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Newark staff outline pavement management plan, say $4 million annual spending keeps roads from deteriorating faster
Summary
Public Works Director Howard Young presented Newark’s pavement management approach, described Pavement Condition Index scoring, treatment types and funding sources, and highlighted a multi‑phase Thornton Avenue overlay supported by $3 million in congressional community project funds.
City staff on April 24 gave an informational presentation on Newark’s pavement management program, explaining how the city scores pavement condition, selects treatments and funds annual maintenance of its road network.
“Our road network is one of our greatest assets, and it needs annual care to keep it in serviceable condition,” Howard Young, Newark’s public works director, told the City Council. Young described the Pavement Condition Index (PCI), a 0–100 rating system used regionally to evaluate pavement condition and prioritize repairs.
Young said Newark has 104.5 centerline miles of roadway (about 162 lane miles) and that the city’s 2022 average PCI was 72, compared with a statewide average of 65 in the most recent Metropolitan Transportation Commission dataset the city referenced. He emphasized the difference between preservation treatments such as crack sealing, slurry seal and microsurfacing, and restoration treatments such as hot‑mix overlays or full reconstruction.
“Pay now, pay a little; or delay and pay a lot later,” Young said, summarizing the deterioration curve that motivates preventive maintenance.
Young walked council members through typical treatments and costs, from hot crack seal and patch paving through slurry seal, microsurfacing, chip/cape seals, and full asphalt overlays. He said slurry seals typically last about six years, while hot‑mix overlays can provide 15–20 years of service, and stressed that preventive maintenance preserves pavement life and reduces long‑term cost.
On funding, staff said the city typically draws on state gas tax revenue, allocations administered by the Alameda County Transportation Commission (measure‑based local sales tax and related vehicle registration fees), and SB 1 transportation funds. Young said the city’s pavement budget target rose from about $2.5 million annually in earlier years to roughly $4.0 million per year for 2024–2026 to sustain the current PCI and respond to resident concerns.
Young also described a multi‑phase Thornton Avenue project. He said Alameda County Water District is replacing the main under Thornton Avenue; the city is designing an asphalt overlay for Thornton’s Phase 1 (Highway 880 to Olive Street) and plans a Phase 2 overlay from Ash Street to Spruce Street. Young said Congressman Ro Khanna provided congressionally directed community project funding of $2,000,000 for Phase 1 and $1,000,000 for Phase 2.
Council members asked technical and operational questions about frequency of slurry applications, striping materials (thermoplastic versus paint), the effect of heavy truck traffic on pavement life, and where residents can find paving schedules online. Staff said the public works section of the city website lists planned work for the current and next year and encouraged residents to report faded striping or hazardous locations.
The presentation was informational only; no council action was required or taken at the April 24 meeting.
