Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Pavement Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City hears Utah LTAP briefing on pavement preservation, B&C funding limits
Summary
Utah LTAP director Randy Wallen briefed Lindon City Council on pavement-management best practices, funding formulas for B and C roads, and the cost tradeoffs between preventative maintenance and reconstruction.
Randy Wallen, director of the Utah Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP), told the Lindon City Council on April 7 that municipalities save the most money by investing in preventative pavement maintenance rather than delaying repairs until reconstruction is required.
Wallen said B and C funds — state-distributed dollars for non-UDOT roads — are allocated through UDOT but were established and shaped by the Legislature and local lobbying groups such as the League of Cities and Towns and the Utah Association of Counties. “You get about $9,800 per mile per year,” Wallen said, adding that typical maintenance options vary widely in cost: “The cost per mile to do a slurry seal [is] $28,000. … A 3‑inch mill and overlay project is $466,000.”
Keeping newer roads in good condition with crack‑sealing and preventive surface treatments substantially reduces lifecycle costs, Wallen said. He illustrated how roads degrade slowly at first and then more rapidly after roughly 10 years, and he described benefit‑cost ratios that favor routine maintenance (he cited an industry figure near 25:1 for routine maintenance versus around 3:1 for full reconstruction). Wallen also described LTAP services that support local governments, including pavement assessments using mobile devices, traffic safety audits, and training for road workers.
Council members asked about how to account for buried infrastructure that may require tearing up pavement. Wallen replied that communities often time utility projects to coincide with pavement work so the street doesn’t have to be repeatedly excavated. He also discussed the uncertainty facing gas‑tax–derived funds as vehicle fuel economy and electric vehicle use change, and noted some electric‑vehicle registration fees feed transportation funds but that the long‑term effect on revenue is unclear.
The LTAP briefing did not result in council action; it was provided as an informational presentation for public‑works budgeting and capital‑planning purposes.
Wallen recommended that municipalities perform pavement condition inventories, revisit pavement plans about every five years, and consider additional local funding mechanisms (for example, transportation utility fees) where B and C funds are inadequate to preserve a city’s street network.
