To: Honorable Mayor and Members of City Council
From: Julie Lucido, Public Works Director
Prepared By: Dominic Digloria, Maintenance Superintendent
TITLE:
Title
Streets Paving Program, Budget Adjustment FY25
LABEL
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommendation
1. Adopt a resolution (1) authorizing the Public Works Director to conduct in-house paving operations on behalf of the City, and (2) determining that the actions authorized by this resolution are exempt from CEQA; and
2. Adopt a resolution approving an Amendment to the RMRA and Gas Tax Funds and thereby increasing the current expenditure budget of the Streets Resurfacing Program by $1,200,000, as documented in Budget Adjustment No. 2P09.
Body
DISCUSSION:
The City roadway system is an essential component of the infrastructure the community depends on. Street repair work is consistently identified as a high priority through both community surveys responses and established City Council budget focus areas.
The City carries out its paving work through two primary approaches:
• Capital Improvement Program (CIP): Projects are designed by the engineering team and then put out for bidding to hire contractors to complete the construction work.
• City Operations Crews: The City has a skilled in-house paving crew that handles street maintenance such as grind-and-overlay.
Together, these efforts provide repair, maintenance, and construction services for the City’s road network.
Paving Update
In the last two years, approximately 50 lane miles of roadway were repaved and resurfaced. This work improved the average pavement condition across the City’s street network from 62 to 65. This rating is designated as an overall “fair” condition. Streets that have ratings that fall in the mid to low 60’s are at risk of a high rate of decline due to cracks and surface voids allowing water to seep into the subgrade and due to weakened areas that more easily fail from impacts by vehicles. As roads deteriorate, repairs become more expensive. Continuing to invest in street maintenance to elevate conditions will improve the durability, reduce the long-term investments in the roadway system, and better serve the community.
In previous years, the City’s paving work focused on two main processes for construction: residential neighborhood streets paved by City crews, and major roadways (collectors and arterials) paved/surfaced through contracting as part of the CIP program. Significant progress has been made to improve the condition of many residential streets throughout the community. While there is still work to be completed in residential areas, particularly in the neighborhoods south of downtown, overall the streets that carry the higher traffic volumes are in greater need of immediate work. In 2024, in addition to residential paving work, the City paving crew paved sections of Jefferson, Old Sonoma, Trancas and the intersection of Redwood/Browns Valley to increase resources working to address the backlog of collectors and arterial paving projects.
Napa experienced an extended dry and relatively warm spring and fall last year that enabled more construction work to occur. The dry, warm weather is necessary for paving operations to ensure the asphalt material sets up to form a firm, durable driving surface. This extended dry season helped lengthen the paving season into November, enabling crews to complete more work than initially scheduled, addressing both the planned residential street projects and additional work on the arterials.
Fiscal Year Paving Statistics To Date:
• From July 2024 through November 2024, crews completed paving 13,461 tons of asphalt, covering 13.76 lane miles, exceeding the paving estimate planned for the full fiscal year by the crews. These streets included: Lake Park Drive, Stonehouse Drive, Edgewater Drive, Rio Vista Drive, Matson Drive, Cunard Drive, Beach Street, Costa Drive, River Glen Drive, Windsor Street, Crocker Street, Laguna Street, Azalea Street, Elnora Court, Elm Street, Spruce Street, Pueblo Avenue, Concord Court, Beecham Street, La Homa Drive, South Jefferson Street, Jefferson Street, North Jefferson Street, Old Sonoma Road, and Trancas Avenue.
• As part of the CIP, Salvador Avenue and Westwood Ave were paved, Laurel Street began (currently on hold due to the waterline emergency project), and Browns Valley Road began.
• Surface treatments, including seal coats, were used on streets in the Twin Oaks East and Las Flores Neighborhood. These preventive treatments offer pavement protection and extend the life of the pavement at a fraction of the cost of traditional mill & overlay. Since July 1, 2024, streets receiving surface treatments include: Meadowbrook Court, Round Hill Circle, Boulder Creek Court, Twin Oaks Drive, Mountain View Circle, Round Hill Court, Crestview Way, Crestview Court, Royal Court, Pebble Court, David Drive, Alpine Court, Tahoe Court, Swiss Court, Stonebridge Drive, Stonebridge Court, Maher Street, Penrod Court, Camenson Street, Stillson Street, Helman Court, Dalton Drive, Culpepper Street, Las Flores Drive, Ortez Court, Fairfax Drive, Cesar Street, Lloyd Drive, Lloyd Court, Trent Drive, and Wingard Circle.
