Spring Street Maintenance Program in Full Swing

With warmer weather upon us, the City has begun maintenance on its streets to maintain and improve roadways providing safe and effective travel for the community.

Each year, the City inspects the roadways and evaluates the pavement condition index (PCI), using a method developed by the Army Corps of Engineers. A numerical rating between 0-100 is given to pavement conditions based on the presence and severity of numerous types of distresses. Some common surface deficiencies consist of deteriorated surfaces, cracks and pavement distortions. Those data points are used to determine the score which is tracked, along with the pavement condition and pavement maintenance history, for each roadway section.

It is the City’s Pavement Condition Policy that at least 70% of the major arterial roadways* will have a pavement condition rating of “good” or better. The remaining roads will be maintained so that at least 60% will have a rating of “good” or better.

Given this policy, the City splits maintenance funds between fixing the streets in the worst condition and maintaining streets in good condition. Preventative maintenance is the most cost-effective way to maintain the roadway network.

Once streets are selected for annual maintenance, the City will notify impacted residents (via USPS) explaining the upcoming work. Door hangers are placed at residences a few days prior to construction. Depending on the treatment selected, roadway closures and driveway access restrictions are generally limited in both duration and number of impacts. The City works with the contractors to accommodate those residents with special needs to minimize the impact of the maintenance work as much as possible.

While crews are on-site, additional improvements may be made including repair and replacement of damaged curb, repairs to curb drainage inlets, upgrades to ADA curb ramps, improvements to pavement markings and signage, bridge repairs and routine maintenance and repairs and replacements to traffic signal infrastructure.

Additional information about the program including streets selected for the current year’s program and current schedule information may be found at www.westerville.org/streets.

DID YOU KNOW?

The City of Westerville has more than 374 single-lane miles of paved roads. That is enough roadway to take your from Westerville (one way) to Baltimore, Maryland; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Nashville, Tennessee;

TREATMENT TYPES

Slurry Seal (finely graded gravel, an asphalt binder and additional emulsifier additives) is spread in a thin layer over the roadway surface.

Crack Fill involves using an air compressor to clean out crack in the pavement before injecting hot-applied sealant.

Pavement Rejuvenator is a spray used on relatively new roadway surfaces to reverse the effects of aging due to environmental damage from sunlight and water.

Chip Sealing is the application of a thin layer of asphalt combined with a layer of small gravel.

Plane and Overlay removes the existing surface layer of asphalt and applies a new layer.

Full Street Renovation removes the full depth of the pavement and an entirely new roadway is constructed.

Micro-Surfacing is a rapid-setting mixture of polymers and asphalt used to improve skid resistance and extend pavement life.

*Westerville’s Super Arterials are: Cleveland Avenue; Polaris Parkway; County Line Road; Sunbury Road, south of County Line; Schrock Road, between Cleveland and State; Maxtown Road, between Spring and State; and State Street, north of Polaris and south of Schrock. Visit www.westerville.org/streets for a full explanation on how these roads are determined.

EXCELLENT 90-100 Pavement structure is stable, no maintenance needed.

GOOD 70-89 Pavement structure is stable but may have surface erosion or minor cracking, some treatment required.

FAIR 50-69 Pavement structure is generally stable with minor areas of structural weakness. Deformation pronounced and noticeable.

POOR 30-49 Roadway has areas of instability. Spot repair of pavement base may be required.

FAILED 0-29 Cost of saving the pavement structural section may equal or exceed complete reconstruction of roadway.