Over the next few weeks, motorists will see a lot more activity on the City’s streets. That’s due to the upcoming Street Improvement Projects
scheduled to begin this month.
Close to 100 residential streets from the North end of the City to the South end of the City are scheduled to be repaired as part of the City’s Capital Improvement Program.
The streets that will be improved were determined by the City’s Pavement Management System. This system was adopted by City officials to determine the current condition of local streets as it relates to scheduled maintenance and repairs, and complete replacement.
“We have hundreds of miles of streets to maintain, the Pavement Management System allows us to prioritize which streets need the most attention,” said City Manager Steve Carmona. “While there are visual inspections, we can determine which method of repair to use to prolong the life of a certain street.”
In a City Council Meeting held in January, a project to Resurface-Cape Seal, and a project to Resurface-Overlay and Reconstruct were both approved based on the City’s Pavement Management System. Under the Cape Seal Project, over 20 streets will be sealed using asphalt rubber aggregate membranes overlaid with a slurry seal. This type of sealing is a preventative maintenance measure that prolongs the service life of existing pavement.
In addition to the Cape Seal Project, over 70 streets will be completely resurfaced through grinding and new asphalt overlays. This project will also include reconstruction where poor pavement has been degraded beyond repair, rendering a resurfacing job useless. Along with resurfacing and reconstructing streets, damaged curbs and gutters will be replaced, and reconstruction of cross gutters will take place in areas prone to local flooding.
As part of both projects, approximately 200 non-compliant ADA curb ramps will be upgraded to bring them up to code per the Federal Highway Administration standards.
“Like many cities, streets are important to everyday life and the appearance of our City,” said Carmona. “There will be some short-term inconveniences due to the construction, but I think our residents will appreciate the work and effort that is put into these long-term preventative maintenance projects.”
