When local government officials think about street maintenance, all too often the only thing that comes to mind is filling potholes until the next major repaying project inevitably comes around.
For more than one Golden Triangle community, that means borrowing money, dividing the funds between the wards and allowing elected officials to pick and choose which roads get repaved.
As we’ve said multiple times: There has to be a better way, right?
Starkville City Engineer Cody Burnett believes there is, making his case during Friday’s Board of Aldermen work session.
Burnett compared street maintenance to taking care of a personal vehicle. An automobile’s life can be prolonged with routine maintenance and regular inspections.
Most cities don’t do that to their roads, instead waiting until the only solution is a repaving, the most expensive option.
Burnett said the city could begin strategically applying less expensive maintenance treatments to roads every five to seven years – seals and thinner overlays based on the road’s age and condition – that would extend the life of one full overlay to as much as 40 years.
“You’re not just saving money, you’re also bringing up the quality of all your streets together,” Burnett said.
Adopting that approach requires a data-based street assessment system. Aldermen are expected to approve a $54,500 agreement with Southaven-based Civil-Link for those services. Burnett said Civil-Link personnel would ride and video all city roads, assigning a rating every 50 feet. Those ratings would be based on the road’s age, condition, traffic volume, etc.
The company will provide its assessments and recommendations along with software the engineering department can use for up to three years. After that, Burnett said the city can renew its access to the software for $2,000 per year.
The system can even be integrated into the interactive map on the city’s website, Burnett said, meaning citizens could see a road’s rating, when it was last overlaid and treatments it had received since that overlay.
The system will take away a lot of the guesswork over street maintenance. It should also take politics out of the equation because the data is available for all to see.
The system is a smart and objective way to address one of a municipality’s greatest expenses. If, in the end, the system will mean less frequent major repaving efforts, save money and address potential problems before they deteriorate, that $54,500 system will be a bargain.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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