In addition to the paving, funding also supported new road markings and efforts to repair existing potholes and limit new potholes during winter using specialty road repair application equipment and material (mastic).
To maintain this increased pace of paving by City crews, an additional $1,200,000 is recommended for the paving program. The proposed budget is from gas tax and the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation (RMRA)/SB-1 funds, which are restricted for use on street maintenance work. The funding will cover costs for materials, construction services (such as trucking), and supplies necessary to pave an estimated 8,400 tons of asphalt, covering nearly 9 lane miles through June 30, 2025.
Program Delivery
As outlined within the City Charter, the City Council may provide for City crews to complete large scale paving projects after the work is placed out to bid and it is determined that the City crew is more cost effective or if no bids are received. The paving work by the City crews is very cost-effective and is completed at a lower cost than past construction contracts have offered. In February 2025, the Public Works Department issued a formal invitation for bids for Citywide Paving Services projects. The notice was posted for five consecutive days near the Council Chamber as required by the City Charter and no bids were received. To ensure that paving operations continue throughout the remainder of the fiscal year, a recommendation is being made for City Council to authorize the in-house crews to take on the Citywide Paving Services projects. Work is expected to begin by early April, weather permitting.
Paving Plan
The City’s in-house paving crews have a proven track record of delivering cost-effective paving projects. The in-house team plays a crucial role in flexibly completing projects and completing significantly more work than would be possible through contracting alone.
For the paving work in the calendar year 2025, the focus is on completing streets with higher traffic volumes in poor condition. There are also some residential, lower traffic volume streets on the work plan to be able to finish out neighborhood areas already started.
There are a number of factors evaluated in determining paving schedules. One of the most significant factors is coordinating utility work and other construction that could impact the new pavement. A couple of examples of areas that are awaiting projects: Jefferson (Lincoln to Trancas) is scheduled for an underground utility project that will create trenches throughout the roadway section and for the Bel Aire neighborhood where there is a sanitary sewer project planned that will also cut into the pavement.
With the recommendation to authorize in-house crews for the Citywide Paving Services, the City will be able to make steady progress on improving street conditions.
The following streets are scheduled to begin repairs in the upcoming year:
• By City crews: Garfield Lane, Valle Verde Drive, Industrial Way, Byway East, Redwood Road (Solano Avenue to the Wine Train tracks), Shetler Ave, Harold Court, Easley Court, Maher Street, Linda Vista Ave, Yajome Street, Central Ave, Arden Way, Larkin Way, Pinewood Drive, Abbey Court, Stratford Court, Lynn Drive, Morlan Court, Jefferson Street, Villa Lane, Beecham Street, Third St, Franklin Street, and Walnut Street.
• By contractors as part of the CIP: Westwood Neighborhood, Lincoln (California to Soscol), and Coombs (Imola to Fifth). Second Street (California Blvd. to Main St.) will receive a seal coat.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS:
There is no General Fund impact. The attached Council Budget Amendment No. 2P09 increases the Streets Resurfacing Program’s FY25 revenues and expenditures budget (30230810), within the Streets and Sidewalks Fund, by $1,200,000. The increased budget will be used to pay for project expenses such as materials, construction services, and supplies. The $1,200,000 budget amendment will be funded from two sources:
o Obligate $600,000 from Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation (RMRA)/SB-1 Fund balance
o Obligate $600,000 from Gas Tax Fund balance
CEQA:
The Recommended Action is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guideline 15301(c) which exempts the repair or minor alteration of existing streets, sidewalks, gutters, and similar facilities.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
ATCH 1 - Resolution Paving Operations
ATCH 2 - Resolution approving BA No. 2P09
EX A - Budget Amendment No. 2P09
NOTIFICATION:
None.