TO: TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION
FROM: MARIA TIPPING, CITY ENGINEER
DATE: MAY 28, 2026
SUBJECT:
Title
PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (PMS) UPDATE
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SUMMARY
The City of Claremont maintains a Pavement Management System (PMS) to develop street maintenance schedules. The preparation of the PMS involves gathering specific information such as existing pavement surfaces, roadway surface conditions, roadway geometric characteristics (length, width, depth) and available maintenance history. This information is then used to develop a schedule to maintain City streets. Staff previously brought an update to the Traffic and Transportation Commission (TTC) on February 25, 2021.
Since then, staff engaged the consultant professional services of RKA Consulting Group, for the preparation of a subsequent PMS update. RKA obtained the most current data in March 2024, which was used to provide updated Pavement Condition Index (PCI) values. Staff used this updated data to create a map, to provide a document reflecting the reports exported from the Pavement Management Database, which is assisting with the preparation of a new maintenance schedule.
The mapping of this data has allowed staff to prepare the upcoming Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget for Fiscal Year 2026-2028 and provide an outlook for future CIP budgets over the next five to ten years.
At tonight’s meeting, staff is presenting an update on the PMS, the preparation of the upcoming CIP and the outlook for future CIP budgets.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommended Action
Staff recommends the Traffic and Transportation Commission receive and file this report.
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FINANCIAL REVIEW
The contract cost to prepare the PMS update was $23,000.
The cost associated with the preparation of this staff report is estimated at $1,250 and is included in the operating budget of the Community Development Department.
ANALYSIS
Since 2020, staff began modifying its PMS preparation and projection methods, shifting from an in-house process to one consisting of contracting professional consultant services to obtain the field observations necessary to update the City’s database, and to provide updated PCI information and assessment for the preparation of the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget projections.
In 2021, the PMS update projected a budget shortfall resulting from the overall state of the City’s roadway network. Staff used the PMS results obtained to prepare roadway resurfacing schedules for the FY 2022-2024 CIP.
While helpful to have future projects readily available, the PMS system is designed to be updated every two years, ideally to be coordinated with the budget cycles. These regular updates are recommended to account for recent maintenance completed and to properly address any drastic changes in roadway conditions that would necessitate changes in the proposed CIP budget from cycle to cycle. The subsequent round of PMS update was completed in February of 2024, to coordinate scheduling of projects and associated completion dates.
Staff also use the PCI values to consider any additional budgeting impacts resulting from evaluating street segments that adhere to the City’s Complete Streets Policy, necessary ADA upgrades, and potentially hazardous roadway conditions in need of immediate attention.
The PCI rates the condition of the surface of the road network and provides a numerical rating for the condition of road segments within the road network, where 0 is the worst possible condition and 100 is the best. Staff evaluates the obtained PCI ratings to recommend the applicable maintenance methods.
The following chart summarizes typical PCI ratings and recommended maintenance methods.
|
PCI Range |
Rating |
Recommended Maintenance |
|
85-100 |
Good |
Minimal Repairs |
|
70-84 |
Satisfactory |
Slurry Seal |
|
55-69 |
Fair |
Overlay |
|
0-54 |
Poor |
Reconstruction |
To ensure satisfactory roadway conditions, the City strives to achieve an overall average PCI of 84.
The following statistics, from the roadway survey performed by RKA in 2024, expressed in Center Line (CL) miles, describe the pavement conditions, or PCI, for the different roadway classifications. The current PCIs are also compared with the results obtained in the 2021 PMS assessment.
