Transcript Oversight of Road Mgmt

WELCOME TO SDLTAP TRAINING!
County Commissioners Brief
17 Mar ‘11
Fundamentals of Managing
Roads
by
Larry Weiss
Central SD LTAP
Managing the Road System
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Establish Accurate Inventory
Breakdown by Surface Types
Road Classification & Levels of Service
Setting Priorities
Introduction
• Inventory of existing system:
• The Local Roads Needs Study conducted in
Aug/Sept of ‘08 indicated by it’s results and
from LTAP visits that inventory information is
limited to non-existent in some cases.
• This is essential information from which to
plan especially for annual budgeting and for
making longer term decisions.
Inventory continued
• County Road System
– A. Total miles on system
– B. Miles eligible for federal funding participation
– C. Miles which are the major truck routes which
require a thicker section of gravel surfacing or
base course and asphalt.
Inventory continued
• County Secondary Road System
– A. Number of miles
– B. Those routes in unorganized townships
managed and maintained by the county.
– C. Budgeting – surfacing, pipe & structures
Inventory continued
• Township Road System
– A. Organized townships maintain these routes
– B. Coordination with the county often enhances
efficiency
• 1. Resources – gravel
• 2. Operations – maintenance/snow removal
Inventory continued
• Asphalt Pavement
– A. Number of miles
– B. Year placed
– C. Maintenance operations performed:
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Crack treating
Chip seal
Overlay
Other Rehab (rut filling, slurry seal, in-place recycle)
Inventory continued
• Asphalt Surface Treatment (Blotter)
– A. Number of miles
– B. Year placed
• Number of courses (chip seals)
• Thickness/quality of base course (gradation and PI)
Inventory continued
• Blotters will perform well with adequate base
thickness, specified gradation and PI base
course.
• Gravel surfacing does not work as base course
due to higher PI and generally smaller stone.
Inventory continued
• Gravel Surfacing
– A. Number of Miles
– B. Traffic Volumes
– C. Layer Thickness
– D. Quality of gravel
• Gradation
• PI
(Can be judged by amount of corrugation and loose, or
unbound gravel, on surface)
Inventory continued
• Bridges
– Number of bridges in county
– Condition
Note: Accurate inventory and condition rating of all
bridges is maintained by the SDDOT. But, local
agencies must manage maintenance and request
replacement as deemed necessary.
Inventory continued
• Small Structures (less than 20 ft in length)
– Number of structures on county system.
– Condition
– Maintenance Needs
Inventory continued
• Culverts (pipe)
– Number of culverts in county
– Inventory by size (diameter and length) and location
– Condition (Annual Inspection is required by law)
Note: As defined by SD Codified Law 31-14-27,
Townships may petition Counties for replacement of
small structures or culverts with opening (or
combined openings in same streambed) of 16 square
feet or greater.
Inventory continued
• Please don’t forget to manage culverts and
small structures!!
Managing the Road System
• Record Keeping
• Understanding Structural Design
Surface Section
• From LRNS results and LTAP visit information,
this is an area which could be improved
through record keeping. Some entities have
good records, others have none.
• None: the only method of decision making is
looking at the surface, this alone does not
provide adequate information from which to
make a budget decision.
Thickness – What is in place?
• 1. Asphalt
• 2. Blotter/Base course
• 3. Gravel surfacing
If there is no record, cut holes and measure.
Chop Saw
Surface Management
• Age – Example: If an asphalt mat is 18 years
old but there is no record, the repair or
maintenance decision may be incorrect due to
the deterioration of the asphalt.
• Condition – Evaluation should be done by the
same individual(s) on all routes for continuity
using a guide similar to LRNS.
Structural (thickness) Design
Considerations
• This area of our work appears to be
misunderstood by many folks.
Performance Contrasts
Failure in one year!
Photo taken in 2008
Blotter constructed
in Hand Co in 1965!
Structural Design
• Subgrade soil
• Specification (quality) & thickness of Base Course
in the case of Asphalt Roads.
• Specification Gravel Surfacing in the case of
Gravel Roads
• Strength is not in the surface on Asphalt
Roadways.
Structural Design con’t
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County (volume under 400) –
8 inches base course with blotter* surface.
