Summer pavement maintenance program to cover lots of ground in Pleasanton

Pleasanton city workers will begin work on repairing and resealing more than 4.25 million square feet of local streets just after the Fourth of July weekend as part of their Summer Pavement Management Program.

According to city officials, work is scheduled to begin on July 6 with crews first completing concrete improvements, base repairs and crack sealing as needed before applying slurry seal to the road surface.

The Pavement Management Program's goal is to "maintain city streets and keep them in good driving condition, which requires a considerable amount of thought and effort," according to the city website.

Multiple streets around the downtown area are slated for repairs or improvements, including Second Street between Neal Street and Kottinger Drive, on Pleasanton Avenue between St. Mary and Division streets, from the east end on Division to Pleasanton, and again on Division between Pleasanton and St. Mary.

Kottinger will also be repaved between Bernal Avenue and Concord Street. Other major roadways to be repaired or improved this summer include Del Valle Parkway from Hopyard Road to Hometown Way, as well as Black Avenue.

The city's street system of approximately 501 miles of paved roads has an overall Pavement Condition Index (PCI) of 81 out of 100 -- the second highest in Alameda County behind Dublin and Union City, though officials note that Dublin's higher PCI could be "a product of the amount of development with new streets."

Every two years, officials evaluate and rate all 1,324 roadway sections in Pleasanton. Brand new streets receive a PCI of 100, while above 75 is considered "good," above 50 being "fair," above 25 is "poor," and less than 25 is "very poor." Without maintenance, street surface conditions can drop from a PCI of 100 down to 50 within about 18 years of service.

As the street ages, the rate of deterioration speeds up. If maintenance continues to be neglected, street conditions can then drop from 50 to 25 in just a few more years. When a street is rated "poor" or "very poor," a complete overhaul is needed, and the roadway base rock is reconstructed before repaving the street surface.

Roads in Pleasanton that are rated "good" with a PCI close to 75 usually receive a slurry seal treatment, which is fairly affordable at a cost of approximately 50 cents per square foot. These savings allow many streets to be sealed, thereby increasing their PCI from the low end of "good" at 75 to the higher end, closer to 100.

Slurry seal is a thin coat of asphalt and aggregate slurry mixture which seals the road surface when applied. Senior civil engineer Adam Nelkie told the Weekly that slurry seal is the second component of street preventative maintenance -- most likely taking place in September -- and helps "prolong the useful life of the existing street infrastructure while providing a safe and smooth riding condition."

The cost of the slurry seal project is $530,000, and is scheduled to be awarded by the Pleasanton City Council on July 20. Work for the pavement management program is scheduled for completion in November.