With summer weather finally hitting the Pacific Northwest, the City of Washougal is in the midst of a robust Pavement Management Program (PMP), made possible by an enhanced investment from the city council. The Council’s number one operational priority this year was the PMP where funding was increased from $750,000 in 2018 to $863,000 in 2019. Results of the 2018 Community Survey indicated maintenance of city streets was an area that needed improvement. The 2019 program includes 85,000 square yards of slurry seal and 3,700 square yards of AR chip city-wide.
“The Council listened to the community’s needs and made investment in pavement management a priority,” said Mayor Molly Coston. “Now we are seeing the results with the work we are accomplishing in this year’s program.”
The program will have the greatest impact in those areas of town which are scheduled for certain types of repair or rehab based on the age and condition of the street. Completed in June, this year’s biggest project was an asphalt overlay on Washougal River Road. In addition to the typical surface treatments utilized, for the first time, the City will apply an asphalt rubber (AR) chip seal to a section of Sunset Ridge Drive. AR chip seals can have a number of benefits compared to the traditional chip seal including less impact on traffic, a longer lifetime and noise reduction on roadways.
As part of the 2019 budget, the Washougal City Council voted to initiate a state-authorized $20 annual vehicle registration fee to provide enhanced funding for road maintenance. Collection on the new fee began in June and allows the City to increase funding for the PMP by over $113,000 this year. Revenues collected from the registration fees go directly to the PMP fund and cannot, by law, be used for any other purposes. In addition to the registration fee revenues, the PMP is funded by a portion of the annual revenue from Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) and the general fund.
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. 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. By adding the vehicle registration fee, the City will be able to save resources and keep streets drivable and safe.
2019 Pavement Management Program
| PROJECT | LOCATIONS | COMPLETION DATE (2019) | COST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washougal River Road Asphalt Overlay | E Street to Washougal River Bridge | Completed June | $361,000 |
| Slurry Seal | Various city streets | July/August | $161,000 |
| AR Chip Seal | Sunset Ridge Drive | August | $25,000 |
| Chip Seal | Various city streets | September | $168,165 |
| Crack Seal | Various city streets | Ongoing | $20,000 |
| Grind/Inlay | 39th/W Street | TBA | TBA |
Impacts on residents and businesses may include traffic delays and noise from contracting activities. Residents and businesses affected by these projects will receive two day notice on their front doors.
Read more about the new state-authorized $20 annual vehicle registration fee here. Results of the 2018 Community Survey can be found at https://cityofwashougal.us/communitysurvey.
Project descriptions, schedules and maps can be found online at https://cityofwashougal.us/PMP.
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CONTACT:
Trevor Evers, Public Works Director
(360) 835-8501 ext. 202
Trevor.Evers@cityofwashougal.us
Michele Loftus, Communications Specialist
(360) 835-8501 ext. 510
Michele.Loftus@cityofwashougal.us