Turlock road repair consultant to give update. What are the five-year plan estimates?
Turlock will need to spend more than $53 million in a five-year roads repair program to maintain the city’s current street quality, per a report the City Council will discuss Tuesday evening.
Consulting company Michael Baker International included the estimate in a preliminary draft report it will present during a special meeting scheduled to occur six months after the council hired the firm.
Michael Baker has developed a five-year roads program assuming the city will spend $10.5 million annually between 2023 and 2027, according to the report. But Turlock’s overall Pavement Condition Index (PCI) will decrease from 62 to 59 out of 100 if the city spends only $53 million, per a prediction from the pavement management software StreetSaver.
While PCI values from 50 to 69 are considered good, street data Michael Baker collected shows roads in southern Turlock tend to be in poorer shape than the northern area. Bringing Turlock’s overall network of 508 lane miles to a state of good repairs with a PCI of over 80 would cost $169 million, the consultant reported.
The council has yet to decide how much to spend on the five-year road program or how to fund it. In her State of the City address last year, Mayor Amy Bublak proposed fixing 400 miles of city roads with the Measure A sales tax. In June 2021, the council approved spending half of expected Measure A revenues — roughly $5.6 million — for roads this fiscal year.
Council comments on funding Tuesday will help Michael Baker further develop its report, city roads program manager Fred Pezeshk wrote in a staff report. Hypothetical funding options Turlock listed in its request for proposals for five-year road planning included an annual budget of $10.5 million. Other hypothetical scenarios were bonds, such as $50 million of upfront bonds available at the end of the first year, Pezeshk wrote.
The report also includes a section on funding opportunities the consultants researched. Options described vary from general obligation bonds to lease-revenue bonds to federal and state grants.
Council members in November approved paying Michael Baker and Public Facilities Investment Corp. nearly $1 million to develop a five-year plan to fix roads, evaluate street conditions and research financing options. The city in January also green-lit a $1.4 million contract for Michael Baker to design repairs for 15 streets this year. Those 15 streets are separate from the five-year plan Michael Baker is developing.
Segments of roads Michael Baker proposes prioritizing for repairs from 2023 to 2027 include but are not limited to:
- East Hawkeye Avenue, Lander Avenue, Olive Avenue, Wayside Drive and West Tuolumne Road in 2023
- East Minnesota Avenue, East Taylor Road, West Syracuse Avenue, East Monte Vista Avenue and Third Street in 2024
- Fulkerth Road, High Street, Montana Avenue, Fifth Street and West Christoffersen Parkway in 2025
- East Tuolumne Road, North Berkeley Avenue, Annhurst Avenue, La Sombra Court and South Tenger Road in 2026
- Tully Road, Geer Road, Dels Lane, C Street and South Minaret Avenue in 2027
The special council meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday at 156 S. Broadway Ave.
