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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Report - December 16, 1981 (29)COUNCIL There has been some research in recent years which AUTHORIZES indicates that if streets and highways do not CITY'S SUPPORT receive timely rehabilitation, the subsequent costs OF SPONSORSHIP to the local government and the general public OF APWA RE- increase rapidly. The determination of the economics SEARCH FOUNDA- of timely pavement rehabilitation is a key objective TION PROJECT of this project. 81 -1 -OPTIMIZING PAVEMENT Presently, the City of Lodi establishes an annual INVESTMENT priority list of streets to be resurfaced or other- wise rehabilitated. The process is generally subjective. The number of miles treated is subject to budget limitations and the City is unable to quantify the additional taxpayer costs of a reduced EA appropriation. Over the past 13 years the APWA Research Foundation has successfully performed projects costing over $3 million and sponsored by over 300 local Govern- mental authorities. We have made regular use of many of these project results and have found them very helpful. Their use has resulted in reduced costs to the Public Works Department of the City Of Lodi. COUNCIL Council discussion followed with questions being AUTHORIZES BUD- directed to staff. On motion of Councilman Pinkerton, GET APPROPRIA- Katnich second, Council authorized the City's support TIONS FOR THE in the amouat of $2,000.00 of sponsorship of APWA CONVERSION OF Research Foundation Project 81-1, "Optimizing THE UTILITY Pavement Investment". SYSTEM TO A TWO SHIFT OPERA- TION By sponsorship of this study, working with up to 50 jurisdictions, the City of Lodi will be able to secure needed information at a fraction of its total cost and receive the benefit of the experience of other sponsors at the same time. ZING across the nation, representing project sponsors PAVFI-LENT and the APWA Institutes fo, Municipal Engineering INVESTMENT and Transportation, will act as a Steering Committee (Cont'd) which will meet periodically with project staff. The City's cost is limited to the sponsorship fee of $2,000. 'All other costs will be in-house support of our role as a member of the Advisory Committee. This committee will meet only in conjunction with APWA's annual Congress and thus will not result in extra cost to the City. Should the project not be fully funded, we may approve a reduced scope of work or withdraw our sponsorship. Over the past 13 years the APWA Research Foundation has successfully performed projects costing over $3 million and sponsored by over 300 local Govern- mental authorities. We have made regular use of many of these project results and have found them very helpful. Their use has resulted in reduced costs to the Public Works Department of the City Of Lodi. COUNCIL Council discussion followed with questions being AUTHORIZES BUD- directed to staff. On motion of Councilman Pinkerton, GET APPROPRIA- Katnich second, Council authorized the City's support TIONS FOR THE in the amouat of $2,000.00 of sponsorship of APWA CONVERSION OF Research Foundation Project 81-1, "Optimizing THE UTILITY Pavement Investment". SYSTEM TO A TWO SHIFT OPERA- TION MEMORANDUM, City of Lodi, Public Works Department TO: City Manager FROM: Public Works Director DATE: September )0, 1981 SUBJECT: Sponsorship of APWA Research Foundation Project 81-1 "Optimizing Pavement Investment" REQUEST: Authorization is requested for the City of Lodi to support the subject project. The cost to the City will be $2,000 which would be charged to 124 Fund (SB 325). The cost of the total study is estimated to be $200,000 and will be totally sponsored by local governments. A detailed description of the project is attached. JUSTIFICATION: There has been some research in recent years which indicates that if streets and highways do not receive timely rehabilitation, the subsequent costs to the local government and the general public increase rapidly. The determination of the economics of timely pavement rehabilitation is a key objective of this project. Presently, the City of Lodi establishes an annual priority list of streets to be resurfaced or otherwise rehabilitated. The process is generally subjective. The number of miles treated is subject to budget limitations and we are unable to quantify the additional taxpayer costs of a reduced appropriation. By sponsorship of this study, working with up to 50 jurisdictions, we will be able to secure needed information at a fraction of its total cost and receive the benefit of the experience of other sponsors at the same time. ROLE IN THE STUDY: As a sponsor, the City of Lodi will appoint a representative to the project Advisory Committee. Periodic reports from the APWA project team will be received. We will provide input in order that we may be certain that our needs are considered and met. A panel of experts chosen from across the nation, representing project sponsors and the APWA Institutes for Municipal Engineering and Transportation, will act as a Steering Committee which will meet periodically with project staff. COST: Our costs are limited to the sponsorship fee of $2,000. All other costs will be in- house in support of our role as a member of the Advisory Committee. This committee will meet only in conjunction with APWA's annual Congress and thus will not result in extra cost to the City. Should the project not be fully funded, we may approve a reduced scope of work or withdraw our sponsorship. THE APWA RESEARCH FOUNDATION: Over the past 13 years the APWA Research Foundation has successfully performed projects costing over $3 million and sponsored by over 300 local governmental authorities. We have made regular use of many of these project results and have found them very : helpful. Their use has resulted in reduced costs to our department. • r01� City Manager September 10, 1981 Page 2 SUMMARY: Allocation of pavement rehabilitation funds are of critical concern. With over 126 miles of pavement and reduction in funding, we are faced with critical decisions as to how we may best maintain roadways. The results of this study can be used as soon as they are available and will help us provide dollar values For the decisions which we mustcorttinue c make. �Jac� L. Ronsko 1 Pubic Works Director cc' Assistant City Manager Attachment JLR/eeh P. S. Presently the following northern California agencies are participating in project Cities Counties Davis Alameda Fresno Sonoma Hayward Lodi (ti pX1/7 Contra Costa Napa Berkeley San Mateo Stockton Santa Clara San Francisco Fremont San Jose Santa Clara San Mateo AMERICAN PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION Research Foundation Proposed Project 81-1 OPTIMIZING PAVEMENT INVESTMENT The APWA Research Foundation, institute for Municipal Engineering, and the Institute for Transportation are jointly sponsoring a project to develop a cost-effective strategy for the resurfacing of urban streets and highways. Methods presently used by most agencies are subjective. they depend upon complaints or public perception, or else the agencies strive to rebuild