Department of Public WorksDepartment of Public Works

Bureau of Street ServicesBureau of Street Services

William A. Robertson Director

PROFESSOR POTHOLE

PRESENTS

Bureau of Street Services Programsfor the

Federation of Neighborhood Councils

Street Resurfacing and Reconstruction Division

• Maintains 7,200 miles of streets and alleys.

• Operates two asphalt plants.

• Contracts with an recycled asphalt producer.

Street Maintenance Division

• Cleaning of improved streets and alleys – 13,085 curb miles.

• Temporary repairs to streets and sidewalks

• Provides maintenance to over 3,000 trash receptacles.

Street Tree Division

• Custodian of 680,000 trees in the Urban Forest.

• Maintain 295 acres of landscaped medians.

• Over 1,000 different species of trees.

Lot Cleaning Division

• Enforces the Annual Weed Abatement Ordinances of 20,000 lots/year.

• Clear weed growth, illegally dumped debris from improved and unimproved public streets and alleys (145,244 cubic yards - YTD).

Special Project Division

• Permanent sidewalk repair.

• Neighborhood improvement projects.

• Access Ramps

Engineering Division

• Design/Build Program• Designs streetscapes• Street Furniture

Program

Street Use Inspection Division

• Regulates the use of the public right-of-way

• Street Banner Program• Illegal Dumping

Surveillance

Fiscal Management Division

• Budget Preparation• Purchasing• Payroll• All fiscal matters

THE STREET SYSTEM

Current Condition Assessment

• 6,500 mile street system

• Approximately 1,000 miles of failed streets

• Overall system condition is a C-

How Did We Get In This Mess?• Prior to World War II the City was comprised of approximately 2,500 miles of paved streets and the Annual Resurfacing Program (ARP) consisted of 50 miles.

• After World War II, and the rapid growth of the San Fernando Valley the street system grew to 6,500 miles.

• Up until 1986, the ARP still consisted of only 50 miles of resurfacing.

• From 1987 to the early 1990’s, the ARP was increased to approximately 150 miles.

• Fiscal Year 1994-95, the Bureau was funded for its first 200 mile ARP.

• This year the ARP is funded at 260 miles.

HOW DO WE FIX THIS MESS?

10 Year Plan

Maintenance– Slurry Seal

– Crack Seal

– Pothole Repairs

Rehabilitation– Blankets

– Resurfacing

– Reconstruction

$35 Million for Maintenance

$115 Million for Rehabilitation

Average Network PCI Projected on $150 Million per Year for Maintenance and Rehabilitation

72.373.9

75.076.4 77.5

78.7 79.480.6

81.8 82.4

65

70

75

80

85

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Years

Aver

age

PCI

Network PCI

ANNUAL RESURFACING PROGRAM

Budget Allocation Formula

Total Maintained

Centerline Miles in CD

Council District = x 100%

Allocation Total Maintained

Centerline Miles Citywide

How Are Streets Selected?

• Street selection for the Annual Resurfacing Program is based on the Bureau’s Pavement Management System:– Defines the existing condition of streets.– Determines the most economical maintenance

and rehabilitation strategy.– Predicts future condition of the street network

based on different budget scenarios.

Utility Clearances• The ARP is submitted for clearance to over 200

utility companies 15 months in advance to comply with the Street Damage Restoration Fee Ordinance (SDRF), usually in April.

• An annual meeting is held to answer questions and responses are requested by June.

• Projects showing a “Hold” status are substituted and re-submitted for clearances.

• If a year’s notice is not provided to the utility companies, a special clearance is requested but then, utility companies are entitled to put projects on hold as described in the SDRF Ordinance.

Funding Sources2002-2003 Annual Resurfacing Program

• Major/Proposition “C” $11,000,000• Major/TCRP 11,700,000• Major/Gas Tax 700,000• Local/Gas Tax 16,700,000• Local/Traffic Safety 5,000,000• Local/General Fund 11,700,000• Dirt Streets/General Fund 2,281,000

$59,081,000

Why Don’t We Fix The Worst Streets First?

80/20 Allocation Plan

80% Blankets/Resurfacing

20% Reconstruction

Spending more in reconstruction or using a “worst first” strategy would greatly reduce the number of streets resurfaced and cause an acceleration in the decline of the overall condition of the street system.

