Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, April 02, 2019
Discussion
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDER A PLAN OF ACTION TO REPAIR POTHOLES AT INTERSECTIONS OF THE 91 FREEWAY AT AVALON BOULEVARD, CENTRAL AVENUE AND WILMINGTON AVENUE (CITY COUNCIL)
Body
I. SUMMARY
This item was discussed during the March 27, 2019, Special Meeting and was also requested to be included on this agenda. This report includes as an attachment a log of the number of potholes filled in Carson within the last two years (Exhibit No. 1).
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
RECEIVE and FILE.
Body
III. ALTERNATIVES
None.
IV. BACKGROUND
There are 263 lane miles of paved roads that run throughout the City of Carson. In 2017 a Pavement Management Study determined that the average Pavement Condition Index was 67 - which is considered fair condition. In order to maintain the current road conditions, an annual investment of $7 million would be required. In order to significantly improve the current road conditions, an annual investment of approximately $10 million would be required.
Currently, on an annual basis, the City is allocated a total of $4.2 million (including SB-1 funds) for road repair and maintenance, and this $3 million to $5.8 million annual shortfall contributes to the deterioration of the City’s streets. This deferred maintenance, coupled with significant heavy traffic and uncharacteristic rainfall, have contributed to the proliferation of potholes throughout Carson and Southern California as a whole over the past several months.
Whenever rainwater accumulates on the road, tires from the vehicles travelling over the road actually squeeze the water into the pavement. Repeated squeezing into the asphalt and concrete causes cracking. Water gets through those cracks and weakens the soil under the road which ultimately results in potholes.
The City has a small internal staff dedicated to road repair and maintenance. With respect to addressing potholes, in addition to touring areas and identifying issues, staff evaluates and prioritizes iWorQ requests, completing the high priority repairs first.
Potholes on the main thoroughfares are given priority due to the potential for increased damage/injury when vehicles are traveling at a higher rate of speed. During dry weather, staff uses hot mix asphalt concrete (HMAC) along with an emulsified binder as this is a more permanent repair. During wet weather, staff uses bagged cold mix as this mix design contains a higher concentration of oil which makes it effective for water-filled potholes.
When pothole repair requests are outside of City boundaries, staff contacts the responsible agency and enters the information into iWorQ for tracking purposes. For liability purposes, among other reasons, the City maintains its own roadways but does not fix potholes located in other jurisdictions.
The intersection of Wilmington Avenue and the 91 Freeway is well outside the city limits of Carson.
At Central and the 91 Freeway, there are several jurisdictions involved. The southbound lanes of Central Avenue are within City of Carson boundaries and northbound lanes are either in Compton or Caltrans jurisdictions. Staff recently filled the potholes in the southbound lanes, and is continuing to monitor the area in the event that additional potholes form and need to be repaired.
At Avalon and the 91 Freeway, staff has taken appropriate action to repair any potholes that are posing a significant risk to the public.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
None.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. Pothole List in the City of Carson. (pg. 3)
Prepared by: Dr. Maria Slaughter, Director of Public Works