Title
Modifications to City Code and Policy Regarding Street Pavement Cuts (Ordinance G-6308)
Description
Request City Council approval of recommended changes to existing policy regarding pavement cuts made in City streets, and repeal City Code Section 31-38(d) and amend City Code Section 31-49.1 to effect these changes.
Report
Summary
Residents, City Council members, and other users of City streets have raised concerns regarding utility excavation cuts on newly constructed or resurfaced streets and the resulting short- and long-term damage impacts to the roadway service life. The current City ordinance covering street pavement cuts has not been updated since 1987.
With the passage of Proposition 104 by Phoenix voters in August 2015, the Street Transportation Department anticipates more than $2.3 billion in Transportation 2050 revenue over the next 35 years, the majority of which will be used for new or resurfaced pavement on City streets. This is in addition to the Highway User Revenue Fund (HURF) revenue dedicated towards the construction and maintenance of the City's nearly 5,000 miles of streets. With additional miles of roadways being resurfaced, it is imperative that right-of-way activities are closely coordinated with pavement restoration projects to ensure that the City's growing investment in its streets is properly protected.
The recommended changes to existing street pavement cut policy include:
- Add asphalt mill and overlay requirement for cuts to pavements up to 24 months in age regardless of size. For these cuts, additional micro-surfacing/slurry seal treatment would continue to be required in addition to the asphalt mill and overlay requirement.
- For cuts to pavement greater than 24 months in age, micro-surfacing/slurry seal treatment will continue to be required.
- As an option available to the entity performing the pavement cut, the City will accept payment (including all contracts costs and related administration) for the cost of performing a required pavement treatment in lieu of that entity performing the treatment themselves.
- Required pavement treatment limits will extend 25 feet on either side of a pavement cut.
- All existing pavement cut surcharge fees will be eliminated.
- City will work to inspect and accept new pavement and mill/overlay locations upon completion of each location rather than as a group of locations for more accurate tracking of actual pavement age.
- Pavement potholing smaller than two square feet and no more than one per project will not trigger the pavement treatment requirement.
- City will produce a Geographic Information System (GIS) map of pavement treatment locations planned over the next 3 to 5 years and pavement treatment locations completed within the timeframe for any asphalt mill and overlay requirement.
- City will hold regular coordination meetings with utility and developer stakeholders to review public and private project plans in the right of way for conflicts.
- Policy changes will be effective July 1, 2017.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
The Citizens Transportation Commission voted unanimously to recommend City Council approval of the recommended street pavement cut policy changes at its Feb. 23, 2017 meeting.
The Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee voted unanimously to recommend City Council approval of the recommended street pavement cuts policy changes at its March 14, 2017 meeting.
Public Outreach
The Street Transportation Department held five stakeholder group meetings between August 2016 and February 2017 on proposed street pavement cut policy changes with right-of-way stakeholders, including public utilities and private development representatives, in addition to the board and subcommittee meetings referenced earlier.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Mario Paniagua and the Street Transportation Department.