Berkeley’s Paving Plan and Improving Infrastructure
This Tuesday, the Berkeley City Council will consider an update to the Street Maintenance and Rehabilitation Policy and the Five-Year Paving Plan. These policies play an important role in determining the maintenance of Berkeley’s 214 miles of streets, many of which are below acceptable standards. You can read the proposals here (item 25) and provide your thoughts to the Council by email Council@cityofberkeley.info or attending Tuesday’s Council meeting on Zoom.
Current Situation
The status of our roads is measured through the Pavement Condition Index (PCI), which ranks roads from 0-100. There are six categories in this ranking: excellent (80-100), good (70-79), fair (60-69), at risk (50-59), poor (25-49), and failed (0-24). The average PCI in Berkeley is 56, with Berkeley averaging in the “at risk” category the past decade. When roads are in the “at risk” category, they will quickly fall into the “poor” and “failed” categories, leading to more expensive maintenance in the long run. Studies have shown that for every $1 invested in treatments early in the pavement’s useful life a City would save $8 on more expensive repairs later.
Cash infusions provided by Measure M (2012) and Measure T1 (2016) have prevented the PCI from plummeting, but with those funds coming to an end, future funding options are needed to prevent further decline. At the City’s currently budgeted average of $7.3 million in baseline annual paving funding, the PCI will drop to 52 by the year 2023 without further resources. To maintain our current at-risk PCI, an additional $8 million of annual funding is required. To improve the PCI from the “at risk” category to the “good” category, the City would need an infusion of $22 million more in annual baseline funding.
Street Maintenance and Rehabilitation Policy
The Street Maintenance and Rehabilitation Policy provides direction on prioritization for street repairs. The policy was last updated in 2009, and over the last 13 years mobility has evolved, which continues to change as we move away from vehicular dependence. The current policy is as follows, in order of prioritization:
Street rehabilitation shall be coordinated with utility, sewer, water contamination runoff issues, and other underground activities to minimize the cost and maximize the effectiveness of rehabilitation and improve the environment.
Long term cost effectiveness, long term street pavement durability and aesthetics are important for priority setting and repair methodology selection.
In order to benefit the greatest number of residents, heavy street use (as indicated by traffic counts and bus routes designated in AC Transit's Comprehensive Service Plan) shall be given great consideration.
Demonstration and test projects for new technologies should be located in high visibility and heavily used areas.
Rehabilitation of an entire street, rather than one block at a time, shall be scheduled as much as possible.
First hand assessment of streets, as well as computer based analysis, shall be a basis for street rehabilitation program development.
Tuesday’s meeting will discuss updating this policy. The proposed update can be found here. Highlights include utilizing an equity lens to make sure historically underfunded and under-maintained areas get paved as defined in the Equity Zone. This will cover much of South and West Berkeley. The Plan also takes into account our climate goals, including how repaving is done: with materials that are environmentally friendly, focusing more on complete streets, and other criteria as outlined in the Pedestrian Plan, Bicycle Plan, and Vision Zero. It also takes into consideration recommendations outlined in the City Auditor’s 2020 report on Berkeley’s streets.
The Paving Plan
Each year, the Council approves a five-year paving plan, as vetted and proposed by the Public Works Commission. Tuesday’s meeting will cover several proposed plans. This year’s proposed paving plans can be found here.
Funding Mechanisms
Currently, around $7.3 million is being spent on repaving annually. The breakdown of these funds are as follows:
State Transportation Tax (Gas): $495,303 (6.8%)
Measure BB (Local Streets & Roads): $2,700,000 (37.1%)
Measure F (Vehicle Registration Fee): $155,000 (2.1%)
Capital Improvement Fund: $1,925,000 (26.5%)
Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017: $2,000,000 (27.5%)
In addition to these annually recurring funds, $6.9 million will be spent over the next three years from Measure T1, the vast majority of which will be spent next year. Additionally, a $1.2 million federal grant will be used next year for paving projects around Southside.
Going forward, we will need to think of new ways to fund our street improvements, not only to prevent worsening conditions, but to better the overall condition throughout the City. Funding from local bonds, notably Measure T1, are nearly expended. While these funds were critical in preventing a downward spiral in the PCI, without a new source of funding to replace that, we will be placed in a difficult position. However, by taking action now, we can place ourselves in a position where we will be ready to address the growing needs of our street maintenance and infrastructure.