University Heights council reviews pavement study that pegs citywide pavement index at 45 and outlines $1.9M–$3M yearly options

University Heights city officials reviewed a consultant’s pavement evaluation that found the citywide Pavement Condition Index (PCI) averaged 45 — a score the presenter described as “very poor” — and outlined options for annual spending that would either stabilize or improve that condition. Brenda McBee, the city engineer/consultant who presented the study, said the assessment used the PAVER program (developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and others) and visual inspections of every street segment. "Our average, which is the pavement condition index, came out to be a 45 and that 45 is in a very poor condition," McBee said during the council meeting.

The study modeled three funding scenarios. Using the current roughly $1 million annual pavement budget (adjusted slightly for inflation) would reduce the average PCI to about 35 over five years, the consultant said. Increasing annual spending to about $1.9 million would maintain the current average PCI (around 43–45). Raising spending to more than $3 million annually over five years would lift the average PCI to roughly 56, moving many streets above the “critical” threshold. "What it would take to bring all of our streets up to at least where they're at now…came back with a budget of over $3,000,000 a year for the next five years," McBee said.

McBee and council members emphasized that the PAVER analysis focuses on pavement surface and base; it does not estimate costs for concrete curb replacement or other related infrastructure. Streets classified as “failed” in the report typically require full base reconstruction rather than simple resurfacing, McBee said: "If you put a new surface course on it, you're still the base isn't strong enough. There's major defects down there that water can get into." Councilmembers repeatedly pressed to know how much more a full reconstruction would cost versus resurfacing; the city engineer agreed to return to council with comparative cost figures and to update the report after inspecting four additional streets whose initial ratings were incomplete.

Councilmembers discussed sequencing and opportunities to reduce cost through coordination with other infrastructure projects. Several members noted that streets scheduled for water-main work (for example, the North Cliff project) could be candidates for coordinated resurfacing or reconstruction to avoid re-cutting new pavement. The consultant and city staff also identified potential state funding sources, including the Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC), and said grant/loan mixes and project scoring affect how much external funding a project might receive.

Council agreed to refer the pavement evaluation to the finance committee for further review and to schedule a committee meeting within a few weeks so the study can inform the 2026 budget process. The consultant recommended repeating visual inspections every three to five years to update the model and refine forecasts.

The report and discussion will continue in committee, where staff and council said they expect to return with clarified cost estimates for full replacement vs. resurfacing, an updated list that includes the four streets to be rescored, and recommendations for sequencing streets with pending water/sewer projects.