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CAPITAL EXPENDITURES COMMITTEE REPORT TO 2022 ATM& STMs 2022-1 & -2
<br /> produces a slightly lower value than the PCI, indicating that a PCI of 77 is about equal to an RSR of
<br /> under 74, so the increase in RSR value was actually greater than the numerical change itself indicated.
<br /> That 79.33 RSR signified that the typical TAR condition in Lexington was at the top of the "Preventative
<br /> Maintenance" level of road repair, a quality level which is better than previously achieved under the PCI
<br /> formula.
<br /> The Town has been surveying one third of the roadways each year, and the FY2020 update to what is now
<br /> called the Pavement Management Program (PMP) marked the completion of the last three-year cycle and
<br /> showed another steady improvement of the RSR from 79.33 to 84.93, moving the level of road repair
<br /> squarely into the next-higher category of "Routine Maintenance". For FY2021, the Town moved to a
<br /> two–year cycle of inspections. The first phase, completed in FY2021, produced a slightly higher RSR of
<br /> 85.23. The second phase of the new two-year cycle, completed in FY2022, pushed the average rating up
<br /> again to 88.78, into the middle of the Routine Maintenance category, and indicating that the Town's
<br /> approach to maintaining the roads is working successfully.
<br /> While the initial 2010 study reported that replacement cost for just the TAR would be in excess of
<br /> $85,000,000 in FY2011 dollars, subsequent years have seen this number drop substantially, with the
<br /> FY2021 and FY2022 updates pegging the total roadway repair backlog at about $7,500,000. (A more
<br /> detailed analysis of the 2010 report is contained in this Committee's report to the 2011 ATM, beginning
<br /> on Page 21). The Town also actively tests different road treatments each year as it seeks to extend the life
<br /> of the roads and to lower maintenance costs.
<br /> The FY2022 update recommends that the Town spend approximately $2.5 million annually to maintain
<br /> the current road network's RSR, or more to further increase it. The Town has been maintaining or
<br /> exceeding such recommendations in an effort to steadily improve the conditions of the roadways.
<br /> A list of planned street work in the 2022 construction period will be posted when available on the Town's
<br /> Engineering website at:
<br /> hiips://www.lexin to.a. og v/en in_ e�ering/Tages/en in.�g-construction-projects.
<br /> This Committee is always pleased to see a quantitative basis for determining the condition of
<br /> Town–owned assets and is impressed by the Town's success in making substantial improvements to the
<br /> street network's condition. It also supports the DPW's continuing efforts to raise the Town's baseline
<br /> pavement–condition grade to be solidly in the "Routine Maintenance" RSR Range (80-94). Continuing
<br /> with the PMP, along with DPW's careful management of other potential impacts to our pavements (e.g.,
<br /> utility work, construction for storm-water and wastewater system improvements, sidewalk-related
<br /> projects, etc.) offer the promise of an ever-more productive and cost-effective roadway program going
<br /> forward. Funding for the Pavement Management Program is provided by a combination of Town Funds
<br /> (typically 72%) and State Chapter 90 funds. See Article 12(1)for the FY2023 funding request.
<br /> Sometimes road work can be included in large, specific projects, such as the now under construction
<br /> Center Streetscape Project. The Hartwell Avenue bridge and intersection project, for which
<br /> $7.535 million was appropriated at the 2013, 2015, and 2017 ATMs, is currently paused pending possible
<br /> design changes to the size and geometry of the bridge, roadway, and sidewalks that may be proposed by
<br /> the $1,500,000 "25% Design of the Route 4/225 Bedford Street—Hartwell Avenue—Wood Street
<br /> Transportation Improvement Project"funded at the STM 2019-1,November 12, 2019,Article 8.
<br /> Lexington's aggressive and creative approach to maintaining our roads and extending their useful life
<br /> shows up in the improvements noted above from 2010 to 2021. The national pavement preservation
<br /> industry trade group FP2 also took note with its 2020 excellence award to the Town Engineering
<br /> Department for its practices and results.
<br /> Sidewalks
<br /> The Town has approximately 80 miles of sidewalks and 1,050 pedestrian curb ramps (source: BETA
<br /> Sidewalk and Curb Ramp Assessment report, September 2020). In 2005, due to the overdue need to
<br /> upgrade and extend the sidewalks,the SB had appointed a Sidewalk Committee. In 2014,the DPW, with
<br /> assistance from the engineering firm Fay, Spofford & Thorndike (now Stantec), completed a sidewalk-
<br /> condition survey (report, December 2014). That survey found the average area-based Sidewalk Condition
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