Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Pavement Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Springfield receives data-driven pavement management report; average condition index 69, 203 centerline miles surveyed
Summary
The city heard a vendor presentation showing an average pavement condition index of 69 across 203 centerline miles, a backlog (PCI under 40) of about 10.8%, and a 10‑year projection of funding needs under several budget scenarios. Staff told council the structural testing was done only on arterials and collectors, not on most residential streets.
Springfield city leaders received a pavement management briefing Wednesday showing an average pavement condition index (PCI) of 69 for the city’s roadway network and roughly 10.8% of centerline miles classified as poor or very poor, the vendor said.
The presentation, led by Megan Ratliff of Infrastructure Management Services (IMS), described a citywide survey performed in August using IMS’s IRIS Pro system and other equipment to capture continuous, high‑resolution imagery and structural data across 203 centerline miles. Ratliff said the vendor combined surface distress imaging (cracking, rutting, roughness) with falling‑weight deflectometer testing to produce a 0–100 PCI for each segment and to recommend treatments and timing.
“Anything below a 40 is considered poor or very poor,” Megan Ratliff, a pavement engineer with Infrastructure Management Services, said, explaining how the PCI scale is applied. Ratliff also described the firm’s web application, Inform, which gives the city access to the imagery and the segment‑level data the company collected.
Why it matters: the PCI and the segment‑by‑segment data let staff prioritize preservation treatments (slurry, chip seal, overlays) rather than waiting until pavements require full reconstruction, which Ratliff said is more expensive. The vendor’s 10‑year scenarios showed how different annual budgets affect network condition and offered estimated costs to hold or change the average PCI.
Key findings and figures presented by IMS included: an average PCI of 69 for Springfield’s network; about 10.8% of network centerline miles in the backlog (PCI < 40); the survey covered approximately 203 centerline miles; and example segment scores ranging from PCI 3 (failed) up to PCI 98 (excellent). Ratliff said the firm’s 10‑year projection—using the firm’s unit rates and inflation assumptions—estimated roughly $4,220,000 would be required over the decade to hold the network at a similar average PCI under the model’s assumptions. The vendor also used a baseline Springfield annual budget estimate of $2,500,000 for modeling purposes and noted that that estimate did not include the street bond passed last year.
Staff clarified technical limits and scope. Operations staff and the vendor said the falling‑weight deflectometer structural testing was deployed only on collectors and arterial streets; the structural tests were not run on most residential (local) streets. Staff also said the city has treated many local streets with slurry seal in recent years and plans to return to residential slurry projects this year.
Councilors and council members asked for more detail. Several members pressed staff for a street‑by‑street listing by functional class and asked how the bond package might change projected results. City staff and IMS said they will provide more detailed breakdowns and that the modeling tool can simulate different bond and budget scenarios. One councilor said she worried that very costly full reconstructions could leave residential streets behind; staff and the consultant emphasized the plan is flexible and can be adjusted to reflect council priorities.
No formal action was taken on the pavement management material at the session; staff characterized the deliverable as a baseline and tool for future budgeting and project selection. Staff said they will provide follow‑up material, including segment lists and classifications, and that the Inform portal is available for staff review.
