City Workers Cruise Streets With Lasers

by The Editors on April 20, 2011

The City of Carlsbadistan has apparently gone all high-tech, science fiction in making sure that our city’s 337 miles of paved roads are in good shape.

“We had experts literally drive every road in the city with a truck that had a laser-camera that shows what condition the pavement is in,” said John Maashoff, a city construction manager. “This comprehensive assessment is a great tool we can use for future maintenance plans. Well maintained roads figure heavily into smooth flowing traffic and the overall quality of life in Carlsbad.”

The City says the roads got a score of 81 out of 100 for upkeep. Hey, if it was done with lasers it’s got to be good right? Lasers are rad. Follow the jump for the entire story.New report shows city streets are in good shape

A recent report shows Carlsbad streets are in good shape, and a new approach to ongoing maintenance will help ensure they stay that way.

“We had experts literally drive every road in the city with a truck that had a laser-camera that shows what condition the pavement is in,” said John Maashoff, a city construction manager. “This comprehensive assessment is a great tool we can use for future maintenance plans. Well maintained roads figure heavily into smooth flowing traffic and the overall quality of life in Carlsbad.”

The city maintains 337 miles of paved roads, representing a $261 million investment of taxpayers’ dollars, according to Maashoff. To help plan for current and future maintenance needs, the city hired Arizona-based IMS Infrastructure Management Services to inspect and evaluate every road segment and give it a grade.

“Overall, the citywide average pavement condition was 81 out of a potential 100 — that’s very good,” said Jon Schauble, a Transportation Department associate engineer who oversees pavement management. Most cities score in the 60s or 70s, the consultants told Schauble.

But the transportation engineers were looking for something more than a pat on the back. With budgets tight and getting tighter, they wanted to know how to stretch their maintenance dollars to get the most life out of the city’s roads.

“We’re spending about $3.4 million to $3.5 million annually maintaining the streets,” Maashoff said. By having the most accurate a picture of pavement conditions possible, he said, “we can make sure we’re putting our money where it is needed most.”

Maashoff said the last time transportation engineers conducted citywide survey of pavement conditions was 2001. Since that time the city used a computer program that divided the city into seven zones, and city contractors would repave and resurface roads systematically, going from zone to zone. Then they’d repeat the cycle. He said streets that had fallen into disrepair would get special attention, but the zone method worked well, for the most part.

Schauble said a new program that uses the data from the pavement survey will help better target maintenance dollars.

“We’re still grouping streets, but we’re no longer splitting the city into seven huge zones,” Schauble said. “The software looks at pavement condition in local groups of streets, rather than going zone by zone. The software is also able to map data using the city’s GIS (geographic information system) layers.”

Streets are color-coded on a large map to show their current condition and identify their maintenance needs.

Maashoff said it sounds like a simple principal — repair streets before they deteriorate — but the new program will it easier for the city to target its resources.

“We look at it citywide and maybe we can fix a problem now rather than spend a ton of money later,” Maashoff said. “It’s preventive maintenance.”

{ 0 comments… add one now }

Leave a Comment

Previous post:

Next post: