Item A: Status Report on Local Gas Tax

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The annual Pavement Management Report is produced to update information and data regarding the City of Eugene’s transportation system including improved streets, unimproved streets and off-street shared-use paths. This report provides surface descriptions and associated mileage, reviews current treatment programs and costs, and projects future treatment needs based on several funding scenarios. The transportation system is conservatively estimated to represent a $500 million public asset. This asset is typically described in lane miles and/or centerline miles. Currently, Public Works manages 1,325 lane miles (531 centerline miles) of streets, and approximately 41 miles of off-street shared-use paths within the City limits. This report includes a breakdown of the street transportation system in terms of pavement type, level of improvement, and functional classification. Comparative statistical data includes both lane miles and centerline miles. Street (and off-street shared-use path) condition data is collected by Public Works Maintenance staff through on-site inspections. An Overall Condition Index (OCI) score is then generated using CenterLine, the current Pavement Management System (PMS) used by the City. The CenterLine analysis helps establish efficient treatment requirements and identify financial implications of various response strategies. A PMS also provides street inventory and condition trends using 23 years of street condition information. For some time, street repair funding levels have not kept pace with rehabilitation needs. To help address this need, the City established a local gas tax in 2003 for a pavement preservation program (PPP), and a $35.9 million, five-year bond measure was approved by voters in November 2008 to repair 32 specific streets in Eugene. The revenues from the local gas tax and the bond measure have helped reduce the backlog of street repair projects. Specifically, based on the 2009 ratings and reported in the 2010 report the calculated backlog was $151 million; as of the end of 2010 the current backlog has been calculated to be $139 million. Despite this short-term downward trend the backlog is projected to continue to grow unless funding levels are increased. In addition to the infusion of local gas tax and bond funding, other factors have contributed to the current status of the backlog: Several projects previously defined as needing to be reconstructed have been redesignated for overlay treatment. An overlay treatment is much less expensive than a reconstruct treatment and can provide a comparable service life if the base is properly designed and undamaged. In recent years, the cost of projects has been lower than anticipated. The cost of fuel is a significant factor in bid prices. Ongoing fluctuations in costs for fuel, construction materials and labor are likely to affect long-term backlog estimates. In 2009 the City was awarded approximately $3 million federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds that were earmarked for projects constructed in 2010. This “bought down” the backlog in the short term, but because the ARRA funds were one-time funding, they will not result in a significant ongoing or cumulative effect. 1