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Belmont updates pavement management plan; council told rising costs raise maintenance needs
Summary
City staff and consultants told the Belmont City Council that the city’s systemwide pavement condition index rose to 71 after Measure I investments but rising construction costs and heavier vehicles are increasing future funding needs; council authorized the 2025 pavement rehabilitation project to bid.
Belmont City staff and Pavement Engineering Inc. presented an update on the city’s pavement management program on April 8, reporting a systemwide Pavement Condition Index (PCI) of about 71 and describing funding pressures that will require higher annual investment to maintain or improve roadway conditions.
Assistant civil engineer Daniel Matthews said the PCI increase follows investments funded after voters approved Measure I, a half-cent sales tax, and participation in state and local funding programs including the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account (SB1), Measure A, and Measure W. Matthews said the city’s pavement inventory totals roughly 70 centerline miles, with a replacement value for the pavement asset alone of about $620 million.
Pavement consultant Joe Ryrie explained pavement deterioration, common distresses and the city’s critical-point management strategy — intervening at targeted “critical points” along the pavement deterioration curve with the least-costly effective treatment to prolong pavement life. “Crack sealing is the most cost-effective thing that you can do for preserving your pavement,” Ryrie said. He described how heavier vehicles and increased EV weights accelerate pavement wear.
Key findings and numbers presented: - Citywide PCI: 71 (system average reported in the technical assistance report). - Replacement value (pavement only): approximately $620,000,000. - Current average annual construction spending (five-year average): about $2,200,000 per year. - Estimated annual spending to maintain the reported PCI of 71: about $4,900,000 per year. - Estimated annual spending to increase the network PCI to 76 by 2029: roughly $10,600,000 per year. - One-time investment to bring all pavements to a good condition and then maintain them: roughly $78,000,000 upfront, followed by approximately $2,000,000 per year in maintenance in the modeling presented.
The staff presentation noted multiple cost pressures: rapidly rising construction material and labor costs (the presentation cited cost increases of about 150% compared with an earlier PTAF/PTAP report), heavier vehicle weights including battery-electric vehicles (which the consultant estimated can be about 30% heavier and, using standard pavement-equivalency calculations, can consume pavement life several times faster), regulatory requirements that add costs such as Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) curb ramp upgrades and new stormwater/green infrastructure requirements tied to regional water board rules.
Staff described the 2025 pavement rehabilitation project, which the council had authorized earlier, as a large contract that will rehabilitate and reconstruct more than 2.5 centerline miles, including Shoreway Road and the Ralston Frontage Road among other segments spread citywide. Matthews said that if the 2025 project is completed and alternates are exercised if bids come in below estimate, the city’s PCI is estimated to increase to about 73 following construction.
Council members asked for explanatory materials for the public. Council member McKeown requested a year-by-year PCI comparison (beginning 2017) compared with neighboring cities to show progress; staff said the project story map and the five-year plan are available and that the PTAP modeling serves a different statutory purpose than the locally developed five-year plan. Staff committed to posting presentation materials and a one-page flyer and to continuing public outreach as projects move forward.
Public comment on the item included a cycling advocate who urged the city to invest more in bicycle infrastructure and to prioritize mode shift. “Every dollar you spend on making it safe for people to feel comfortable cycling is a hundred times…more efficient dollar-wise than spending money on making things better for cars,” commenter Giuliano Carlini said. City staff acknowledged the comment; the pavement presentation itself focused on condition indices, treatment timing and funding needs.
No formal policy change was approved during the presentation; the item was informational. Council did, earlier in the meeting, authorize the 2025 pavement project to go to bid as part of consent/previous action referenced in the staff report.
