Palm Bay pauses Go Roads rollout; staff will update citywide PCI and prioritize high-traffic segments
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Sign Up Free
Summary
Public Works Director Kevin Brinkley told the City Council Nov. 6 that Palm Bay will update its Pavement Condition Index and use the data to direct remaining Go Roads funds primarily to heavily traveled collector streets that have not yet been resurfaced.
Palm Bay officials told the City Council Nov. 6 that the city will update its Pavement Condition Index (PCI) to guide use of remaining funds from the Go Roads program and to focus resurfacing where it will benefit the most drivers.
Public Works Director Kevin Brinkley described the PCI methodology used in the city's 2017 pavement-management plan and explained the program's progress and limits. "As a rule of thumb, you want to manage your road network so that it stays within the range of 75 to 100," Brinkley said, and noted that once a roadway's PCI drops the cost and complexity of repairs rise sharply.
Brinkley reported that the city has finished phases 1 through 3 of the Go Roads plan; phases 4 and 5, which remain, include many collector roads and heavily traveled segments. Costs have risen with inflation and supply-chain pressures: the roughly $27 million annual investment estimated in 2017 would be north of $35 million in today's dollars, he said.
Council and staff discussed strategies to stretch remaining funding: update the PCI across the full road network, prioritize repairs that serve the highest average daily traffic, investigate local asphalt production to reduce hauling costs, and consider recycling or selling millings stockpiles. Brinkley said staff will propose a citywide PCI update project for council approval in an upcoming packet and expects PCI data back by January, with a project proposal on which roads to repave prepared by April or May 2026.
Why it matters: The update will help staff decide whether previously resurfaced streets are holding up under maintenance treatments, identify road-base failures requiring full-depth reclamation, and set priorities for the most-used collector roads that remain untouched by earlier Go Roads phases.
What comes next: Council will consider an agenda item to approve the PCI update project; staff also will study procurement best practices and local material-sourcing options and report back with a recommended list of next projects.