Pavement Management System
Public Works maintains an inventory of all the streets in Broomfield through its Pavement Management System.
Street conditions are assessed using a standardized method of pavement distress identification
developed at the request of the United States Department of Transportation's Federal
Highway Administration. Distresses for each street are stored in a
pavement management database that, when applied to a formula, calculates
the Remaining Service Life (RSL) of a street section where RSL 20 = New
and RSL 0 = Failed. The system is used as a tool by staff to determine
which streets need to be included in the Street Pavement Preservation
Program and what treatment they should receive.
The current Street Pavement Preservation Program utilizes four
methods that address improvements to existing street system pavement
conditions. The various treatments, listed from lowest to highest cost,
include:
- Street Seal Coat - Performed on streets that have minimal amount of pavement distress.
 Polymer/asphalt emulsion is
applied to the street surface, preserving and protecting the asphalt surface.
- Mitigation 1 - Performed on streets that have a moderate to severe amount of distress. Routing patching
and crack sealing are
performed to protect the sub-grade from further exposure caused by areas of failing asphalt.
- Mitigation 2 - Performed on streets that have severe pavement distress.
Patching and limited sub-grade repairs
are performed and a seal coat (chip seal, cape seal, double chip seal, scrub seal, or micro-surface) is applied
to maximize the life of the mitigation efforts and enhance drivability.
- Street Reconstruction - Process involves removal of existing pavement, reconditioning the sub-grade, and the
installation of new asphalt pavement.
With this approach, street segments maintain their condition for a
longer period of time by seal coating rather than degrading to a point
where they need a complete overlay. When mitigation is applied, the underlying structural problems are not fixed.
Instead, mitigation temporarily provides a smooth riding surface and a new looking street surface. This treatment
will have to be reapplied every two to three years until the street is reconstructed.
City Council approved expenditures for the 2012 program at their April 24, 2012 meeting.
The project is underway and should be completed by November 1, 2012.
Residential Notification and Traffic Control methods will assure that
residents will experience minimal inconvenience. View the complete list of streets that will receive treatment this summer.
Find out more about this system!
Watch an on-demand video previously aired on Broomfield's Channel 8. |
