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Fullerton staff: $8M a year won’t close street-repair backlog; PCI at 68.7
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Summary
City staff told the Transportation & Circulation Commission that the city’s pavement management index average is 68.7 and the CIP Street section receives about $8,000,000 annually — far short of the roughly $25,000,000/year staff said would be needed for visible, sustained improvement.
Principal civil engineer Juan Svala told the Transportation & Circulation Commission on April 6 that Fullerton’s pavement condition index (PCI) averages 68.7 citywide and current annual street funding is insufficient to reverse a growing backlog.
“My name is Juan Svala, principal civil engineer, and I manage the city's capital improvement program,” Svala said in opening his presentation. He described the street program’s scope — rehabilitation, reconstruction, ADA and safety improvements — and explained how PCI scores are produced by consultants and used to set priorities.
Svala summarized the latest draft pavement-management update: arterial streets average a PCI of 74.6, local streets 65.3, and the combined citywide PCI is 68.7. He said the CIP Street section currently receives “about $8,000,000 annually” and that amount “is just not enough to make meaningful progress.”
Commissioners pushed on why Fullerton’s PCI lags nearby cities. Commissioner Sherry said, “Streets are a very big issue in Fullerton, maybe the populist issue in Fullerton,” and asked whether the city reduced general-fund spending on streets after SB 1 and other sources came online. Svala said funding sources fluctuate and noted Measure M2 and OCTA reporting requirements for maintaining a pavement-management plan.
When asked what PCI target the city should aim for, Svala answered that an aspirational target would be near 80 and estimated — with caveats — the city would need roughly $25,000,000 per year for sustained, visible improvement, rather than the current $8 million.
The presentation also covered lifecycle differences between treatments (slurry seal, grind-and-overlay, full reconstruction), the role of utility work and local match requirements for grant-funded projects. Svala noted one-time ARPA funding had temporarily boosted PCI but that those funds are exhausted and the city faces a likely plateau or decline without new revenue.
Public commenter Julie Rayburn told the commission she had driven recently on Euclid and Malvern and observed large new cracks and surface irregularities, urging “somebody needs to really look at the quality control of some of the work that's being done.” Svala and other staff explained that projects include a one-year contractor warranty and that preventive maintenance is required to extend pavement life.
Chairman Manceri closed discussion by saying he would receive and file the item. The presentation will be part of the commission record and staff suggested project maps and the full PCI GIS layers can be provided on request.