* Stablized gravel if budget requires
4 to 6 inches gravel surfacing depending on
level of service.
• Gravel is most cost effective if traffic volume is
under 150 to 175 vehicles per day (SDDOT
Surface Selection Criteria Study – 2002)
Structural Design (contd)
• County Federal Aid (volume 400-750)
– 8 -10 inches of base course under blotter or 2-3
inch AC mat
County Federal Aid (volume – high trucks)
– (ie: Road to Ethanol Plant, large Ag Operations)
– 12 - 15 inches base course under blotter
(temporary surface) or 3-4” AC mat
Relationship of Base Depth to Base Strength
strong
Strength
Of
False
strength
gain
assumption
Base
More
accurate gain
in strength
weak
thin
thick
Depth of Base
Recommendations
from Another
Source
Projected Surface Life
• Age (Life of Surface)
• This does not mean without maintenance, but
the useful service life before major
reconstruction or rehabilitation must be done.
Projected Surface Life
• Asphalt
– Mat: 15 - 18 years with crack treating every 3 - 4
years and chip seal every 5 - 7 years
– Blotter: 15-25 years with chip seal every 4 - 6
years
Projected Surface Life
• Gravel Surfacing:
– Regravel on a schedule to maintain desired
thickness/quality
– Try to schedule reshape at 20 to 25 years
Projected Surface Life
• Specific thickness will vary within a
classification depending on volume & loading
of traffic.
• The thickness’s shown previously indicate
why it is important to have an inventory for
decision making for maintenance and
budgeting.
Impact of Geotextiles
• An option that should be considered when
building or repairing over weak subgrade.
• Can save money when used correctly to avoid
deep digouts.
Geosynthetic Families
Geotextiles
Geosynthetics in Roadways
• Road construction is the most common use of
geosynthetics
– Separation
– Filtration & drainage
– Reinforcement
• Typically geotextiles and geogrids
Separation
• Separation maintains the design thickness of
the respective layers
• Maintains load carrying capability of road
• Allows for somewhat reduced base thickness
in cases with soft subgrade
Geosynthetic Functions
Separation
Migration of Fines
SD Examples
• There have been many –
– Day County
– Brookings County
– City of Sioux Falls
– Town of Toronto
– City of Miller
– Rosholt Township
– Town of Brandt
– City of Platte
And many others.
Rd Has Never Failed Since Repair in
2001
Picture taken last week – 3-26-09
Danger of Making Uninformed
Decision
• Examples:
• City street/road to elevator
– Existing asphalt blotter surface in poor condition
with unknown base course thickness (actual base
thickness is 6”)
• Improvement decision without inventory –
• Overlay with 2” asphalt mat
• Potential premature failure wasting the money
for 2” asphalt
Making an Informed Decision
• Improvement decision with inventory –
• Mill existing blotter and some base
• Add 7-8 inches of quality base course and
reblotter
Or• Mill existing blotter and some base
• Add 6 inches of quality base course
• Place a 2-3 inches asphalt mat
Danger of Making an Uninformed
Decision
• County road with 700 ADT
– Existing blotter surface in poor condition with
unknown base course thickness and quality
(actual base is 5 inches with gravel surfacing spec
– 10 PI)
• Improvement decision without inventory –
– Minor patching and reblotter
– Potential premature failure due to inadequate
thickness & poor quality base.
Making an Informed Decision
• Improvement decision with inventory
– Mill blotter and portion of base
– Add 5 - 6 inches of quality base and reblotter or –
– Pave* if budget allows
– * Based on budget , may need to stabalize gravel
as a temporary surface
Planning/Budgeting
• Project Needs
• Estimate Costs
• Communicate: Needs vs Available Funds
Examples of Records, Work Plans
and Maps Shared by LTAP Friends
20 years of records on major
maintenance and rehab on
one road section
A work plan for major
maintenance and
construction submitted
to commission
Bridges
It Can be Done With a Computer
Planning/Budgeting
Projected Needs
1. Use Inventory, Needs, Age
– It is easier to be convinced of the
need/proposed improvement, and cost if you
have a sound basis.
2. Projection for the future – what development
may occur?
•
Communicate with the planners, are there plans
forthcoming?
