and $35,000 in 2015. In 2015, two speed cushions were installed in the 700/800 blocks of Maine St costing $20,000. The cost of these types of additional improvements with increasing construction costs and dwindling street maintenance funding levels is stunting overall progress levels in street condition with a result of fewer maintained streets.
Public Works is requesting that the approved $200,000 pedestrian/ bicycle and the $200,000 traffic calming 2016 budgets (infrastructure sales tax funds) be utilized to address the increasing costs of complete street related improvements outside of street maintenance work.
Action
Pending City Commission discussion:
1) Approve 2016 Comprehensive Street Maintenance Program.
2) Approve additional expenditure from the 2016 pedestrian/bicycle infrastructure sales tax fund in the amount of $40,000 for bike facility improvements.
3) Approve additional expenditure from the 2016 traffic calming infrastructure sales tax fund in the amount of $30,000 for traffic calming improvements.
Attachments: Updated PCI Map
2016 Comprehensive Program Map