Street Repairs
Annual Crack Seal Program: Crack seal is a hot-pour, petroleum-based pavement crack and joint sealant which is used in conjunction with slurry seal to prevent premature failures and aging. Crack sealing is usually done during the summer months, weather permitting.
Annual Slurry Seal Program: Slurry seal slows down the pavement aging process and significantly reduces vehicle road noise. Slurry sealing is usually done during the summer months, weather permitting.
Pavement Skin Patching: Surface patching of arterial and collector street pavements is done during the summer months, weather permitting. Areas to be patched are determined from a visual survey by street crews or from community member reports.
Pot Hole Repair: We receive notice of a pot hole primarily through reports from community members. Evaluation and repairs are made as resources allow. During the winter months a temporary cold patch may be needed until a more durable hot mix patch can be made, typically in the summer months. Cold patches may appear bumpy or uneven but they still help keep moisture from further deteriorating the street. Additionally, crack sealing (described above) is one of the most cost effective ways to slow the natural deterioration of pavement and reduce the number of potholes that occur.
Concrete Street Repairs: The need to repair or replace a concrete street panel is identified through field observation (cracked or sunken panels) or as scheduled by the City's Pavement Management System. In this activity, the street panel is dug up and the base or subbase (soil) replaced, depending on the cause of the failure. Then a new concrete surface is laid.
Gravel Street and Alley Maintenance: There is less than a mile of gravel streets within the city limits. Of the 6.8 miles of alleyways, 2.4 miles are gravel. Gravel streets and alleys are graded and rock added as needed.
Bike Path Maintenance: Bike paths are off-street, paved surfaces that are used by people walking and bicycling. These differ from bike lanes, which are designated areas on streets. Bike paths are swept as resources allow. Areas needing maintenance are identified from visual inspections by the street crews or from community member reports.
Pavement Management System: The pavement management system is software that records street inventory and condition information, analyzes the data, and predicts which streets are in need of various levels of maintenance. A condition assessment is conducted every 2-3 years to update the previous data and add new streets to the system. A contractor performs the condition assessment by a visual inspection.
Bridge Maintenance: A bridge inventory and maintenance history is stored in the City's Geographical Information System (GIS). Every other year, bridges are inspected by ODOT and rated on their structural sufficiency. If the bridge fails to receive an appropriate sufficiency rating, it is scheduled for replacement. Replacements are done by a contractor through the Capital Improvement Program. Routine maintenance is scheduled annually.
Utility Patching: After City water and/or collection crews have made repairs to their facilities in the public rights of way, the street crews or a contractor typically repairs the street surface, curbs, and sidewalks. The City does not complete street and sidewalk repairs needed for private utility work and development projects. These are made by the company performing the work or their contractor.
