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Aurora reports jump in pavement health after $32M maintenance push; committee backs program
Summary
City staff reported the roadway network’s average Pavement Condition Index rose from 69 to 79 after recent investments funded by the Transportation Maintenance Fund and certificates of participation; committee approved continuing the current maintenance program.
Nicholas Johnson, an engineer with the Streets Capital Improvements Group, told the Transportation and Public Works Policy Committee on Feb. 25 that Aurora’s pavement strategy and recent funding have improved the citywide Pavement Condition Index (PCI) from about 69 to 79.
Johnson said the city uses the PCI — a 0–100 score verified by a third party every three to five years — to prioritize interventions that deliver the most value for taxpayer dollars. He described a hierarchy of interventions: crack filling and surface treatments to extend the wearing course, mill-and-overlay to reset pavement life (typically returning a street to roughly mid‑80s PCI), and full roadway reconstruction when subgrade or structural failures occur and costs increase substantially.
The presentation traced a drop in network condition from 2019 through 2022 and said the Transportation Maintenance Fund and a 2022 certificates-of-participation financing package enabled a program-scale response. Johnson said the current annual allocation for street overlays, concrete repair, slurry seal and related inspections is about $32,000,000, with the fund set to grow roughly 5% per year to help offset inflation and maintain project sizes.
He reported production metrics from recent years: the program completed about 271 lane miles of mill-and-overlay in 2023 and is trending toward a steady state of roughly 160 lane miles per year going forward. Johnson said the city prioritizes work by PCI and the roadway’s functional role (arterial, collector, local), noting arterials and collectors were targeted to remain at or above a ~72 PCI while local roads are kept safe and passable when funds are constrained.
During committee questions, staff clarified that pavement section design is calibrated for anticipated traffic loads (heavier structural sections where industrial or high‑volume traffic is expected) and that some industrial routes follow separate design standards. They also explained that roadway turn‑over from developers to the city typically occurs after initial acceptance or a certificate of occupancy, but that private roads can remain private if not built to city standards.
Chair moved to ask whether the committee supported proceeding with the maintenance program as presented; members verbally indicated support, a second was called, and the chair declared the item approved to move forward.
The committee asked staff to provide additional technical specifications and to continue regular reporting on lane‑mile production and PCI trends.
