Walnut Creek's Roads Improve Slightly

WALNUT CREEK, CA — Walnut Creek’s streets are on the road to improvement, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, or MTC.

MTC rates the condition of Bay Area roadways every two years and assigns grades based on several factors. The score is known as the Pavement Condition Index, or PCI.

For the past 10 years, Walnut Creek’s score hovered at or near the 72 mark. The latest survey showed a

3-point bump, to 75 points.

By comparison, Contra Costa cities scored an average of 69 points; Concord a 61, Pleasant Hill a 65 and Martinez a 51.

The Bay Area average is 65 points.

What’s behind the improved score? Several factors. The City has become more strategic in its approach to pavement maintenance, thanks to a sophisticated computer system that calculates how different pavement strategies will impact roadway conditions. The program tells us what roadways we should be working on and what repairs we should be doing.

Public Works’ maintenance crews have also been integral to the improvement. Thanks to new equipment, they are able to increase the amount of crack sealing and pavement repairs they can do in a year. Keeping the water out of the pavement is one of the most effective tools for extending the life of the pavement, and to that end, significant crack sealing has occurred throughout the City.

Funding for pavement maintenance has also increased. The City has been successful in obtaining grants for
roadwork on Geary Road, Buena Vista and North Main Street. Even lower oil prices play a role, as the lower cost of oil leads to a decrease in asphalt prices.

“Although we are proud that our work has paid off and our score increased, we know there is still much work to do,” said Public Works Director Heather Ballenger. “We are dedicated to maintaining our roadways into the future and determined to seeing our PCI score continue to improve.”

-Announcement from City of Walnut Creek; Image via Shutterstock

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