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Renton staff outline 5-year pavement plan; estimate $16.8M for overlays, stress slurry-seal prevention
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Summary
The pavement management program sets a citywide PCI target above 70, uses slurry seal as a cost-effective preventative treatment and plans about 5.6 miles of overlays between 2026–2030 at an estimated cost of $16.8 million. Staff described resident notice and schedule practices and pledged to investigate recurring potholes raised by council.
Eve Bernardo, a project manager in the transportation design section, presented Renton’s five-year pavement management program and described the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) scoring used to prioritize maintenance activities.
Bernardo said the city surveyed 327 miles of road with an average PCI of 73 and set a goal of keeping the citywide PCI above 70. The program lists three primary treatments: slurry seal (preventative), 2-inch grind-and-overlay and curb-ramp retrofits. She said slurry seal can extend pavement life by about 10 years and is significantly cheaper than overlays; she gave rough per-unit comparisons to illustrate the cost gap.
Planned work and cost: Bernardo said the city completed 0.45 miles of slurry seal in 2024, 7.7 miles in 2025, and set a 2026 goal of about 3.5 miles. Between 2026–2030 staff plan about 5.6 miles of overlays with a total estimated cost of $16,800,000; planned 2026 overlay mileage was listed at about 2.41 miles with about 0 curb-ramp triggers for some segments and 0.94 miles and approximately 20 curb ramps in 2027 for others.
Resident impacts and scheduling: Staff described outreach practices—website updates and mailed flyers—typically starting 6–8 weeks before construction, plus a 3-day driveway notice and a 24-hour notice before impact. For slurry seal, Bernardo said the mix is placed in the morning, cures in roughly four hours and roads are reopened the same day; staff and contractors may adjust start times to reduce inconvenience.
Follow-up items: A council member raised persistent potholes at a heavy-truck ramp near the SR-169/405 interchange; staff said they would investigate and, if necessary, coordinate repairs with WSDOT or schedule stronger reconstruction work that could include concrete replacement rather than repeated patching.
No formal votes were taken. Staff characterized the plan as systemwide preventive maintenance intended to avoid more costly reconstruction.
Sources: Presentation by Eve Bernardo to the Committee of the Whole.
