Sunnyvale staff brief council on pavement management, funding and condition targets

Sunnyvale public works staff gave a study‑session briefing on pavement management on Feb. 4, outlining how the city measures pavement condition, the treatments used to extend pavement life, and the mix of funding sources that support maintenance and capital projects.

The presentation, led by Sean Smith, operations superintendent, and Chip Taylor, public works director, explained the pavement condition index (PCI) system and the city’s strategy of “keeping good roads good” through timely, cost‑effective treatments.

“We're focused on kind of maximizing the available funding to extend the life cycle of the road,” said Sean Smith, Operations Superintendent. He described the PCI as an engineering score that declines over time without maintenance and said Sunnyvale uses a mix of light maintenance (crack seal, slurry seal, chip seal), heavier maintenance and reconstruction applied at the right point on the deterioration curve to reduce long‑term cost.

Why it matters: council members pressed staff about the city’s PCI goal and what would be required to reach it. Council member Mellinger asked, “Is there a plan to bring us…