Lafayette Says Road Repair Costs Increased by 33%

As the City of Lafayette is working to address its budget deficit, residents are being treated to public relation information from the city.

Lafayette City Council has began the process of possibly placing a 1/2 percent increase in sales tax on the November ballot. This comes as the city is dealing with a 10% ongoing structural deficit every year going forward—approximately $2 million.

Here is what was released Monday by the City.

Funds available to keep roads maintained at their current level are about $2.5 million annually, while costs are expected to be $3.7 million.

Lafayette, Calif. – Over the past two years, Lafayette has paved or surface-sealed 42 streets, using more than 3,900 tons of asphalt. However, the cost of that road maintenance has increased by 33% over the last 5 years. As a result, “the City’s initial estimate of $2.7 million per year to keep the roads maintained in their current condition is now about $3.7 million a year,” according to Lafayette’s Administrative Services Director, Tracy Robinson.

As of today, Lafayette’s Pavement Conditions Index (PCI) is 73.  This falls in the Very Good category (70-89). ‘In this condition, you can expect little or no distress, except utility patches in good condition, or minor to moderate hairline cracks; typically, lightly weathered,” says Matt Luttropp, Lafayette’s Engineering Services Manager.

City Manager Srivatsa stresses that the Engineering Services and Public Works Departments have also done an excellent job addressing issues quickly.  For example, 47% of potholes were filled by the next workday, 18% were filled within a week, and 35% were filled within three weeks.  “If there’s a bad pothole on a major street, we will typically fill it the same day or the next workday,” explains Public Works Manager, Francine Kuykendall.

Kuykendall adds, “Issues related to cracking, depressions, raised areas, etc., averaged six weeks to repair.  They are not typically an immediate danger, so they are not prioritized as highly.”

Additional costs include repair of the City’s heavily used network of paved pathways, most of which lead to schools or downtown. 

“In the last two years Lafayette spent more than $1 million, maintaining and reconstructing paved pathways,” said the Director of Engineering and Public Works for Mike Moran.  He adds, “The cost to maintain these pathways is an add-on to our street maintenance costs.”

Money to fix local streets comes primarily from gas tax and waste management impact fees, while the General Fund takes care of the overhead cost for staff. 

“That means that the money available for pure pavement maintenance is approximately $2.5 million, while costs are expected to be $3.7 million annually on average to maintain our roads in current condition. That is a big gap,” explained Robinson.

The cost to maintain the City’s 92 miles of streets has increased by $1M a year. This is due to various factors – the main one being a 33% increase in the cost of contracted labor and materials for road paving in the past five years, balanced against a revenue increase of only 23% over the same period.

“Unfortunately, the rising costs of labor and materials are surpassing our ability to meet these projected costs,” City Manager Srivatsa adds.  “If we do not obtain additional funding, we may have to reduce our street maintenance efforts.”

For more information email [email protected] call (951) 685-2111 or go online to https://www.lovelafayette.org

About The City of Lafayette

Lafayette is a charming small community located in Contra Costa County 15 miles from The City of Oakland. It’s known for its beautiful green hills, excellent schools, and miles of hiking trails making it an attractive place to live. The City has a population of more than 25,000 highly educated residents, with 75.2% of them holding a bachelor’s degree or higher. Additionally, 73.6% of the homes in Lafayette are owner-occupied. The median home value is $1,914,700, while the median household income is $219,250. The total area of the city is 15.22 square miles.

Contra Costa County PCI Scores:

Here is a look at how Contra Costa County Communities fared in the scoring:

Very Good (PCI = 80-90)

Good (PCI = 70-79)

Fair (60-69)

At Risk (50-59)

Related

• April 22 – $14.1 Million Deficit, San Ramon Set to Discuss Budget Cuts
• March 11 – Lafayette Looks to Sales Tax Increase to Fix Budget Deficit
• Nov 17, 2023 – MTC Releases Pavement Condition Index for Bay Area