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Study shows current pavement funding will not maintain road conditions; utility fee scenarios presented
Summary
A consultant told Syracuse City Council the city’s current pavement maintenance funding is likely to let road conditions decline; scenarios modeled an additional $1.25M–$2.0M per year and showed the funding needed to maintain or improve pavement condition, with options to tie revenue to a transportation utility fee.
A consultant engaged by Syracuse presented a citywide pavement condition analysis and modeled scenarios linking additional pavement‑maintenance funding to expected changes in overall roadway condition.
The consultant reported the city’s current pavement maintenance funding (approximately $1.5 million per year in the model) would lead to a gradual decline in pavement condition over time as construction costs rise and the city grows. Under the current funding scenario, the share of pavement in poor condition would increase over time from about 15% today toward a projected 25% without additional funding.
The presentation showed several funding scenarios tied to a transportation utility fee model. Under a scenario adding roughly $1.25 million per year (for a $2.0 million total pavement program), the modeling indicated the city could hold poor‑condition mileage to about 20% and maintain roughly the current proportion of pavement in good condition. A higher funding scenario (approximately $3.5 million total) would reduce poor pavement to 10% or less and raise 'good' pavement to about 70%.
Consultants explained the transportation utility fee method used parcel‑level land‑use classifications and trip‑generation models to estimate relative impacts by residential and non‑residential customers. They noted grouping commercial and industrial properties by building square footage and typical trip rates made the program easier to administer, but councilors asked whether high‑trip generators within an institutional or industrial category (for example, a busy retail store versus a low‑traffic warehouse) should be classified differently. The consultant said the groups can be refined but that more granular classification increases administrative workload.
Councilors asked about exemptions or legislative changes. Staff said two bills in the Utah legislature could affect the city’s options: one proposal would exempt religious or institutional organizations from a transportation utility fee, while another would specify other rules that could constrain local implementation. Staff described the presentation as informational and asked for council feedback on what pavement condition level the city should aim to maintain and how aggressive the funding should be; no formal decision was made.
