Review Pavement Condition Rating Systems

The purpose of this case is to receive Council consensus direction on whether Staff should further explore converting from the Pavement and Surface Evaluation Rating (PASER) system to the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) system to rate pavement conditions of City streets in the future.
 
The PASER system is a subjective or opinion-based pavement condition rating system where the pavement condition of a street segment is assigned a whole number from 1 to 10 by someone visually observing the pavement from behind a windshield of a moving vehicle.  A PASER value of 1 indicates a pavement in complete disrepair, while a PASER value of 10 indicates a new pavement section.  The PASER system is more commonly used to rate pavement conditions of trails, and is less widely used for rating pavement conditions of streets.  Attached is a manual that describes the PASER system and provides graphics showing what the pavement condition looks like for each PASER value from 1 to 10.
 
The PCI system is an objective or fact-based pavement condition rating system where the pavement condition of a street segment is assigned a whole number between 0 and 100 by someone physically measuring the existing pavement distresses within a representative section of the street, then calculating a PCI value based on these measurements. A PCI value of 0 indicates a pavement in complete disrepair, while a PCI value of 100 indicates a new pavement section.  The PCI method is widely used in transportation engineering and asset management, and many municipalities use it to measure the performance of their street infrastructure and their levels of service.
 
Other systems exist such as pavement condition surveys where a motorized vehicle equipped with cameras drives along streets at normal operating speeds to digitally capture surface distresses and rut depths, as well as roughness measurements and digital images of the right-of-way, for use in analyzing pavement conditions.  This method is commonly employed by State DOT’s and counties due to the large number of lane miles they must evaluate.
 
Staff will present more information on costs during the meeting.  At the time this case was prepared, Staff was awaiting a proposal from WSB and Associates.  If this proposal is received before noon on Monday, Staff will attach it to the case.  If the proposal is received after, Staff will present it during work session.
 

Staff anticipates 15 minutes will be needed to present this case and respond to questions.   

To be determined based on discussion.  

City Engineer Bruce Westby will present this case and Public Works Superintendent Grant Riemer will be available for questions.  

Staff is seeking consensus direction from the City Council on whether Staff should further explore converting from the Pavement and Surface Evaluation Rating (PASER) system to the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) system to rate pavement conditions of City streets in the future.