the "worst streets or worst highways." In the United States the value of the investment in the street and highway system is estimated by former Secretary of Transportation. Neil Goldschmidt, to be one trillion dollars. The average expected life of pavements varies from 20 years for asphaltic concrete to 40 years for Portland cement concrete pavements. Yet, as of 1977, the most recent year of record, total maintenance expenditures totaled only $8.8 billion. which is less than 1 `$ of the systems total value. No system can maintain its usefulne - at such a low level of in- vestment for maintenance. A recent study for the U.S. Department of Commerce also highlighted the problems of Investment In the na- tion's public works system. The study found that these expenditures by all levels of government remained almost constant over the past several years and that new construction, rather than maintenance and rehabilita- tion, had the highest demand upon available funds. Thus, it is incumbent upon all public agencies to make the most efficient use of !,united maintenance funds available to retain the serviceability of this key portion of our public works infrastructure for the benefit of tax- payers, who use these roads to get to work, school, and market, and who expect them to be available for fire equipment and other emergencies. Also, the America Public Works Association has established as one of its objectives for the 1980s. development of methods and techniques for Inventory of public works systems and how to deters nine their value and needs_ Accomplishment of this pavement management project will provide a model for use by the Association in its evaluation of other key structures and facilities. One economic approach being developed by state highway departments for use on rural roads, and by at least one large municipality, shows promise of reducing total annual costs. It utilizes a method to determine the pavement condition and sets a level of service in terms of cost of future maintenance to the agency and costs and loss of service to motorists. Thus, to provide the highest level of service, roads chat require minimum levels of surface rehabditrtion, such as seakoats or thin overlays to prolong their useful service, are given attention first. This keeps them in good condition and extends their useful life at minimum cost. Meanwhile, ;he roads in bad condition are patched as necessary until they are scheduled for major rehabil3teion. Using this strategy. the Municipality of Ottawa -Carleton. Ontario, reduced its annual expenditures for major street surface rehabilitation, even though inflation increased greatly dui ng the past five years. While this strategy may not be "the best." 4 represents one of the alternatives that the study vAll investigate. The United States Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) developed in 1973 a pave- ment evaluation program for use on airport runways. This system has been adopted throughout the air force as a means of scheduling runway pavement rehabilitation. The system has been adopted by at least one major public airport. In 1977, in response to requests for maintenance criteria for streets and paved areas at U.S. Army Installations, a similar program was initiated called PAVER. The program has been fully developed and Is near the end of a one-year evaluation at Fort Eustis, Virginia. The system depends upon a visual evaluation of pavement distress to develop a rating for the pavement. PAVER can be manually implemented, and a computerized version has been developed and tested. The PAVER program has been evaluated by APWA staff and an ad hoc committee of APWA members with special knowledge and expertise In pavement management needs of local agencies. There is consensus that the PAVER program can be transferred to local government, and that PAVER is the correct starting point for, developing a pavement management system for local agencies. Copies of the complete research proposal to transfer the PAVER system to local government are available upon request from the APWA Research Foundation. In brief, the project will validate formulas and factors used in the PAVER system and Identify modifications needed by local agencies. The implementation and operation of PAVER costs will be confirmed. Compatibility and extent of local data bases with respect to PAVER will be determined. At least four demonstration sites wi*v. be selected to monitor and evaluate the im- plementation of the system. Results of the project will be contained in a series of manuals prepared for management, engineering, field inspectors. and computer services. Each sp<--%sor of the project will appoint a represkntative to serve on the project Advisory Committee. Com- mttree members will be responsible for : rviewing all project materials and advising project staff as to their ap- plicability and usefulness to the sponsoring agency. Workshops are planned to train field inspectors of local agencies. An audiovisual training program for Inspectors will be supplied to project sponsors. The project will be conducted by the APWA Research Foundation. Individuals and universities will be re- tained as consultants to the project so that all issues can be fully explored and ►he system will be compatible with the needs of agencies responsible for urban street and highway systems. The estimated cost of the study is $200,000. It is expected to take approximately 18 months to complete. The value to the utilizing agency should be evident very soon after adoption. Public works officials will have a complete priority list of streets to be .resurfaced with a tested methodology to reveal the future costs to the agency and the using public if a particular strategy is used or if alternate programs are adopted. Agencieswill b>a able to assign a value to the consequences of deferred maintenance and will be able to defend their rationale for selecting one street over another for maintenance repair and assure the public of the best value received f(X the expenditure. If funds are not available to provide required maintenance levels. the resulting costs of inade- quate drainage. crack sealing, and so forth will be readily available. Agencies sponsoring this project will benefit directly by being able to make their specific needs and coneems known to the project staff. In addition, by obtaining all material as It is produced, they can begin structuring their existing programs to implement project results expeditiously. A funding form is attached. which lists the cost of sponsorship by agency population. Please return the form by October 1. 1481, indicating the degree of interest that your agency has In sponsoring this project. The pro- ject will be started as soon as the APWA Reseatch Foundation has received sufficient commitments for re- quired funds. Cooperatively sponsored research through the APWA Research Foundation is an important means of achieving needed research at a fraction of its total cost. Through cooperative research, agencies have the op- portunity to meet their research needs effectively at a relatively lew cost to the individual agency. N