Pavement Management
Pavement Management is the process of managing the life cycle of roadways to maximize the pavement life while minimizing maintenance costs. This process inventories the street network into maintainable segments followed by surveys which rate the surface condition and rideability. The program and surveys help determine what maintenance practices should be used based on the pavement condition in order to maximize the life of the roadway. This analysis is usually followed with a multi-year maintenance plan that typically extends 40 years. Condition surveys are usually conducted every 4-5 years so changes in road conditions can be evaluated in response to maintenance treatments and deterioration rates.
The City consists of about 278 centerline miles (746 lane miles) of roadway, with 260 miles (94%) paved streets (about 147 miles asphalt, 19 asphalt over concrete, and 94 miles concrete), 9 miles (3%) of brick streets and 9 miles (3%) of unimproved chip seal or non-paved gravel roads. There are about 11 miles of private streets, not including alleys.
For many years, Salina has used a number of maintenance methods to help extend the life of our asphalt and concrete streets. Asphalt maintenance practices have included crack sealing, asphalt mill and inlay, micro-surfacing, chip sealing, ultrathin bonded asphalt surface (UBAS), asphalt overlay, and total street reconstruction. Concrete maintenance practices have included concrete pavement repair, concrete diamond grinding, concrete overlay and total street reconstruction. Brick streets have served the community well over the years and reconstructing a brick street is expensive. This labor intensive construction method can be twice the expense as a new concrete street, thus minimal maintenance is performed on brick streets to keep them drivable (but not always smooth).
In 2001, the Department of Public Works purchased a Pavement Management Software Program and contracted for a pavement condition survey. The information was used to inventory our network of streets, determine the roadway surface and provide data on surface and structural conditions. Between 2008-2010, the Public Works Department updated this software and the street inventory dividing the streets into 1-4 block pavement segments while using the software to track routine street improvements. Each street segment was then linked to a GIS map coverage for easier presentation.
In 2011, the City contracted with Infrastructure Management Services (IMS) of Rolling Meadows, IL to complete a detailed inventory and surface condition rating of designated City roadways. This survey provided information on the condition of each pavement segment which helps to determine what type of maintenance is required to maximize the longevity of the road, identify rehabilitation needs, develop strategies and propose a maintenance budget. The result should lower the cost of maintaining City streets over the life cycle of the pavement by strategically performing the right type of maintenance at the right time. Delaying necessary street maintenance at critical times in the life cycle of the pavement can result in more expensive types of maintenance in the future. In 2015, Transmap Corporation of Columbus OH, completed a detailed inventory and surface condition rating of designated asphalt roadways. In 2020, Infrastructure Management Services (IMS) of Rolling Meadows, IL completed a detailed inventory and surface condition rating of designated City roadways, both asphalt and concrete.
With limited funding resources from gas tax and sales tax to pay for street repairs, pavement condition information helps City staff prioritize the different types of maintenance options for each street segment in order to maximize the life cycle of the pavement at a minimum cost. This approach positions the City to take a more proactive approach to managing the maintenance and construction of our local transportation system. The City of Salina transportation system is valued at approximately $572.5M based on reconstruction at today's costs. With an annual Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Sub-CIP Street maintenance budget of between $4M to $5M each year, the $40,000 cost for the condition survey is considered a small price to pay in order to optimize our investment.
On August 19, 2013, the Department of Public Works, Engineering Work Group provided this Pavement Management System PowerPoint to the City Commission and interested parties.
On November 23, 2015, The Department of Public Works, Engineering Work Group provided this Street Funding information to the City Commission and interested parties.
On November 2, 2020, The Department of Public Works Engineering Work Group provided this Pavement Management System information to the City Commission and interested parties.