Pavements need to be managed, not simply maintained.

Why Use Pavement Management?

Annual Condition Plot

Weighted AvgCondition

Years

0

20

40

60

80

7/20/2002 7/20/2003 7/20/2004 7/20/2005 7/20/2006 7/20/2007 7/20/2008 7/20/2009 7/20/2010 7/20/2011

Average Condition

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008

Years

No Major M&R $35 M/Yr

$80 M/Yr $150 M/Yr

Work PlanningCompare various budget scenariosCompare various budget scenarios

THE RESURFACING PROCESS

SIDEWALK REPAIR PROGRAM

Historical Look At The City’s Sidewalk Policy

The State of California Improvement Act of 1911 provides cities the authority to require property owners to effect repairs to sidewalks abutting their property (California Streets and Highways Code). Should the property owner fail to effect such repairs, city forces are authorized to make the repairs and the property owner is assessed for the cost. However the Los Angeles Municipal Code (Section 62.104, Ordinance No. 146,040 effective July 3, 1974) exempts homeowners from the responsibility for sidewalk repairs caused by tree root growth and places responsibility for these repairs with the City. The Bureau encourages property owners to effect voluntary repairs through the issuance of a no-fee “Class A” permit.

Historical • Between 1978 to 2000, no full scale permanent sidewalk

repair program existed in the City. In the interest of public safety, the Bureau made repairs with asphalt at no direct cost to the property owner.

• For the first time in 25 years, a budget was approved in the 2000-2001 budget for approximately $9 million to permanently repair 46 miles of the most damaged sidewalks.

• In 2001-2002, the Sidewalk Repair Program was again funded and increased to repair an additional 98 miles of sidewalks

• Fiscal Year 2002-2003, the Mayor and City Council increased the program by 20 miles to a total of 118 miles.

Criteria For Sidewalk Repair

• Areas where slip, trip and fall accidents have occurred.

• Where tree roots have raised the sidewalks within American with Disabilities Act “transition areas”, as determined by the Department of Disability.

• Where paths of travel issues exist in conjunction with access ramp construction.

• In low and moderate income census tract areas.

Sidewalk Repair Options

• Grind Sidewalks

• Meander Sidewalks

• Enlarged Tree Well

• Reduce Sidewalk Width

• Rubberized Pavers

• Pour-in-Place Rubberized Sidewalk

• Sidewalk Ramping

Sidewalk Grinding

Meandering Sidewalk

Enlarged Tree Well

Reduced Sidewalk

Ramped Sidewalk

Ramped Sidewalk

Poured-in-Place Rubberized Sidewalk

Rubberized Pavers

STREET TREE PROGRAM

Program Objectives

• To provide a safe, acceptable walking surface for pedestrians.

• To decrease the City’s exposure to liability.

• To maintain a healthy, safe and sustainable urban forest.

The City of Los Angeles has 680,000 street trees.

Our goal is to have over 1.1 million street trees within 20 years.

There are approximately 114,000 potential planting sites.

Citywide there are approximately 50,000 sites ready to plant.

How Will The Bureau Accomplish This?

• City Forces

• Contract Forces

• Collaborating with Non-profits

• Community Groups

Number of Trees Planted

• There are approximately 16,500 new trees planted yearly:

– 6,000 trees planted by City Forces.

– 5,000 trees planted by non-profit groups.

– 4,000 trees planted by developers as part of conditions of the development.

– Contract forces plant 1,000.

– Private residents plant are issued permits to plant 500 trees.

Trees Planted by City Forces

• Of the 6,000 trees planted by City Forces, most can be categorized in 1 of 4 categories:

– Replacement - Trees that have failed or died.– In-planting – Planting new trees where it is anticipated

that over-mature trees will require replacement in the near future.

– Beautification Projects – Median Islands, and parkways that have never been planted.

– Block planting as a component of the Sidewalk Repair Program.

Tree Trimming

• Trimming cycle of 5.8 years

• Vehicle and pedestrian clearance

• Hazard trees• Clear obstacle signs

Tree Removal

• Tree stripping– Dead trees– Structurally unsound trees– Partially uprooted trees

• Stump Removal

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!