CONSULTING FIRM REPORT SAYS CONDITION OF CITY OF BRENHAM ROADS SLIGHTLY UNDER NATIONAL AVERAGE
A report given to the Brenham City Council today (Thursday) by a consulting firm states that the condition of city roads falls just shy of the national average.
Infrastructure Management Services (IMS) presented a pavement management analysis report to the council after assessing and analyzing approximately 94 centerline miles of city-maintained roadways.
IMS Central Region Client Services Manager Jeff Meyers said out of a Pavement Condition Index (PCI) from 0 to 100, with 100 being the best, the city’s road network average pavement condition score sits at a 59, below the national average currently seen by IMS of 60 to 65.
Meyers said while this score is still considered “Fair” and is not an immediate cause for concern, plans do need to be made for substantial road repairs in the near future.
According to Meyers’ report, the city’s percentage of streets rated as “Excellent” with a PCI between 85 and 100 is 9 percent, falling below the firm’s minimum recommended target of 15 percent. The city’s backlog, representing “Very Poor” and “Poor” roads between a PCI of 0 and 40 that need extensive rehabilitation, is above the average value of 12 percent at 14 percent. Meyers said a healthy road network would have a backlog of 10 percent or less.
Meyers hypothesized that because of limited funding, city crews have had to make repairs that he called “ill-advised but affordable.” He said the city needs to change that practice before it becomes a larger issue.
Specific streets that Meyers pointed out included Baylor Street, which scored as “Excellent;” South St. Charles Street, which was considered “Good;” Mangrum Street, deemed as “Marginal;” and Scenic Drive, said to be “Poor.”
Meyers said while the city’s current budget of $2.7 million for road improvements will improve the PCI average to 63, it will also increase the backlog to 25 percent by the end of the five-year budget horizon.
Councilmember Clint Kolby asked if the city needs to revisit its capital debt plan budget from earlier this year based off of this information, to which City Manager James Fisher said no, as money has already been allocated for in-house and contracted street work. Strategic Budget Officer Debbie Gaffey said $250,000 was added, and Assistant City Manager of Public Services and Utilities Donald Reese said that money will be used for seal coating to help stretch out the life of certain streets. He said the city does not need to adjust the amount of funding in the capital debt plan budget, but it will change the streets that fit into that plan.
Last October, the council approved a professional services agreement with IMS to perform this analysis for $77,828. Meyers recommended that the city resurvey its streets every three years to update condition data and track pavement performance.
Also at today’s meeting, the council:
- Held a workshop to discuss allowing a car wash as a specific use in the local business/residential mixed use zoning district. The council was in favor of allowing car washes on a case-by-case basis, and directed staff to prepare a text amendment for the Planning and Zoning Commission to consider. The text amendment is expected to come before the commission at its meeting later this month, and should come before the council in August.
- Approved an amendment to the city's sign ordinance adding sign regulations for major multi-tenant shopping centers. Project Planner Shauna Laauwe said these provisions would only pertain to major shopping centers located within a commercial research and technology use zoning district or a planned development district.
- Approved a series of items that were previously approved on Monday by the Planning and Zoning Commission. Those include the rezoning of 12 tracts of land encompassing 82.55 acres on and around East Tom Green Street, Loesch Street and Niebuhr Street; the amendment of the planned development district for Section Two of the Lakes at Vintage Farms; and rezoning of just under an acre of land at 1408 North Park Street from mixed residential to commercial, research and technology use.
