Agenda - Council - 07/12/2022 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. Orcutt stated he would like to see the plan in February 2023 and approval as soon as practicable. He stated there could be some elevating costs that may be unknown in going into three years of construction so getting it done sooner is better. 2.02: Review Pavement Condition Rating Systems City Engineer Westby explained that the current rating system that is being used to assess roads is the Pavement and Surface Evaluation Rating (PASER) system which is a subjective assessment. He explained that more cities are using the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) system which is an objective rating system that uses a number system that is more accurate and reliable. A third system that MnDOT uses where vans with cameras digitally map the street surfaces and the system rates the roads. He stated that is a fast alternative but the County uses the available trucks and they are very expensive. He stated if they went with PCI he suggested letting WSP do the ratings until staff are trained in the future. He asked for feedback and direction from Council. Councilmember Specht asked why PASER was used initially and what benefits there are. City Engineer Westby replied the benefit is that it is easy to do, it is quick, and was the easiest thing to implement at the time. He stated it takes the least amount of time of any of these. Councilmember Musgrove asked City Engineer Westby which system he thought would be most valuable for inventorying the streets, consistency with carryover. City Engineer Westby replied he preferred the PCI rating system because it forces someone to get out and actually look at the pavement versus driving by when cracks could be missed. He thought it would allow them to set the CIP up more accurately. Councilmember Musgrove asked City Engineer Westby to explain with the PCI rating system how taking a section of a road plays into the whole road because some areas may have more damage than other areas of the same road. City Engineer Westby replied no, that is why they have to carefully pick a representative area. If some areas have issues such as drainage, it can be noted at the time. Representative areas can be changed over time. He thought finding a representative area was pretty easy. Councilmember Musgrove asked if the representative areas are documented and if they are the same areas that are observed every year. City Engineer Westby replied the areas are documented but can be moved if needed. Councilmember Riley commented that PCI gives a more precise number but he wasn't sure they needed that precision, because they don't make decisions without doing more analysis on it. He stated the department is falling behind and he didn't want to do anything that is going to take time away from the Staff or spend more money on something that isn't fixing the roads. He stated he would be content to stay with PASER. City Council Work Session/June 28, 2022 Page 6 of 20