2018-06-27-CEC-ATM-rpt (Combined Report with Updates & Errata)

Browse Search

CAPITAL EXPENDITURES COMMITTEE REPORT TO 2018 ATM(incorporating Updates&Errata) private owners or the State. The DPW also maintains the Town's portion (5.3 miles) of the 10.0-mile Minuteman Commuter Bikeway ("Bikeway"), which opened in 1993. In April 2010, the Town retained Fay, Spofford & Thorndike (FST) (since acquired by Stantec), a civil–engineering consulting firm, to develop and implement a Pavement Management System(PMS) for the TAR and its portion of the Bikeway. The first study was completed in November 2010 and has been updated annually. The PMS is based upon an extensive roadway database describing pavement conditions and roadway characteristics, and among other things reports conditions using a Pavement Condition Index (PCI), which is a 100-point scale with 100 representing the best possible condition. The Town has since changed to a new software system that uses the term Road Surface Rating (RSR) rather than PCI, and a new contractor (BETA Group) to do annual updates. Using the FY2018 BETA update, the average RSR for the TAR continued to improve, from a PCI of 77.0 the previous year to an RSR of 79.33 this year. The Town's modeling of the entire road network indicates that the RSR produces a slightly lower value than the PCI (indicating that a PCI of 77 is about equal to an RSR of under 74), so the increase in RSR value is actually greater than the numerical change might indicate. That 79.33 RSR signifies that the typical TAR condition in Lexington is at the top of the new "Preventative Maintenance" level of road repair(a quality level which is better than previously achieved under the PCI formula). The initial study reported that replacement cost for just the TAR would be in excess of$85,000,000 in FY2011 dollars. (A more detailed analysis of the report is contained in this Committee's report to the 2011 ATM, beginning on Page 21). The FY2018 update estimates the backlog to repair the entire system at $13,579,775, a decrease from the 2017 estimate of$16,697,104. The Town has been actively piloting different road treatments as it seeks to extend the life of roads and lower maintenance costs. The FY2018 update recommends that the Town will need approximately$2.2M annually to maintain the current road network RSR, or$3.0M annually to improve it to a higher value. A list of planned street work in 2018 construction period—which will be using prior-year funding—is posted at<https://www.lexingtonma.gov/sites/lexingtonma/files/uploads/all_paving_list 2018.pdf>. This Committee remains extremely pleased to see a quantitative basis for determining the condition of the Town-maintained pavements and the Town's success making meaningful gains in the overall network's condition. It also supports the DPW's continuing further efforts to raise the Town's baseline pavement–condition grade to be solidly in the next-higher band ("Routine Maintenance"; RSR Range 80-92). Continuing with the PMS, along with DPW management of other potential impacts to our pavements (e.g., utility work, construction for stoi iiwater and wastewater system improvements, sidewalk-related projects, etc.) offer the promise of an even more productive and cost-effective program going forward. Funding for roads is provided by a combination of Town Funds (typically 72%±) and State Chapter 90 funds. (See Article 16(k).) Sidewalks The TAR is comprised of 907 segments and creates a sidewalk network with approximately 85 miles of sidewalks containing 818 pedestrian ramps ("ramps"). (Source: Stantec Sidewalk & Ramp Network Conditions Update, January 2017.)In 2005, due to the overdue need to upgrade and extend the sidewalks, the BoS appointed the Sidewalk Committee. In 2014, the DPW with assistance from FST (its report, December, 2014), completed a sidewalk-condition survey. The survey results found that "the average area-based Sidewalk Condition Index (SCI) in Lexington was 68—which puts it in the middle of the "Partial Repair"treatment band. (An 85-100 score is the "Do Nothing" band.) The survey found 40% of the sidewalk network in the "Do Nothing" treatment band and 34% in the Localized Repair' treatment band. The Stantec survey recommendation was that it would require $750,000 to maintain current conditions, but would require $825,000 for sidewalks and ramps to ensure both quantity and quality. The proposed DPW sidewalk replacement program is based upon the priority list developed in conjunction with the survey. The FY2018 survey update is not expected until after this report is completed. The FY2017 update reported that in December 2016, Stantec completed a 20%re-survey of the TAR's sidewalk network and found the average, area-based, Sidewalk Network SC1 was 68.8 (i.e., only marginally better than the 2014 21