Item #07
Date: March 5, 2024
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Vincenzo S. Corazza, Public Works Director
John Mallen, Consultant City Engineer
Jim Schaad, City Manager
Subject: Update to the Engineering Standards Details
Recommendation:
Pass a Motion to 1) adopt Resolution No. 2024-XX, updating the Engineering Standards Details and 2) authorizing the City Manager, or designee, to make periodic future updates to the Engineering Standards Details.
Rationale for Recommendation:
Detail 502 of the Engineering Standards Details is a technical drawing of how a pavement section above a utility trench should be restored. As City Council recently adopted Chapter 11.09, titled Street Cuts Moratorium in the Marysville Municipal Code, a newer engineering standard detail needs to reflect the restoration of the pavement in exemption cases (i.e. emergency repairs) as well as a general guidance on pavement restorations of roadways that do not have a moratorium in effect. Anytime a roadway is cut, it degrades the pavement uniformity and shortens the life and structure of the road.
Background:
On July 21, 2023, Council approved awarding a contract in the amount of $3,336,937.60 with Lamon Construction Co., for the construction of the 2023 Measure C / SB 1 Pavement Project. On August 5, 2023, the City Council introduced ordinance 1447 that added Chapter 11.09 titled Street Cuts Moratorium to the Marysville Municipal Code to protect roadway pavement investments. On September 5, 2023, the second reading and adoption of Ordinance 1447 took effect.
Discussion & Analysis:
Due to the degradation of the roadway and to protect its investment in infrastructure, numerous cities in California have enacted pavement cut moratoriums, typically five (5) years for new or reconstructed roadways and three (3) years for preventative maintenance measures such as slurry seal or coating.
As the City Council approved the FY2023-24 budget authorizing staff to spend over $3.5 million in General Funds (Measure C), SB 1, and other grant funds in improving its failing roadway network, a prohibition of utility companies and development projects to cut, trench, or otherwise, alter the pavement will protect the investments by deterring external factors that would shorten the design life of a roadway.
However, emergencies and other factors allow an exemption to the street cuts moratorium. While these rare instances can occur, to follow the intent and spirit of protecting infrastructure investment and preventing the shortening of a roadway’s useful life, guidance to any stakeholder that have Item #07
utilities/pipes/cables under the city’s right of way, including the City’s Sewer and Storm Collection systems, need to be addressed.
The revised Detail 502 for pavement restoration is the same standards the County of Sonoma uses. It has a wider/larger paving area above the trench than the older Detail 502 and accounts for instances where the trenches are sloped during digging. Depending on the soil conditions, for deep trenches the sloping could be 45 degrees or less, meaning the trenching contractor will dig a wider area on top of the trench in order to reach their utility and thus need to repave a wider area above the trench during restoration.
Authorizing the City Manager, or designee, to make periodic future updates to the Engineering Standards Details allows a more expedient process where technical staff can adjust engineering standards in construction that keep up with new laws, best practices, as well as safety operational and maintenance practices that benefit the city’s right of way.
Legal Review:
The Resolution language has been reviewed and approved by legal counsel.
Fiscal Analysis:
There is no fiscal impact with this item.
Attachments:
1) Resolution No. XX Approving an Update to the Engineering Standards Details 2) Updated Engineering Standards Details