At an Aug. 14 meeting, the city approved a contract with Alpha Paving to complete over a dozen paving and drainage projects as part of the 2023-24 street maintenance plan.
The details
The projects span throughout the city, with a special focus on residential areas with substandard roads.
According to city documents, improvements include the following:
- Mill and overlay: grinds up existing asphalt and replaces it with new pavement
- Crack seal: fills up cracks in the road’s surface
- Surface preservation: treatment applied to the road to prevent or slow further deterioration
The funding
The street maintenance plan is funded through the city’s street maintenance sales tax, a 0.5% tax applied to all taxable purchases made in the city, according to the city’s website. The tax was approved by voters in 2021 and will need to be reapproved in 2025 to stay in effect.
Prior to the tax, the city had no dedicated revenue system in place to consistently fund road maintenance, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
The street maintenance plan is separate from the $11.8 million bond package approved in 2021, which includes larger road projects within the city.
The reason
The 2023 Pavement Evaluation Report completed by Road Asset Services for West Lake Hills outlines the condition of roads in the city.
While the city overall scored a 72 out of 100 on the health of its roads, categorized as “satisfactory,” the report stresses the financial importance of preventative maintenance rather than reactive maintenance when it comes to roadways.
What's next?
Bills said the road work is likely to begin by Sept. 1, but a completion date for all projects has not been determined.
None of the projects will require full road closures, and most will take about a week to complete.
Drainage improvements along North Peak Road are likely to be slated last among the projects due to ongoing collaboration with nearby residents, Bills said.
