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Engineering report: University Heights streets average a PCI of 45; council weighs multi‑million‑dollar options
Summary
City Engineer Brenda Mockbee told council the city’s pavement condition index averages 45 ("very poor") and presented funding scenarios ranging from current ~$1M/year maintenance to more than $3M/year for significant improvement; council agreed to send the matter to Finance Committee for budget planning.
City Engineer Brenda Mockbee presented a detailed pavement assessment using the Army Corps of Engineers' PAVER model and told council the streets in University Heights have an average PCI (pavement condition index) of 45 — a score she characterized as "very poor." Mockbee described the PAVER methodology, said the analysis focused on base and surface pavement (not curb replacement), and explained the tradeoffs between preventive maintenance and full rehabilitation.
Mockbee outlined three budget paths: continuing the roughly $1 million annual approach (which would lower the average PCI over time), an intermediate plan of about $1.9 million per year to largely maintain the current baseline, or a more aggressive program of over $3 million per year that could raise average PCI to about 56 and bring more streets above the critical threshold. She noted that streets classified as "failed" often require full reconstruction — milling, base repair and a new surface — and that those projects are substantially more expensive than overlays or crack sealing.
Council members pressed for clarity on what "failed" means in practice and whether recent repavings used substandard materials or installation. Mockbee confirmed failed streets typically require rebuilding the base and that factors such as material specs and workmanship can affect longevity. Several council members, including John Rach and Christopher Cooney, pushed for more detailed cost estimates for full rehabilitation and asked staff to identify grant opportunities (OPWC) and potential joint projects to improve scoring.
Vice‑Mayor Michele Weiss and the Finance Committee agreed to schedule a dedicated meeting in the next few weeks to align the street‑repair priorities with the 2026 budget process. Mockbee recommended visual inspections every 3–5 years and said she would return with more detailed rehabilitation cost estimates and a comparison of failed streets versus those the model suggests to preserve with maintenance.
