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Consultants report Kenai roads average PCI 78; city given 5‑year funding scenarios
Summary
Consultants hired by the city told the Kenai City Council that inspectors surveyed about 67.7 miles of roadway and calculated a network-average Pavement Condition Index (PCI) of roughly 78. They recommended a mix of crack sealing, targeted overlays and several budget scenarios that range from $36,000 a year for safety-only fixes to about $1.5 million to eliminate the backlog in five years.
Consultants from TR Consulting told the Kenai City Council on March 4 that a 2025 street condition assessment found the city’s road network averaged a Pavement Condition Index (PCI) of about 78.
“PCI score is basically a score from 0 to 100,” said consultant Daniel Doms, describing the firm’s inspection method. He said the team inspected about 67.7 miles of the network and used the PA software to produce section-level trend reports and 5‑year prioritized maintenance-and-rehabilitation (M&R) plans.
The assessment classified asphalt and gravel segments by condition and deterioration rate. Doms said local roadways were deteriorating at roughly one PCI point per year while collector and minor-collector streets averaged about 2.01 PCI points per year. He cautioned that pavement typically enters a “critical PCI range” near 60, after which rehabilitation costs rise sharply.
The consultants ran four budget scenarios for the city’s five‑year program. “If you spent all of the money upfront to try to catch up on all the work that needed to be done, that would result in a PCI of 80 for about 1.5 million,” Doms said. He said maintaining the current network condition would cost about $910,000 per year and a safety‑only program (patches and fixes limited to high‑severity defects) would keep a lower PCI but cost roughly $36,000 per year.
Doms and TR Consulting recommended prioritizing inexpensive preventive work—crack sealing, mastic sealing and infrared repairs—on sections that remain above the critical PCI, while scheduling cold‑mill/overlay and reconstruction for sections that have crossed the critical threshold. They also recommended grouping nearby projects into the same fiscal year to reduce mobilization costs and continuing inspections on a 3–5 year cycle to refine the models.
Council members asked about comparisons with other municipalities, longer projections and paving practices; a second TR Consulting representative, Dylan Ross, said the firm works for municipalities of similar size and performs airport pavement work in Alaska. Council member Daniel asked if eliminating the backlog reduced long‑term costs; Doms said a 10‑year projection typically shows lower future maintenance burdens after an up‑front catch‑up investment.
Next steps indicated by staff include using the report’s prioritized project lists and unit costs in upcoming capital and operating budget discussions. The council did not take direct action on the report at the meeting; the presentation was provided for council direction and budget planning.
The report and the consultants’ full deliverable contain section-by-section recommendations and cost estimates; staff said the final technical report will be available for council review and referenced in upcoming budget materials.
