Annual Street Resurfacing Program: Is Your Street on the List?

[Story was updated with the corrected 2023 budget number. We regret the error.]

The 2023 City of Rye Annual Street Resurfacing Program Project List has been released.  The City’s consultant, VHB, has finalized their evaluation of the pavement condition for city-maintained streets as of May 18th.

“When we go out into the field and do our evaluation, we look for nine distresses on the pavement,” Gordon Daring, a consultant from VHB Engineers, said during a recent City Council Meeting. Those are things that everyone is familiar with. Things like cracks in the road, potholes, distortions, etc. But what we do is we quantify those distresses in a very prescribed way and calculate a pavement condition index (PCI), for each road section. That PCI value, amongst other things, is a reasonably good indicator of the level of improvement or maintenance rehabilitation that that particular section might be in need of.”

The PCI score is on a 100 point scale, with a 100 being a virtually perfect road. The average road in Rye currently has a PCI score of 84. This is a significant improvement since 2018 when the resurfacing evaluation program began. This score is also exceptional in the northeast as very few communities are able to achieve and maintain an average PCI score in the 80’s.

“An average of 84 is very, very good,” Daring said. “I would venture a guess that you wouldn’t find another community in Westchester County with that kind of average.”

This successful PCI score is a reflection of the excellent commitment and investment that the City of Rye spends to keep our roads in great condition.

“Its certainly noticeable. You know, as you drive around town,” Daring said about the condition of roads in Rye. “A bit of a model for other communities, I would say.”

As encouraging as the evaluation was, however, there are still roads that need immediate maintenance, and these newly paved roads don’t come without a heavy cost to the city. The current allocated 2023 City paving budget of $1.4 – $1.5 million roughly will maintain the overall quality (PCI score) of the City’s roads. This year’s budget is higher as it accounts for the paving the the Rye Art Center and the Rye Recreation parking lots. The estimated cost for addressing the entire backlog is approximately $8,782,078. This cost includes fifteen miles worth of structural improvement, which makes up over 90% of the total cost.

Below is VHB’s list of worst to first roads recommended for completion this year:

Name                                           From                                              To
GRACE CHURCH ST                   MIDLAND AVE                                FOREST AVE
REYMONT AVE                             SONN DR                                    PARKWAY DR
PARKWAY DR                            CRESCENT DR                             CLAREMONT AVE
THE LANE (PARKING LOT)             MILTON RD                                    DEAD END
COTTAGE ST                              MIDLAND AVE                                  CITY LINE
BARLOW LANE                               NEIL PL                                        CUL-DE-SAC
BEVERLY DR                             CLAREMONT AVE                              PARKWAY DR
EVERGREEN AVE                         HILLSIDE RD                                  ELIZABETH ST
FIELDSTONE RD                           FOREST AVE                                STONYCREST RD
ANN LANE                                    FOREST AVE                                   CUL-DE-SAC
FOREST AVE                                    BECK AVE                                  APAWAMIS AVE
MEADOW PL                                HIGHLAND RD                                  DEAD END
GREENHAVEN RD                            RYE RD                                          DEAD END
MENDOTA AVE                             HIGHLAND RD                                  MOHAWK ST
HARBOR LANE                            GREENHAVEN RD                                BARLOW LA