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Council receives pavement management report; plan shows tens to hundreds of millions needed to raise citywide PCI
Summary
Consultants reported San Bernardino's current pavement condition index (PCI) is about 51 (fair); maintaining existing funding would drop citywide PCI over the next decade, while reaching a PCI of 60–70 would require roughly $440M–$700M over 10 years. Council directed staff to incorporate findings into the FY2026–2036 CIP and pursue funding strategies.
San Bernardino — The City Council unanimously received a draft Pavement Management Program (PMP) report on Tuesday and directed staff to fold the findings into the capital improvement program for FY2026–2036 and to pursue funding options.
Key findings: Consultants from NCE reported a citywide pavement condition index (PCI) of about 51 (a “fair” overall grade). They mapped the city's 157 miles of arterial, ~50 miles of collector, and ~350 miles of residential streets and said roughly 70% of the network is in fair to poor condition. Using local bid tabs and typical treatment costs, the consultants presented five 10‑year scenarios: under current funding the city would spend about $130M over the next decade and the PCI would decline toward 40; bringing the city to a PCI of 60 would require an estimated $440M over 10 years, while reaching a PCI of 70 would require roughly $700M.
Treatments and cost logic: The PMP decision tree ties treatments (slurry seal, overlay, reconstruction) to PCI bands and shows escalating per‑square‑yard costs as pavement declines. The consultants emphasized that earlier, preventive treatments cost far less than reconstructing failing roadways.
Distribution strategy: Consultants presented a ‘balanced zone’ approach (10 contiguous maintenance zones) that evens area and PCI and allows focused cycles of rehabilitation. Councilmembers asked for public posting of the maps and analyses, and for transparency about deferred maintenance and funding tradeoffs.
Council action: The council voted unanimously to receive and file the draft PMP and to direct staff to incorporate PMP recommendations into the FY2026–2036 CIP and to evaluate funding strategies.
Why it matters: The PMP quantifies the scale of deferred street maintenance and gives the council a framework to prioritize spending, pursue grants and consider revenue measures.
Next steps: Staff will post the draft report, refine cost estimates, return with funding scenarios for council consideration and explore federal, state and regional funding opportunities.
