City of Gonzales
PUBLIC WORKS / CITY ENGINEER DEPARTMENT
STAFF REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor Rios and City Council
DATE: October 7, 2024
FROM: Patrick Dobbins, Public Works Director/City Engineer THROUGH: Carmen Gil, City Manager
SUBJECT: Report on the Street Maintenance Program
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council Receive a Status Report on the Street Maintenance Program.
BACKGROUND
This staff report is intended to inform the City Council and Gonzales residents that maintenance of the City streets require more funding than is currently available from the various funding sources.
The City has approximately 20 centerline miles of paved streets which are divided into the following roadway classifications:
Roadway
Classification
Centerline
Miles
Lane
Miles
Percent of
Street
Network
Arterial 2.89 5.78 14%
Collector 1.12 2.24 6%
Local 16.36 32.72 80%
Total = 20.37 40.74 100%
The City’s streets are among its most valuable assets, with a replacement cost of exceeding $200M.
AGENDA
ITEM
16 The City uses a Pavement Management Program (PMP) to plan roadway maintenance efforts based on available funding. A PMP is a decision-making tool that assesses and tracks existing and historical pavement conditions, and it is used to make cost-effective decisions about pavement rehabilitation treatments for the City’s roadways. Efforts associated with a PMP are:
• Meet with City staff to discuss recent work on City streets, on-going maintenance efforts and planned resurfacing projects
• Update the pavement network inventory
• Perform pavement condition surveys
• Update maintenance records (e.g. recently resurfaced streets) • Update maintenance and rehabilitation decision tree and associated costs • Perform budgetary analyses and determine funding needs, and • Prepare a final PMP report documenting the results of the update.
The condition of the pavement is measured in terms of Pavement Condition Index (PCI) and is based on the level of distress observed. The observed condition is used to determine the PCI for each road section and to rate the condition of the pavement sections on a scale from 0 to 100, with higher values indicating better condition. The most recent PMP was prepared in May 2020 and staff has requested a proposal from a consultant to update the PMP. As of May 2020, the overall PCI of the City’s streets was 54, which is a "Good" rating. The 2020 PMP Report stated the City should budget $850,000 each fiscal year to maintain a PCI of 54.
Recent street resurfacing projects include:
• In 2018, the City reconstructed the entire length of Alta Street. Funding for the $5.2M project included a $2.5M loan from TAMC that is being repaid with annual Measure X allocations to Gonzales (three years away from paying it off). Another $492,000 is owed to Fund 421 as a loan was pulled from there to complete the project.
• In 2020, the City reconstructed the sections of Gloria Road and Tavernetti Road within the City as part of the joint project with the County of Monterey wherein a five mile stretch of Gloria Road, Iverson Road and Johnson Canyon Road was reconstructed. The City’s portion of the contract was funded with several years of SB-1 monies totaling approximately $600,000. • In September 2022, a Slurry Seal project that treated numerous streets in various neighborhoods was performed. The project cost $450,000 from various sources including Street funds, Measure K, TAMC Regional Surface Transportation Program, and Assessment Districts.
REVIEW & ANALYSIS
Funding for roadway maintenance projects come from the following sources:
1. State Gas Tax – The City will receive approximately $235,000 in gas tax funding in FY2024/25 that pays Public Works time, maintenance supplies, street lighting, and other expenses. Gas Tax revenues continue to decrease due to the increase in electric vehicles that aren’t charged for use of public roadways. The current gas tax budget has no funding for capital improvements
2. TAMC Measure X – the City’s allocation from TAMC’s Measure X this fiscal year is $290,000.
This funding continues to pay back the City’s loan for the Alta Street Reconstruction Project.
The loan is expected to be paid off in approximately three years
3. TAMC Regional Surface Transportation Program – The City receives approximately $53,000 every three years from TAMC under the Regional Surface Transportation Program (RSTP)
4. Senate Bill 1 - The City expects to receive approximately $226,000 in SB-1 funding for FY 2024/25
5. Assessment Districts – The Benefit Assessment Districts for the Canyon Creek and Cipriani subdivisions and the Industrial Business Park provide funding for street maintenance efforts in those respective neighborhoods.
Grant funding opportunities -
• Last February, staff collaborated with Caltrans Planning staff and submitted a grant funding request to Caltrans Headquarters to pay for the preparation of a Project Initiation Document for improvements at the US101/Fifth Street Bridge
• The City is receiving $250,000 in Safe Routes to School (SR2S) funding from TAMC to design and construct pedestrian safety improvements on Fifth Street. The Gonzales SR2S Steering Committee developed a list of projects for residents to vote and constructing pedestrian safety improvements along the section of Fifth Street between Rincon Road and the US101/Fifth Street Bridge was the top ranked project and was approved at the August 19, 2024 City Council meeting.
• The City is collaborating with the Monterey County Health Department and will receive $40,000 from the Office of Traffic Safety for crosswalk lights to be installed on Fifth Street and two lighted stop signs. In addition, the grant will provide funding for bicycle helmets and pedestrian safety workshops and trainings.
Next steps include:
• Continue to seek grant funding for street improvement projects. • Engage Harris Associates to update the City’s Pavement Management Program. • Determine how to fund the implementation of the Fifth Street Truck Ban. Need to install directional signs on US101 and City streets. Staff will send letters to the facilities in the Industrial Business Park requesting they make the long-haul truck drivers aware of the truck ban.
Need to connect with wayfinding applications to include Fifth Street Truck Ban. • Engage MNS Engineers to prepare bid documents to resurface two blocks of Fourth Street. • Engage MNS Engineers to prepare bid documents for pedestrian safety improvements on Fifth Street between Rincon Road and the US101/Fifth Street Bridge.
As mentioned, this report is intended to inform the City Council and Gonzales residents that maintaining the City’s streets requires significantly more funding than is currently available from the various funding sources. Staff will present several consultant agreements at upcoming Council meetings to advance the mentioned projects.
How Recommendation Supports the Vision
Gonzales will continue to be a safe, clean, family-friendly community, diverse in its heritage, and committed to working collaboratively to preserve and retain its small town charm.
Explain: Performing maintenance on City streets supports our vision of preserving the City’s infrastructure.
Explain how the Recommendation Directly Implements the Mission The City Council and Staff of the City of Gonzales will realize our Vision by providing the leadership, commitment and resources necessary to provide excellent services that enhance the quality of life of our diverse community. X Yes ____ No____ N/A
Explain: Maintaining the City’s street network enhances the community’s quality of life.
City services will be delivered in a cost-effective, respectful and friendly manner to insure the safety and well being of the residents and the promotion of business, recreational, housing and employment opportunities in an environmentally sustainable manner. X Yes ____No ____ N/A Explain: See Vision explanation above.
Strong fiscal policies allow us to provide appropriate infrastructure for:
• Public Safety X Yes No N/A
• Housing X Yes No N/A
• Recreation X Yes No N/A
• Environment X Yes No N/A
• Education X Yes No N/A
Explain: See Vision above.
ALTERNATIVES
There are no alternatives to this staff report beyond providing comments and direction to staff.
BUDGET IMPACT
There is no direct budget impact to receive and this report and provide input
CONCLUSIONS
It is recommended that the City Council Receive a Status Report on the Street Maintenance Program Attachments:
1. Streets and Roads Powerpoint Presentation