The American Fork City Council on July 8 adopted a code amendment intended to increase pavement-section requirements for city and development-built roads, a change staff described as an effort to create longer-lasting "perpetual pavement."

Public-works staff said the amendment to Section 15.01.0.125 raises recommended cross-section thicknesses so that new local roads receive about four inches of asphalt and collectors receive five to six inches, increasing the base asphalt layer and allowing future maintenance to be accomplished with surface milling and resurfacing rather than full-depth reclamation. Staff said that approach should reduce long-term maintenance costs and extend service life, although it will increase initial construction cost for city projects and private developers.

Council members sought an estimate of the budgetary impact. Staff said the near-term cost increase on current projects is likely in the low tens to low hundreds of thousands of dollars across 2026 projects, depending on tonnage and bids, but emphasized savings over multiple decades by avoiding more extensive base reconstruction. Staff also said the city will require new development in southern growth areas to place the thicker section when developers dedicate roads to the city.

The ordinance was adopted by unanimous vote among members present. Staff said they would return with more precise cost estimates and the specifications used for bidding and acceptance.