City hears streets assessment as growth drives center-lane miles up 65%; county funds Buena Vista Trail phase 1

Washington City received a detailed streets and pavement update at Wednesday’s council meeting as public-works staff and consultants warned that recent growth has substantially increased the city’s road network and that preserving pavement now will cost far less than reconstructing failed streets later.

Public Works Director Blake Fonsbeck said the city added more than 12 center lane miles in the past year and has grown from about 128 center lane miles in 2015 to roughly 212 today — an increase of about 65% over a decade. Since 2020, Fonsbeck said the city has averaged about 10.34 center lane miles added per year, driven largely by private development.

Fonsbeck and consultant representatives from JUB described a machine-driven pavement assessment conducted in spring 2025 that established a baseline condition for every street. That assessment categorized pavement by condition and found roughly 33% of city streets in “good,” about 38% “satisfactory,” 21% “fair/poor,” and very small percentages in “very poor” (2%), “serious” (1%) and “failed” (<1%). Staff stressed that preservation treatments applied while pavement is in good or satisfactory condition are far more cost-effective than late-stage reconstruction.

Numbers shared with the council included the 2023 slurry-seal program: about 505,000 square yards (roughly 4.5 million square feet) treated at a cost of $814,000, covering approximately 21.5 center lane miles with an implied cost per lane-mile of about $38,000 for that surface treatment. By contrast, Fonsbeck cited a recent full reconstruction cost of about $1.6 million for a mile-long rebuild on a heavily deteriorated roadway.

City maintenance funding has hovered around $1 million per year over the last seven to ten years, staff said, but inflation and the expanded road inventory have reduced the purchasing power of that budget. The department has asked JUB to return in December with a prioritized preservation program and funding strategies, including options short of city bonding, and to recommend a multi-year plan to retain more lane miles in the “good” or “satisfactory” categories.

Fonsbeck discussed treatment lifespans: slurry-seal surface treatments typically last about five to seven years depending on traffic and underlying condition; chip seals have a thicker wear surface and can be longer-lasting but are messier and less popular in urban residential areas. He warned that letting segments fall into “fair” and “poor” categories will increase future reconstruction needs and costs.

Trails and funding: Assistant Leisure Services Director Paul Walker told the council that Washington County awarded a $300,000 grant through the county Tax Advisory Board (Transitory Room Tax distribution) to fund about 0.7 miles of Buena Vista Trail phase 1; the interlocal funding agreement approving that grant was presented to council and approved unanimously. Walker also reported that crews paved three of four Canal Trail sections today (the 1.5‑mile Canal Trail project), with signs and final items remaining; staff estimated the trail would open in two to three weeks.

JUB team members Ken Clark and Spencer Montgomery said the firm will present a funding and preservation strategy at the December workshop, including prioritization criteria, lifecycle cost comparisons, and potential funding approaches other than large bonds.

Why it matters: Washington City’s rapid growth has increased infrastructure obligations. Preserving pavement early is cheaper and extends asset life; the city’s upcoming policy decisions will drive whether more local funding is dedicated to preservation, or whether more reconstruction and larger capital projects become necessary in future budgets.