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Importance of Street Maintenance

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Importance of Street Maintenance
Community Livability and Economic Vitality
Collectively, Tigard's 148 miles of paved roads represents one of the biggest investments owned by the community. Our road system is what keeps the people of Tigard in motion as they travel to work, to school, to the supermarket, to the mall, and to parks and open spaces. Unfortunately pavement deteriorates over time as weather wears down the top surface, repeated pressures of vehicle loading (especially from trucks and buses) wears down the underlying pavement structure, and as the ground beneath the pavement settles. Smooth, long-lasting roads create an image of prosperity and ensure that goods and people can move efficiently throughout Tigard and the world beyond. In contrast, uneven roads in poor condition not only make travel unpleasant, they incur extra costs in terms of time and money every time a person or business needs to travel within the City.

Personal Costs
Individual drivers in Tigard are already paying extra money as a result of deferred road maintenance. Every time a car or truck drives on roads in poor condition, the vehicle suffers accelerated wear and tear, increasing time and money spent at the mechanic, as well as increased fuel consumption and tire replacement. This problem is not unique to Tigard. A recent study by TRIP, a national transportation research group, found that the average American car owner incurs an additional $413 per year in operating costs because of rough road conditions. This same report found that those living in the Portland Metropolitan Area incurred approximately $235 per year. As such, drivers in Tigard are suffering less than the national average, but remain at a very real risk of paying more if roads are not maintained or repaired.

Consequences of Delayed Maintenance
The costs of deferred maintenance are born by both the community and the individual driver. As with many investments, timely investments in routine maintenance in roads can extend pavement life and provide for a safer driving experience. Not only will roads last longer, but repairing a failed road can be 4 to 9 times more expensive than a routine maintenance program. With a limited amount of funds available, the community is better served by spending the same amount of money maintaining a greater amount of road miles, than completely rebuilding smaller sections as the entire network begins to fail. In other words, if we can keep good streets good, we can maximize the use of limited dollars.

As demonstrated in the graphic below, the worse a pavement condition, the more expensive it is to repair. For instance, routine maintenance and surface treatments can be implemented for as little as $1.50 to $3.00 a square yard of roadway. This can increase dramatically to $15.00 a square yard to overlay the road with new asphalt, and up to $90.00 a square yard if the street is allowed to completely crumble, therefore needing to be rebuilt.

Maintenance Alternatives (including costs)

Tigard Street Maintenance Update

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