Press ReleasesFor Immediate ReleaseLocal Streets & Roads No Better, But No WorseRegional Pavement Quality Average Unchanged for Sixth Consecutive YearContacts: OAKLAND, Calif., April 13, 2015…The good news is the quality of the pavement on the typical Bay Area street did not deteriorate in 2014. The bad news is that neither did it improve. Data released today by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) show the region’s nearly 43,000 lane-miles of local streets and roads registered an average pavement condition index (PCI) score of 66 out of a maximum possible 100 points last year, as calculated on a three-year moving average basis. This marks the sixth consecutive year the region has recorded an average PCI score of 66, a condition deemed “fair” but which also indicates that the asphalt shows serious wear and likely will require rehabilitation soon. PCI scores of 90 or higher are considered “excellent.” These are newly built or resurfaced streets that show little or no distress. Pavement with a PCI score in the 80 to 89 range is considered “very good,” and shows only slight or moderate distress, requiring primarily preventive maintenance. The “good” category ranges from 70 to 79, while streets with PCI scores in the “fair” (60-69) range are becoming worn to the point where rehabilitation may be needed to prevent rapid deterioration. Because major repairs cost five to 10 times more than routine maintenance, these streets are at an especially critical stage. Roadways with PCI scores of 50 to 59 are deemed “at-risk,” while those with PCI scores of 25 to 49 are considered “poor.” These roads require major rehabilitation or reconstruction. Pavement with a PCI score below 25 is considered “failed.” Among the region’s three largest cities, San Jose (62) and San Francisco (66) both recorded three-year scores in the “fair” range, while Oakland (59) dropped into the “at-risk” category. The Contra Costa County city of Brentwood and the Alameda County city of Dublin topped the list of Bay Area pavement rankings for the 2012-14 period, with both cities reporting average PCI scores of 86. Other cities with PCI scores in the “very good” range include Belvedere (80), Clayton (80), El Cerrito (84), Foster City (81), Portola Valley (80) and Union City (81). The lowest-ranked pavement in the Bay Area was found in the Marin County city of Larkspur, which recorded a PCI score of 40 for 2012-14. Larkspur officials expect new funding sources and innovative pavement design and construction strategies to boost the city’s PCI score in the coming years. “The primary focus of (our) pavement improvement effort has been to improve residential streets,” explained Mary Grace Houlihan, Public Works Director for the City of Larkspur. “In 2012, the city implemented a vehicle impact fee for garbage trucks to offset the increased road maintenance costs generated by these vehicles, and in 2013 voters approved Measure C, which added a half-cent general sales tax on each dollar of taxable sales in the city. Following the Measure C vote, the city council passed a resolution to apply the majority of the new sales tax revenue to local road rehabilitation. For fiscal 2014-15, 95 percent of the Measure C revenue was committed to local road rehabilitation.” # # # |
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