Marin County
Special to Marinscope
Despite the intense storms of January 2023 that heavily impacted the roadways of Marin, the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) score for County-maintained roads has increased from 66 to 68, as of December 31, 2023.
PCI is a measure of roadway quality which provides a snapshot in-time value of each road segment on a 100-point scale, with 100 being a newly paved road. The County’s score is determined by independent engineering consultants using standardized methods. Many factors affect PCI scores including pavement age, climate and precipitation, and traffic loads.
The average score of all County-maintained road segments represents the overall road network PCI. The latest assessment for the County was completed in December 2023, resulting in a road network PCI of 68. As of the most recent data published in the 2021 California Statewide Local Streets and Roads Needs Assessment, the statewide average PCI score is 66.
The increase in the County of Marin’s road network PCI represents a step in the right direction and is a result of a strategic approach including a robust plate of projects, targeting 13 percent of the road network over the course of the 2022 and 2023 paving seasons, as well as ongoing extensive maintenance work.
This accomplishment is even more significant given that a considerable amount of staffing and funding resources had to be reallocated to emergency repair efforts across the county following the significant storms in January 2023. The storms also caused notable pavement damage requiring increased pothole repair efforts.
The Marin County Department of Public Works (DPW) maintains over 420 miles of roads, which are critical infrastructure that people rely on every day to conduct their business, connect with surrounding communities, visit popular attractions, explore Marin’s beauty, and live their daily lives.
Improvements and ongoing maintenance of the road network is a major responsibility for DPW, and a commitment that requires significant planning and funding to undertake. The County’s Road and Bridge Program is a hybrid strategy of pavement preservation, pavement rehabilitation, and road reconstruction projects.
The budget for the Program comes from three sources: the County’s General Fund, regional tax measure funding, and California Senate Bill 1 funding. Additionally, DPW staff continually seeks grant funding to bolster the budget. The long-term goal is to maintain a quality road network across unincorporated Marin in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible.
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