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Council hears new data tool for pavement planning and budget scenarios
Summary
City staff and streets managers demonstrated 'Informed Streets', a pavement-management tool that scores roads and produces multi‑year treatment plans tied to different budget levels; council discussed budgeting and reserve strategy.
Chet Olsen, Nibley’s streets division manager, and city engineers presented the council with a new pavement‑management approach and software demonstration on Jan. 9 that ranks every lane mile and produces multi‑year treatment plans tied to budget scenarios.
Olsen described how the city measured 88 lane miles, assigned PASER ratings and used the software to schedule treatments — from crack sealing and slurry seals to overlays and full reconstruction — at different budget levels. The team showed examples that a $275,000 annual spend produces different long‑term repair cycles than a $1,000,000 annual program and said the tool helps prioritize which streets to treat in a given year.
City Engineer Tom Dickinson summarized the technical side, saying the system combines field video, expert pavement ratings and a treatment‑life algorithm to forecast degradation and schedule the most cost‑effective interventions. The presentation emphasized the savings of “preserving” newer pavement with early surface treatments rather than letting roads degrade to the point of reconstruction.
The consultant and staff also described staffing and licensing costs for the software: a one‑time setup/drive fee of about $12,000 and an annual hosting/maintenance fee (about $6,000). Council members asked how often the model should be audited against observed road conditions; staff recommended a periodic re‑drive and recalibration (for example, every five years) to keep degradation rates realistic.
Why it matters: The software gives council members a data‑driven, multi‑year picture that ties a chosen annual pavement budget to expected condition outcomes and specific treatments by street segment. Council members discussed using the tool to refine the city’s Class C road funding and reserve strategy and to produce more transparent, scheduled workplans for contractors and residents.
Ending: Staff said they will bring a contract and proposed funding approach to a future meeting. In the meantime, the council asked staff to run scenarios and return with a recommended annual budget and a plan for five‑year audits of the model.
