DATE: AUGUST 22, 2023
DEPARTMENT: PUBLIC WORKS
FROM: DAVID JACOBS, P.E., L.S., DIRECTOR
BY: ADRIANA ROBLES, PE, CFM, CITY ENGINEER
ELISE RAMIREZ, PE, SENIOR CIVIL ENGINEER
TITLE: PAVEMENT RESTORATION: POTHOLE REPAIR PLAN
RECOMMENDED MOTION:
Receive a presentation on Pavement Restoration: Pothole Repair Plan; and Approve a Resolution prioritizing a street list for permanent pothole repair within each Council District.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Over the last 5 years, the City of Salinas has experienced a rapid deterioration rate in roadway conditions. The current state of our roadways is the result of lack of pavement restoration projects, insufficient funding allocations, staffing shortages, and recent storms. All of these factors have caused many of the City’s roadways to require costly and extensive reconstruction. In 2021, the City’s Pavement Management Program estimated the funding required to repair the City’s roadways was $1.3 billion dollars. The recent Winter Storms of 2023 exacerbated the deteriorating pavement conditions as water-penetrating surface cracks caused pavement to break apart, crumble, and pop out, leaving what are commonly known as potholes. Potholes are unsightly, exacerbate roadway deterioration, and at times, dangerous. During the most recent winter months, Public Works maintenance records indicate a total of 12,374 pothole repairs were completed. These maintenance repairs consisted of short term, low-cost repairs consisting of clearing of debris and installing hot mix asphalt or a quick setting equivalent (Granite Patch) inside the pothole cavity. The long-term solution to potholes is roadway reconstruction. Traditional permanent repairs are very costly and consist of grinding out the existing deteriorated pavement, replacing or recompacting the subgrade, and installing new hot mix asphalt.
In an effort to address the City’s roadways and mounting resident requests, City Council allocated $7.8 million dollars of the fiscal year (FY) 2022-2023 carry over fund balance towards pavement repairs for FY 2023-2024. Furthermore, Council requested this one-time allocation be equally divided amongst the Council Districts. Therefore, each District will receive an allocation of $1.3 million dollars toward permanent pavement repairs.
The Public Works Engineering Division maintains a Pavement Management Program for long term pavement Captial Improvement Projects (CIPs). Given the extensive nature of the pothole repairs and at the request of Council, Public Works staff performed a full review of the existing pothole repair strategies within the Public Works Maintenance Division. The findings from this internal review are summarized in a Memorandum titled: Pavement Restoration: Pothole Repair Plan (attached), and includes existing strategies, resources, funding, and recommendations.
Staff recommends utilizing the $7.8 million dollars allocated toward permanent roadway repairs for the streets most recurring within the pothole maintenance records. Furthermore, staff recommends analysis of the six recommendations from the Pavement Restoration: Pothole Repair Plan Memorandum outlined in Section VII of the memorandum for implementation.
BACKGROUND:
Over the last 5 years, the City of Salinas has experienced a rapid deterioration rate in roadway conditions. The current state of our roadways is the result of lack of pavement restoration projects, insufficient funding allocations, staffing shortages, and recent storms. All of these factors have caused many of the City’s roadways to now require costly pavement reconstruction. In acknowledgement of this need, on August 18, 2020, the City Council approved a contract with Pavement Engineering Inc. for pavement condition surveys, updates to the Street Saver Pavement Management Program (PMP) database, and pavement condition reports (Resolution No. 21932). Public Works Engineering staff utilizes the Street Saver PMP for project-level pavement analysis for creation of the annual pavement Capital Improvement Projects (CIPs). It is also a budgeting and inventory tool, record for work history, and pavement condition tracking tool.
In 2021, the City’s Pavement Management Program Update estimated the funding required to repair all the City’s roadways was 1.3 billion dollars. This amount is far from the City’s annual allocation toward City street CIPs which typically receive approximately $5-$6 million dollars total. Although the City maintains these specific funds and taxes dedicated to supporting City streets, the allocations specific to pavement restoration varies. Street CIPs and allocations include a range of street components, pavement restoration being one; however, street lighting, mandated ADA improvements, trees and tree maintenance, sidewalks, traffic signals, signage, traffic calming, striping, etc. all makeup our City’s streets projects. Therefore, the funding specifically set aside annually for City streets is not entirely synonymous with pavement restoration or rehabilitation projects. Overtime pavement deteriorates; therefore, constant pavement preventative maintenance projects should be expected, and full reconstruction and pavement life cycles are predictable.
Since the need for roadway reconstruction is so costly and the existing funding allocations insufficient to meet the needs and pavement deterioration rates, the City is ultimately left with two narrow options: (1) to perform mostly surface level preventative maintenance roadway CIPs and (2) to perform short term, pothole repairs along with some reconstruction during the summer months. The latter tasked performed with by the streets maintenance division.
The recent Winter Storms of 2023 exacerbated the deteriorating pavement conditions as water-penetrating surface cracks caused pavement to break apart, crumble, and pop out, leaving potholes. Potholes are unsightly, exacerbate roadway deterioration, and at times, dangerous. Through May 2023, Public Works maintenance records indicate a total of 12,374 pothole repairs were completed. These maintenance repairs consisted of a short term, low-cost patches which consist of clearing the pothole of debris and installing hot mix asphalt or a quick setting equivalent (Granite Patch).