• Arterial roadways [17 CL Miles] - Average PCI is 56
o Down from 65 in 2021
• Collector roadways [16 CL Miles] - Average PCI is 61
o Down from 68 in 2021
• Residential/Local roadways [93 CL Miles] - Average PCI is 70
o Down from 71 in 2021
• Overall City-wide PCI is 65
o Down from 69 in 2021
Based on the 2024 PCI assessment, the following provides a 10-year outlook reflecting cost estimates for each of the roadway classifications to achieve a PCI of 84 city-wide:
• Arterials - $39,500,000
o Up from $33,000,000 in 2021
• Collectors - $13,500,000
o Down from $14,000,000 in 2021
• Residential/Local - $47,000,000
o Down from $64,000,000 in 2021
• Total Backlog: 100,000,000
o Down from $110,000,000 in 2021
According to the 2024 PCI assessment, the average budget needed per year to achieve a PCI of 84 city-wide is as follows:
• Arterials - $3,950,000/year
o Up from $3,300,000 in 2021
• Collectors - $1,350,000/year
o Down from $1,400,000 in 2021
• Residential/Local - $4,700,000/year
o Down from $6,400,000 in 2021
• Total Backlog/year: $10,000,000/year
o Down from $11,100,000/year in 2021
Historically, the City has received annual allocations for road maintenance work ranging from $2,000,000 to $3,000,000 based on an ever-changing landscape of funding sources. Most of these allocations come from tax measures. Recent additions to these funding sources include the most recent voter approved initiatives such as SB1 and Measure W funds. However, it should be noted that Measure W is mostly restricted to infiltration type projects. There have been no new funding sources since the last update provided in 2021.
This PMS update will continue to assist staff with the preparation of the upcoming Capital Improvement Program (CIP), using the following preventive maintenance methods, based on current pavement maintenance needs:
• Slurry Seal
o $1/square foot
• Grind and Overlay
o $5 - $6/square foot
• Full Pavement Reconstruction
o No current figures, but traditionally 2x (minimum) that of a grind and overlay
Traditionally, these three methods have been used by the City for their cost effectiveness to address city-wide roadway surface conditions. Typically, the slurry seal method is reserved for the maintenance of residential local streets. Grind and overlay method is typically used to maintain collectors and above, and certain residential streets, when slurry seal does not address the condition of the roadway. Reconstruction is not a method that has been exercised in over twenty years. Primarily due to using a combination of spot reconstruction of specific areas (deep patch) and a grind and overlay approach.
Consistent with past experience, the backlog costs are too great to develop a short-term maintenance program. In order to achieve an average PCI rating of 84, the City will have to consider different cost-effective approaches to schedule upcoming street maintenance projects, to be completed over a period of time. This will require identifying additional funding sources such as grant funding, or re-allocating qualifying funding sources to assist with the resurfacing backlog.
The following addresses potential maintenance scenarios that will need further evaluation to determine their cost effectiveness.
1. Continue with project scheduling as previously done - Status quo
a. Residential Neighborhoods Slurry Seal annually
b. Overlay & Reconstruct as funding sources accumulate or become available
This approach is not preferred because maintaining the status quo will not achieve the desired PCI of 84, will promote further pavement deterioration, adding costs to the maintenance backlog.
2. Alternate Slurry Seal projects with Overlay and Reconstruction Projects
a. Negatives
i. Forces slurry seals to be done on a 14-year cycle vs. a 7-year cycle
ii. Could increase the rate at which residential/local/collector roads become in need of overlay and reconstruction, thereby increasing the average annual budget needs.
b. Positives
i. If residential/local/collector roadways are able to hold up, it could allow for the backlog to be reduced on a small scale.
3. Reduce Slurry Seal areas to make more funds available to accommodate some of the streets that need an overlay and/or reconstruction.
a. This method would need to be carefully analyzed in order determine the increased rate that residential/local/collector roads will begin to need an overlay or reconstruction type of resurfacing.
These options have remained the same since 2021, as new technologies are typically more expensive than the methods listed above. The current CIP budget for fiscal years 2026-2028 is currently under review.
Two additional budget meetings are scheduled for June 2026. These two meetings will be held at the Planning Commission, and lastly at City Council for a final recommendation to adopt the CIP and Operating Budgets for fiscal years 2026-2028.
