Public Works reviews pavement management study; city faces trade-offs between major repairs and preventive maintenance

Hermosa Beach public works staff presented an updated pavement management plan and a set of budget scenarios showing how different funding levels would affect the city’s Pavement Condition Index (PCI) over the next decade.

Hee Cho Kwon, the city’s senior public works engineer on the project, told the Public Works Commission the consultant’s October–December field assessment produced a 2024 citywide average PCI of 68, down slightly from the 2021 study. The study used a PCI model and field observations; Kwon said the study used pavement-management software originally developed for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and that consultants Somas and GMU conducted the work.

Why it matters: PCI is the city’s standard metric for pavement condition (100 is new pavement, 0 is failed). The study mapped typical preservation strategies to PCI ranges: preventive maintenance such as crack sealing and slurry seal for higher PCIs (typically >60–70), grinding and overlay for mid-range PCI (50–69), and full reconstruction for very low PCI (below 25). Kwon said the plan includes four budget scenarios: current annual funding of about $1.5 million (which would lower the PCI toward the mid-50s over 10 years), a scenario that would maintain the current PCI of 68 at about $3.1 million per year, and a high-investment scenario that would raise PCI toward the mid-80s at substantially higher upfront cost.

Staff emphasized prioritization rules: arterial and collector streets receive priority due to heavier traffic and faster deterioration, and planned underground utility work (for example, projects by Cal Water or the LA County Sanitation District) may change the timing of pavement work to avoid re-digging recently paved streets.

Paving schedule and immediate projects: staff described a recently awarded paving contract of about $3.2 million that includes Pier Avenue, Lot A, Valley Drive and several high-priority residential segments (the presentation listed Power Street as an example of a local street in poor condition). Pier Avenue sequencing is tentative: staff said mobilization could begin the week of April 7 with major concrete repairs followed by a grind-and-overlay operation targeted for the week of April 21. Staff said they expect to maintain two-way traffic during the work, limit construction to daytime hours, and try to complete the most disruptive work in roughly one week of intense operations on Pier Avenue; they said communications to businesses and residents and phased notifications would accompany the work.

Business impacts: staff said businesses with existing on-street dining decks will be required to remove those deck structures during the public-right-of-way construction (per encroachment agreements) and that staff are working with businesses to provide alternative temporary sidewalk dining options where feasible to reduce economic disruption.

Budget trade-offs: the consultant scenarios show maintaining the current PCI would require roughly $3.1 million annually over 10 years; the low-investment option at current funding levels ($1.5 million) would yield an overall PCI decline; the no-investment scenario would drive the system toward widespread failure, requiring costlier reconstruction later. Commissioners flagged the tension between fixing already poor streets and paying for preventive work that prolongs pavement life on better-condition streets. Staff stressed the PMP is a planning tool that reflects conditions at a point in time and that field inspections and coordination with utility schedules will inform final project selection.

Commission reaction and next steps: commissioners asked for more detail on the notional 10-year scenarios and how specific street segments are selected for each year. Staff said the PMP will inform the coming budget/CIP discussions and that residents can view the full PMP on the city website. Staff also said they have purchased crack-sealing equipment and plan to expand in-house preventive maintenance as a cost-effective measure on higher-PCI streets.

Relevant figures from the presentation: total mapped city street network ~47.6 miles; current citywide PCI 68 (2024); consultant field assessment October 2024; recommended funding to hold PCI at 68 ≈ $3.1 million/year; current annual funding identified in the report ≈ $1.5 million; paving contract award ≈ $3.2 million (covers Pier Avenue, Lot A and other prioritized segments).