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Committee advances high-friction surface treatment project to finalize design and seek bids
Summary
Staff asked the committee to authorize completing 85% design and to proceed to bidding for high-friction surface treatments at six city locations; the committee voted to forward the item to the council consent agenda.
The Land Use & Transportation Committee voted to forward a staff request to complete design and authorize a bid process for a high-friction surface treatment project intended to reduce run-off-road crashes at six locations across the city.
Shoma Chatterpathai of the Public Works traffic division presented the proposal and said high-friction surfacing is a resin-and-bauxite overlay applied to curved approaches and intersections to increase pavement traction and reduce weather-related crashes. “High friction surface is the binder of the resins and the bauxite, which is a polished material, which increase the friction of the street,” Chatterpathai said.
Staff told the committee the project targets six curved locations identified from crash reports; examples mentioned during the presentation included Redondo Way west of 13th Avenue South, 16th Avenue South and Milton Road (staff said a full location list would be provided in the project packet). Staff described the treatment as an overlay that does not increase pavement life but remains until worn by traffic; at one high-traffic location staff estimated roughly a 10‑year lifespan.
Chatterpathai presented line‑item estimates for design, construction, contingency and construction management. The transcripted figures for total cost were garbled; staff said design is $100,000, construction $873,000, contingency $87,000, and construction management $100,000. Staff also cited available funding sources including an HSIP federal grant (cited as $952,000 in the presentation) and motor-vehicle-fuel tax funds; staff said funding is available to cover the work.
Council members asked about where similar surfaces exist (Chatterpathai said Pierce and King counties and several state DOTs use the material), how long the overlay typically lasts in heavy traffic, and how the exact treatment length is determined (staff said the typical installation includes approach, the curve and a departure distance and varies by posted speed). Chatterpathai said studies cited in the presentation indicate up to a 75% reduction in certain crash types after application.
Following questions, the committee voted to forward staff’s recommendation to complete the 85% design and pursue bids; staff will return to the committee and council with bid results and a request for construction authorization.