In an effort to address the City’s roadways and mounting resident requests, City Council allocated $7.8 million dollars of the fiscal year (FY) 2022-2023 carry over fund balance towards pavement repairs for FY 2023-2024. Furthermore, Council requested this allocation be equally divided amongst the Council Districts, leaving an estimated 1.3 million dollars per District.
It is estimated the main arterial roadways within the City’s respective Districts require a minimum of $4-$5 million dollars (for full reconstruction) per one mile of roadway. This estimate does not allow staff to utilize the $1.3 million dollars to address any single full reconstruction arterial project known to be in need or to maintain the requirement for an equitable split of the $7.8 million dollars. Therefore, staff is recommending the $1.3 million dollars allocated per District be utilized toward permanent roadway patch repairs for the streets most recurring within the pothole maintenance records of 2023. This approach will allow multiple deep patch repairs at the most recurring pothole locations and streets found within the maintenance records of 2023. In an effort to formulate the pavement restoration strategy, staff met with Council Members from each of the six districts. The table below is based on pothole repair logs and Council requests. Districts without a Council request allowed staff to make recommendations based on the data collected.
Table 1: Priority Pothole Repair Streets by Council District Council
District
Staff Recommendation
Council Request
Ranking
Roadway
Ranking
Roadway
1 1
Old Stage Rd
1 Garner Ave
2 *East Boronda Rd
2 Mae Ave
3 Rider Ave
3 Old Stage Rd
2 1
Skyway Blvd/Airport Blvd
1 2
S Hebbron Ave
2 3
Beech St
3 3
1 *Abbott St
1 *Abbott St
2 Central Ave
2 Riker St
3 Chaucer Dr
3 La Mesa Dr
4 1
Granada Ave
1 Tampico Ave
2 E Market St
2 Rosarita Dr
3 Chaparral St
3 Pacheco St
5 1
N Main St
1 2
N 1st St
2 3
Adams St
3 6
1 El Dorado Dr
1 *Independence Blvd
2 E Boronda Rd
2 3
*Independence Blvd
3 * Roadway is primary candidate for a full pavement restoration project within the long-term Pavement Management Plan.
The plan for the priority Streets is to do patch repairs on the priority 1 streets first 1, then move to priority 2 and if money is left move to priority 3 Streets.
Staff recommends approval of the priority streets for use of the $1.3 million dollars allocated from the FY 2022-2023 carry-over fund balance for the priority streets listed in Table 1.
It is important to note some streets that also appeared on the Pothole Repair Data Logs were: San Juan Grade Road, Eucalyptus Dr, E Boronda Rd (between N Main and San Juan Grade Road), E Boronda Rd (between Williams and N Sanborn Rd), and El Dorado Dr (between Boronda Rd and Harden Parkway) are all part of either the 2023 Pavement Project currently under construction or have been reconstructed by the Public Works Maintenance Division, therefore were not included in the recommended list.
At the request of Council, Public Works staff conducted a full review of the existing pothole repair practices within the Public Works Maintenance Division. The findings from this internal review are summarized in the Pavement Restoration: Pothole Repair Plan (attached), and include existing strategies, resources, funding, and recommendations. Staff recommends consideration of the six recommendations presented in Section VII of the Pavement Restoration: Pothole Repair Plan Memorandum for implementation. Implementation of these strategies will allow street maintenance crews more time to address pavement maintenance.
In the coming months, staff will bring forth a long-term pavement rehabilitation plan with policy to address the long-term strategies and data driven selection of streets based on pavement deterioration rates and annual funding allocations.
CEQA CONSIDERATION:
Not a Project. The City of Salinas has determined that the proposed action is not a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (CEQA Guidelines Section 15378). In addition, CEQA Guidelines Section 15061 includes the general rule that CEQA applies only to activities which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. Because the proposed action and this matter have no potential to cause any effect on the environment, or because it falls within a category of activities excluded as projects pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378, this matter is not a project. Because the matter does not cause a direct or foreseeable indirect physical change on or in the environment, this matter is not a project. Any subsequent discretionary projects resulting from this action will be assessed for CEQA applicability.
STRATEGIC PLAN INITIATIVE:
This project relates to the Council’s Goals of Infrastructure and Environmental Sustainability and Public Safety by maintaining the City’s existing roadways.
DEPARTMENTAL COORDINATION:
The Public Works Department worked between its Engineering Division and Street Maintenance Division to assess the pothole strategies and prepare the Pothole Repair Plan Memorandum.
FISCAL AND SUSTAINABILITY IMPACT:
Request $7.8 million of the carryover fund be transferred to CIP 9981 Pavement Improvements. There is no immediate fiscal impact associated with the approval of street prioritization within each district. Costs associated with the construction for implementation of the pothole repair plan will be realized on a project basis and compensated using the CIP 9981 fund after transfer.
ATTACHMENTS:
Resolution
Memorandum: Pavement Restoration: Pothole Repair Plan
Presentation: Pavement Restoration: Pothole Repair Plan Page | 3
Page | 1
Estimate based on an interpolation of pricing for the 2023 Pavement Project for a four-lane roadway.
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