Pavement management is the process of planning the reconstruction, rehabilitation, maintenance and repair of streets to efficiently optimize the pavement conditions over the entire network of roadways. It is vital to the community because proper pavement management allows cities to avoid costly replacements in the long run. A portion of the Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) and general funds have historically been used to finance this program. The new vehicle license fee revenue will be added to the mix to enhance the program.
Studies have shown that scheduled maintenance extends the life of city streets by up to 50% and that it costs less than the expensive repairs needed without scheduled maintenance. The cost of replacing unmaintained roads is much more expensive than the cost of regular maintenance.
2019 Pavement Management Projects
The list below will be updated throughout the year as projects come online.
This is a key part of the City of Washougal’s preventative maintenance program to maximize the service life of our roads. Grind/Inlay involves grinding areas of pavement failure to a depth of 3” and pouring new asphalt in place. The new asphalt must be compacted and allowed to cool prior to letting traffic on it.
Chip seal is a pavement surface treatment constructed by evenly distributing a thin base of hot bitumen and then embedding finely graded aggregate into it. The aggregate is evenly distributed over the seal spray and then rolled into a smooth pavement surface. This treatment seals out water and provides a good wear surface with skid resistance. The chip rock will then be covered with a fog seal to extend the life of the new surface.
Asphalt overlay is a paving method of applying a new layer of asphalt to a deteriorating surface. Rather than tearing up an old asphalt surface entirely, an asphalt overlay project will use the existing layers as a base for the new asphalt pavement.
Slurry seal is a mixture of slow setting emulsified asphalt, well graded fine aggregate, mineral filler, and water. It is used to fill cracks and seal areas of old pavements, to restore a uniform surface texture, to seal the surface to prevent moisture and air intrusion into the pavement, and to improve skid resistance.
The City of Washougal will have an independent contractor apply asphalt rubber (AR) chip seal, sweep and apply a fog seal to Sunset Ridge Drive. The fog seal will extend the life of the new surface.