County of San Diego Pavement Management Program-‘Road to 70’

 

Location

County of San Diego Road Network

City or County Responsible for Project

County of San Diego, Department of Public Works

Category

Best Pavement Management Practices

Description

County of San Diego Pavement Management Program-‘Road to 70’
Best Pavement Management Practices – 2026

The County of San Diego oversees one of California’s largest local roadway networks (~1,956 centerline miles). Managing this system requires a strategic, cost-effective approach that preserves pavement conditions, minimizes long-term costs, and supports community mobility.

By the early 2010s, we faced a troubling reality: our network had declined from PCI 71 to 60 with no reversal in sight. Before 2017 our annual funding was around $5-$7 million. Leadership recognized incremental fixes wouldn’t solve the problem. In 2017, we formalized “Road to 70”an ambitious program to restore our network to PCI 70, backed by $70 million annually based on SB-1(Road Repair & Accountability Act) funding.

We had been collecting high-quality pavement data through automated surveys with Human-in-the-Loop validation since the early 2010s. Road to 70 placed this robust Pavement Management Program (PMP) data at the center of our decision process, combining data analytics with engineering expertise and community feedback. This holistic approach enabled cost-effective project selection balancing technical optimization with real-world priorities.

The project team developed a decision tree capturing practices, costs, and performance expectations, reinforcing; do the right treatment at the correct time. Rather than band-aids, we invested in robust upfront repairs—base failures first, then surface treatments. Given our program’s scale and sustainability commitment, we explored innovative solutions through Building Better Roads which is a working group established by the County of San Diego to identify innovative, cost effective, and sustainable pavement preservation solutions. By revising specifications for 25% RAP, we used 350,000 tons from 2018-2023, saving virgin aggregate while diverting material from landfills.

Our team maintained constant pulse through what-if analysis, determining how proposed projects would impact network PCI and identifying actions to prevent excessive deterioration. Ground truthing through networkwide PCI updates validated forecasts while measuring deterioration—revealing treatments performed better than anticipated. This monitoring tracked underserved communities and we updated our portal DPW’s Annual Roadway Resurfacing Program-Road to 70 P.C.I. for stakeholder visibility.

Delivering a program ten times larger required ramping up staffing and rigorous communication between planning, design, and construction teams, enabling consistent delivery of 100+ centerline miles annually.

From 2017-2025, we invested $500 million and increased network PCI from 61 to 69, reaching 70 by summer 2026. We delivered: 900+ miles resurfaced, 366 culvert improvements, 2,260+ ADA curb ramps, 145 intersection upgrades, 57 traffic signals with video detection, 349 bike lane miles. “Very Good” roads: 39% to 54.7%; “Very Poor”: 9% to 0.6%.

This is best practice pavement management: placing PMP data at the center of holistic decision-making, combining analytics with expertise and community input, using decision trees for cost-effective treatments, monitoring through what-if analysis and ground truthing, scaling organizational capacity, sustainable resurfacing, and transparent engagement.