Historically, resurfacing projects have been grouped by areas to become more cost effective, address public convenience, and reduce the number of working days. As such, the previous approach to roadway maintenance was separated into seven areas for residential street maintenance, with collector and arterial streets to be scheduled for overlay and reconstruction when funding sources permitted.
Since 2019, staff has taken into consideration the approval of the City’s Complete Streets Policy, meant to “enable our streets to provide a network of safe, convenient, and comfortable routes for all users that encourages increased use of multi-modal transportation, and meet their needs, while continuing to maintain an effective transportation system for all users”.
In the Community Development Department, the Engineering Division is tasked with bringing proposed projects before the TTC to review and discuss feasibility of incorporation of the cities pavement maintenance program, and as part of the re-occurring CIP preparation.
While the policy does require it to be included into CIP operations and advanced planning projects, it does come with exceptions allowing for complete streets to be not included with “projects involving ordinary or emergency maintenance activities designed to keep assets in serviceable condition such as landscape maintenance, cleaning, sweeping, spot repair, concrete joint repair or grinding, pothole filing, or when interim measures are implemented on temporary detour or haul routes, except as provided in the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CA MUTCD)”. Furthermore, there is another exception for “lack of funding and/or excessive and disproportionate costs of installing complete streets elements as part of a project”.
Complete Street Projects are far more expensive than routine maintenance projects. Further, the construction of a project with expensive complete street elements increases CIP budgets, forcing staff to reprioritize available funding. Since the approval of the Complete Streets Policy, the City has implemented two complete streets projects and currently has one designed to about 95% completion. The following provides costs associated with these projects:
• Foothill Boulevard [Towne Avenue - Monte Vista Avenue]
o ~2 miles
o $16,000,000 in construction
o $8,000,000/mile
o Completed in 2020
• Towne Avenue [Foothill Boulevard - Base Line Road]
o ~1 mile
o $5,250,000 in construction
o $5,250,000/mile
o Completed 2025
• Mountain Avenue [Bonita Avenue - Base Line Road]
o ~1.75 miles
o Estimated at $12,000,000 in Construction
o $6,850,000/mile
o 95% design completed
Comparing these figures with that of general maintenance efforts, slurry seal can be in the area of $208,000 per mile with grind and overlay projects around $1,400,000 per mile to construct.
These figures show slurry seal at about twelve to thirty-eight times less costly and an overlay project around two to six times less costly than a complete streets project when compared to regular roadway resurfacing. These projects are not equal by any means, because street characteristics are typically not equivalent as slurry seal approaches are reserved for local/residential roads that are not the primary candidates for complete streets. However, the comparison is necessary to show the cost requirements for roadway maintenance versus a complete streets project.
The preparation of the next maintenance schedule underwent an in-depth review of the reports exported from the Pavement Management Database. To facilitate prioritizing, the city’s roadway network map was updated with the 2024 PCIs. This review is reflected in the proposed CIP budget to be presented to the Planning Commission and the City Council in early June 2026.
Additional budgeting impacts are analyzing street segments that adhere to the City’s Complete Streets Policy, necessary ADA upgrades, and potentially hazardous roadway conditions in need of more immediate attention. Ultimately, this data allowed staff to prepare the current CIP budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2026-2028 and provides an outlook for future CIP budgets over the next five to ten years. As previously stated, staff will continue to propose updates every two years to properly address any drastic changes in roadway condition that would necessitate changes in the proposed CIP budget from year to year. If this cannot be obtained, then modified schedules will be utilized to address aiming for a citywide average PCI of 84, while taking into consideration citywide Capital needs and City Council priorities.
CEQA REVIEW
This item is not subject to environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
PUBLIC NOTICE PROCESS
The agenda and staff report for this item have been posted on the City website and distributed to interested parties. If you desire a copy, please contact the City Clerk’s Office.
Submitted by: Prepared by:
Maria B. Tipping P.E. Vincent Ramos
City Engineer Associate Engineer