3. Project costs accordingly.
Planning/Budgeting
Estimating Costs
• Use annual bid unit costs, contractor’s
estimates, SDDOT average bid prices or your
own unit costs.
• Estimate costs based on needs defined by
condition assessment of the road system
Planning/Budgeting Communicate
• Needs will likely exceed budget and capacity
to complete work.
• Mutually set priorities / discuss impact of
deferred work.
• Communicate, communicate, communicate!!
Important For Communication
• Know what your sources and amounts of
revenue are for roads.
• Have a plan for using that revenue.
• Be able to answer questions about how you
are spending public money.
• Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know”, but be
willing to get the answer and provide
information.
Sources of Revenue
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Real Estate Tax
Sales Tax (cities)
Federal Aid (counties and class 1 cities)
Vehicle license/registration fees
Special Funds (Industrial Park Access,
Agribusiness Access, Community Access, etc)
• Negotiated agreements with private business
• Others
How Is Revenue Shared?
• Example of a real estate tax breakdown for
2008:
– County
– School
– Twp
– Rural Fire
– Water Dist.
Total
33.9% (but, how much for roads?)
60.3%
4. 3%
1.3%
0.2%
100%
Tax Revenue (con’t)
• Tax Revenue per $1,000 tax paid using
percentages from previous slide
– Paid to County
– Paid to School
– Twp
– Fire
– Water Dist.
$339 (but only approx $129
goes to roads)
$603
$ 43
$ 13
$ 2
What About Vehicle
License/Registration Fees?
(Prior to 2011 Bill)
• SD Non-Commercial License Fees:
– Vehicle <4,000# less than 5 yrs old
$42.00*
– Vehicle <4,000# over 5 yrs old
$29.40
– Vehicle between 4 and 6,000#
less than 5 yrs old (pickup trk)
$55.00*
– Vehicle between 4 and 6,000#
over 5 yrs old (pickup trk)
$38.50*
How much road work does this pay for???
* $135 - Gravel @ $6.00/T = 22 Ton (less than 200’
– 24’ wide)
Challenges
• Tax freeze!
• Rapidly escalating prices.
• Increasing size of agricultural equipment and
trucks.
• Increased size of commercial vehicles.
• Increased yields of grain (more product moved
from field to bin to market)
• Access demanded for economic development.
Some Recent Bids
• Seal Oil (MC-3000) bid at $567 per ton or
$2.38 per gallon. Last year’s bid was $1.78.
• Hot-mixed asphalt bid at $60 per ton at plant.
• Blade maintenance at $89 per hr. (Contractor’s
bid to a township with a 200hp machine)
• Surface gravel bid (to a twp in eastern SD) at
$8.25 per cu yd with haul not to exceed 15
miles. This converts to $6.11 per ton.
Estimated Cost of Work Using Bid
Prices on Previous Slide
• Placing one inch of gravel on a 24 ft mile will cost
$4,034.25 (no blading or compaction)
• Placing one inch of hot-mixed asphalt on a 24 ft mile
will cost $53,856 assuming only $8 additional cost for
hauling and laydown.
• A chip seal will cost approximately $13,253 using
MC-3000 at .3 gal per sq yd plus cover aggregate,
equip and labor.
• Blading gravel roads will cost approx $44.50 per two
miles total production per hour blading time.
The Cost of Doing Business
Recent problem for township when
feedlot operator began hauling manure
Estimated Cost for Repair
• Replace 200 cu yds of gravel
• Two hours blade maintenance
Total
$1650.00
$ 178.00
$1828.00
Total real estate tax revenue to the township in
2009 will be approx $180 due to TIF (tax increment
financing) on the recently built feedlot.
Maintenance
• Attempt to obtain or retain design section
information
• In the current economic situation we may not
be able to get the ultimate surface section
desired, however it is important to know what
that section is so that a decision is not made
that will contribute to premature failure.
Rehabilitation
• Consider age in planning process
• Don’t overlay a badly cracked 20 year old mat
• Better to mill, add base to strengthen if
needed and place a new mat.
• Don’t place a 2” overlay on a road surface
without inventory information, desired design
considerations and knowing age.
Summary of Sound Management
• Have the information to make sound decisions
and use your precious dollars wisely!
»Make those decisions based on
proven engineering
recommendations »not political expediency!