Body
Department of Streets & Fleet
Reference: Streets & Fleet Department Discussion
To: Mayor Richard N. McLean and Members of City Council
Through: Clint Blackhurst, Acting City Manager
Prepared By: Kimberly Dall, Director of Streets & Fleet
Date Prepared: March 7, 2017
PURPOSE
Provide an update on the operations of the Streets and Fleet Department.
BACKGROUND
Transportation funding has been a frequent topic of discussion over the past few years; citizens in our community as well as across the country are paying more attention to the aging roadway infrastructure. The State of Colorado has projected a $470 million deficit over the next ten years just to maintain current service levels; that deficit increases to $2.96 billion if the State were to achieve their vision goals of service. The City of Brighton is also experiencing a similar challenge related to funding for maintenance of our transportation infrastructure.
Roadways are one of the City's largest assets. It's an asset where we receive the most amount of "complaints/comments" from the citizens. Of the more than 3,000 requests we receive from the on-line request tracker, 60% are related to streets activities.
The 20-year life cycle of pavement typically requires structural repairs every 10 years: an overlay at 10 years of age and a rebuild at 20 years. Overlays and rebuilds cost more approximately three to five times more than surface preservation; additional funding is necessary to address the structural integrity of our roadways.
To keep City roadways in good condition, funding to maintain this asset must to increase from the $1.15 million adopted in the 2017 budget to approximately $3 million annually for at least the next five years. This dollar value would address needed roadway repair performed by contractors with specialized heavy equipment.
Since 2008, the City's streets have been primarily preserved with slurry and crack sealing and have recently included chip sealing. These su...
Click here for full text