Accelerating Street Repairs

 

Location

City-wide

City or County Responsible for Project

Downey

Category

Roads: Efficient and Sustainable Road Maintenance, Construction and Reconstruction Projects.

Description

The City of Downey owns and maintains 214 miles of roadways, consisting of 154 miles of residential streets (which make up 80% of the City’s street network), 17 miles of collectors and 43 miles of arterial highways.
In March 2021, the City Council adopted the City’s Pavement Management Program (PMP) Update. A PMP provides a systematic approach to assessing, monitoring and managing the condition of highway pavements in the most cost-effective manner. The results of the study help determine the most appropriate pavement rehabilitation strategies, prioritize locations and form the basis of the City’s 10-year street improvement program.
In July 2021, the City Council wanted to accelerate much needed street improvements, and adopted a program that would issue approximately $30.5 million in bonds and make payments on these bonds over a 20-year period using annual proceeds from the City’s allocation of Measure M and Measure R local return funds. Following the bond issuance, staff grouped 6 of the 10 residential zones into a first phase. The first phase was completed and accepted by City Council between January 2022 and September 2023, expending approximately $21 million on 66 miles of residential streets in the two-year period of design and construction. The remaining 4 areas are grouped into a second phase and are planned over the next 2 fiscal years.

The infusion of approximately $30.5 million in available funds from the bond issuance marked a pivotal achievement, empowering our staff to elevate their efforts in tackling the 10-year residential program with unprecedented vigor. Remarkably, within a span of less than two years, the City accomplished the paving of the initial six years of the program as a part of its inaugural phase. Looking ahead, an additional two years are slated for completion in 2024, with the final two years earmarked for 2025. This ambitious timeline translates to the full realization of the entire 10-year residential program within a remarkable four-year timeframe. This monumental project has yielded substantial public benefits, demonstrating our commitment to advancing the community’s infrastructure and enhancing overall quality of life. By issuing bonds, the City was able to fast-track rehabilitation of its residential neighbors. Even if funding levels return to $5 million annually once the bond proceeds are expending, staff in projecting that the City’s overall network PCI will increase to 70 which is in the “very good” category by 2031, a big improvement from the PCI of 59 had the City not embarked on this $30 million bond program.