Draper outlines preservation-first road strategy, $3 million maintenance budget
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Summary
Draper City public works director Scott Cooley told Mayor Troy Walker the city prioritizes early surface treatments to extend pavement life, relies on a roughly $3 million annual maintenance program and uses data-driven prioritization to avoid costly reconstructions.
Draper City public works director Scott Cooley said the city follows a preservation-first strategy to keep roads in good condition and avoid costly full reconstructions.
Cooley, who has more than 30 years of civil engineering experience and has been Draper—s public works director for about 11 years, told Mayor Troy Walker the goal is to "treat them upfront and over the lifespan, they're gonna last longer." That approach emphasizes crack sealing, scrub seals and slurry treatments to protect pavement from oxidation and water intrusion.
"If we don't do that, 10, 15 years from now, you would be regretting that we didn't do that," Cooley said, describing the long-term savings of timely surface treatments.
Cooley said Draper budgets roughly $3,000,000 a year for road maintenance, funded by a combination of state B&C road formula money and a county transportation tax increment, plus internal sources. He said the city inventories roads with technical assistance from Utah State to estimate remaining service life and then prioritizes which segments need preservation versus full reconstruction.
Potholes and winter repairs remain a seasonal challenge. Cooley said winter patching has historically relied on cold mix, which does not compact well, but new mastic equipment now allows more durable cold-weather repairs than were previously possible.
Cooley also described expanded on-site quality controls, including four full-time inspectors and laboratory core testing, which the city uses to confirm whether asphalt mixes and compaction meet specifications.
The city emphasizes treatments on newer pavement to extend life while scheduling older roads that require reconstruction when funding allows. Cooley said this set of practices reduces the long-term cost burden on the community and preserves the network more efficiently than reconstruction-only approaches.
The mayor and Cooley encouraged residents to report potholes through Draper—s public works line or website so crews can respond promptly.
