If the city of Missouri City continues funding its Pavement Maintenance and Management Program at current levels, in five to six years most streets in the city will need to be reconstructed, Public Works Director Shashi Kumar said.
The Missouri City Public Works Department, along with consultants from Fugro USA Land Inc., presented the results of a recent pavement and sidewalk assessment at the June 15 City Council meeting.
The assessment found the average pavement condition index—a metric that is used to determine the quality of pavement on city streets—has dropped from 76 in 2013 to 55.
A score of 55 borders between fair and poor condition on the PCI rating scale, and any pavement that receives a score lower than 40 is in need of reconstruction, according to the presentation.
“Fifty-five is still a fair condition, but the pavement condition has dropped significantly,” Kumar said.
In previous fiscal years, Missouri City has put approximately $700,000 toward the PMMP. However, Kumar said modeling from Fugro shows continuing to fund the program at this level will cause the average PCI citywide to drop to 40 in five to six years.
“That means in five or six years, you will have to reconstruct all the streets, and that's not what we want to do,” Kumar said. “Also this tells us the current budget that we are spending is not adequate.”
Funds in the PMMP are used to repair routine potholes and replace street panels throughout the city. Kumar said the cost of fixing pavement when it is in fair condition is much lower than fully reconstructing the street once its condition has deteriorated further.
“Anything that you can do to extend the life of the pavement is money well spent,” Kumar said.
Fugro recommended the city spend $3 million annually on the PMMP but recognized that this might not be possible. Kumar is proposing the city increase its PMMP budget to $1.5 million.
The consultants also suggested the city spend $10 million—up from about $5 million currently—on the Capital Improvement Program. A city’s CIP is a five-year plan that includes transportation, drainage, facilities and utility projects that cost more than $50,000, according to a city presentation.
Currently there is approximately $461 million of road maintenance and reconstruction projects needed in the city, with the bulk of money needed for reconstruction.
“Not any city or municipality has this kind of funding, but this just gives us an assessment of what the need is,” Kumar said.
Based on Fugro’s modeling, if the city spends $1.5 million on PMMP and $10 million in CIP, then the pavement condition will hit 40 in 10 years. Additionally, the city would need to spend $1.5 million in PMMP and $30 million in CIP to maintain the current pavement condition, the modeling shows.
Missouri City is currently developing its budget for fiscal year 2020-21. So far, the public works department is recommending $1.5 million for the PMMP and a total transportation CIP of $6 million, according to a June 15 budget presentation.
PCI rating system
- Good: 85-100
- Satisfactory: 70-85
- Fair: 55-70
- Poor: 40-55
- Very poor: 25-40
- Serious: 10-25
- Failed: 0-10
