TO: LINDA REICH, CITY MANAGER
FROM: HYE JIN LEE, PE, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS
SUBJECT
title
Public Works Update on the Pavement Management Plan and the City’s Standard Drawings and Specifications.
end
RECOMMENDATION
This study session item will provide an overview of the City’s Pavement Management Plan, introduce the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Geographic Information System (GIS) -Dashboard, and highlight changes included in the 2025 update to the City’s Standard Drawings and Specifications. No formal action is required.
body
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no direct fiscal impact to the City.
CITY OF CHINO MISSION / VISION / VALUES / STRATEGIC ISSUES
The recommendation detailed above further the City’s values and strategic issues that serve as key pillars on which identified priorities, goals, and action plans are built, by fostering:
• Positive City Image
• Superior Customer Service
• Responsible Long-Range Planning
• Public Service Excellence through Internal and External Partnership
BACKGROUND
The Public Works Department provides planning, design, and construction oversight of pavement rehabilitation projects such as slurry seals, grinding and paving, and full pavement reconstruction, as well as pavement restoration following the City’s infrastructure projects (water, sewer, and storm drain). The City performed street condition assessments in 2022 to evaluate the state of the City’s pavement infrastructure. Street condition assessments are typically performed every five years to help the City make more informed decisions about the pavement management strategy to complete. Between assessments, the City utilizes software to interpolate the rate of pavement decline and update segments of roadway to reflect pavement treatments completed.
On September 20, 2022, City Council held a workshop at which City staff presented the City’s Pavement Management System Software Program and sought direction on the implementation of the program. Thereafter, on June 13, 2023 staff presented recommendations from the program, targeting a Pavement Condition Index (PCI) of 75. Approximately $7 million per year was identified to meet the target PCI. The City Council directed staff at that time to devise a CIP plan to spend an additional $21 million during the next two fiscal years (FY 23/24 and FY 24/25) to achieve the targeted PCI. Accordingly, on July 6, 2023, staff presented the Citywide Pavement Rehabilitation Project - Pilot Program to the Streets Infrastructure Committee and further to City Council on July 18, 2023. City staff received support and a directive to move forward with implementation.
Following the initial phase of the pilot program, the City moved forward with Project ST241. This project was awarded under two separate contracts - one for concrete work and one for asphalt work in Fiscal Year 2023/24 with project closeout at the end of Fiscal Year 2024/25.
ISSUES/ANALYSIS
Over the years, the City’s approach to pavement management has evolved through various initiatives and pilot programs. As commitment to the community for sustainable and well-maintained street infrastructure, the City of Chino Engineering team formulated the following strategies.
1. Update City’s engineering standards and specifications to ensure quality material and construction specifications.
The City has unique challenges with soil conditions and high groundwater tables in various locations. The revised engineering standards and specifications include dewatering specifications for high groundwater situations, trench protection, and proper compaction to reduce sinkholes and poor pavement rehabilitation outcomes.
2. The use of GIS integration for staff planning and public engagement.
A CIP GIS mapping database was created to ensure the City can track and provide feedback to utility companies, neighboring agencies, and inform the public on City CIP project locations. This tool, partnered with quarterly utility coordination meetings, allows the Public Works team to better communicate the strategic plan and adjust paving project limits to coincide with infrastructure projects.
3. A multi-zone approach targeting 4 geographic zones,
This allows for concentrating project areas in a zone without making contractors mobilize their heavy equipment to multiple locations across the City. This reduces overall construction costs and minimizes traffic impacts on the community. Future pavement projects will focus contractor work in one zone at a time.
4. Effective and efficient coordination with internal and external utility projects,
The GIS map will be a tool in effective and efficient coordination with internal and external partners. This allows other utility agencies (i.e. SCE, Gas Company, telecom companies) to program their improvements prior to City’s CIP projects so the pavement can be rehabilitated once. The moratorium on those pavements will minimize utility cuts on new pavements thus preserving service life on City streets.
5. Selection of emerging pavement treatments and materials
The City has traditionally utilized conventional slurry seal which has minimal benefit on pavement condition index improvements. The Public Works team is exploring various emerging pavement treatments and materials which yield longer service life and improve the pavement condition index.
To follow through on the commitment to the community, a 2023 crack-sealing was performed in various neighborhoods with the intent to return and complete slurry seal treatments. To follow through on previous promises made, the City has advertised for construction Project NC251 to complete those neighborhood paving improvements for 7 miles of street segments this Summer and Fall. Additionally, areas where utility trenching is required to upgrade the City’s water, sewer, and storm drain infrastructure, pavement restoration has been added to the design to ensure restoration can capture the full width of the street.
The choice of specific treatment to a given street segment depends on the severity of deterioration and the desired level of pavement performance. With the 2025 update of the City’s Standard Drawings and Specifications, staff can integrate efficiencies through economy of scale, cost effective treatments, cohesive and structured design, and implementation of tools for improved customer service.
This revised strategy will ensure a consistent, equitable, and transparent approach to evaluating pavement work for necessary implementation based on unique project circumstances.