In 2016, the El Macero County Service Area ("CSA") Advisory Committee appointed an ad hoc committee to: investigate the current condition of their streets; evaluate alternatives for the repair/improvement of the curb, gutter and roads, including the cost/benefit relationship of various types of repair; and finally, to make a recommendation to the CSA Advisory Committee and Board of Supervisors as to how to proceed. The ad hoc committee was made up of a civil engineer, several participants with expertise in road repair and resurfacing, an attorney, real estate developer, general contractor and an expert in financing public improvements.
The ad hoc committee has concluded that while the roads, on the whole, are in good structural condition, there is some age-related thermal cracking and alligator cracking which should be filled. There are also some issues with drain inlets and gutter alignment. The ad hoc's recommendation at this time, after consultation with the County's Public Works Division and the UC Davis Pavement Research Center, is to proceed with work to extend the life of the streets that includes the following two phases:
- Phase 1: Crack seal the surface as necessary and address areas in which there has been limited pavement failure (cost: not to exceed $110,000)
- Phase 2: Curb, gutter and related pavement repair due to tree damage, and application of a two layer Type II Fiberized Slurry Seal over the entire roadway (estimated cost: $1,000,000)
Phase 1 can be accomplished now via an amendment to the County's 2017 Pavement Rehabilitation Project, approved on May 23, 2017 and already underway. The lowest responsive bidder for the project was Northwest Paving, Inc. who has provided a quote of $98,892 for the El Macero CSA Phase 1 street work. Following a unanimous recommendation of the El Macero CSA Advisory Committee on August 29, 2017 to proceed with this project, a request to allocate $110,000 (quote plus contingency and staff time) from the El Macero CSA street reserve will be made through the Adopted Budget process.
The Phase 2 slurry seal technology has been used in the past 4-5 years in many areas of California with success, with multiple layers producing a longer lasting pavement surface. An allocation for Phase 2 work will be requested closer to the time of application, likely next summer.
This work is expected to extend the life of El Macero streets for 8-12 years. In the meantime, a long-term Capital Improvement Plan or other planning mechanism for the CSA's streets will be developed, as well as re-evaluation of related charges.
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