Vancouver gears up for busy season of paving and preserving streets in 2022

Approximately 25 neighborhoods in the city will see some type of pavement management work this summer

The city of Vancouver is preparing for the 2022 Pavement Management Program with paving and preservation work ahead. Vancouver’s Pavement Management Program will invest approximately $11 million in improving pavement conditions throughout the community in 2022. Approximately 25 neighborhoods in the city will see some type of pavement management work this summer, thanks in part to the city’s Transportation Benefit District license fees.

This year’s program will include paving more than six lane miles, including portions of Broadway Street and Evergreen Highway. To maximize available resources, the pavement program will join forces with city utility projects for repaving of several neighborhood streets and Broadway Street, from 6th Street to 13th Street. More than 11 lane miles of residential streets currently in poor or failed condition will be resurfaced in Lincoln, Rose Village, Fourth Plain Village, Oakbrook, Marrion, Old Evergreen Highway and Village at Fisher’s Landing neighborhoods.

Pavement preservation work – which includes microsurfacing, slurry seal, asphalt rubber chip seal, and cape seal treatments – is another big component of the city’s annual Pavement Management Program. Preservation work alternates between east and west Vancouver. For 2022, almost 90 lane miles of streets in east Vancouver will see some type of preservation used to protect and extend the life of the street. That includes Chkalov Drive, from Mill Plain Boulevard to McGillivray Boulevard; 136th Ave, from SE Stonemill Drive to SE 7th Street; 162nd Avenue, from Fourth Plain Boulevard to NE 18th Street; and 192nd Avenue, from SE 1st Street to SE 34th Street.

Curb ramps at approximately 215 locations along the various project routes will be upgraded to current standards under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to improve accessibility and mobility for all. Federal requirements mandate that curb ramps be upgraded to current ADA-compliant standards along streets receiving treatments that are considered an alteration, such as paving or cape sealing. In areas where ADA-compliant ramps exist, no changes are required.

Several steps can be expected before work begins on the street, starting with trimming of trees and vegetation by a city contractor with a certified arborist on board, clearing the way for construction equipment. Pavement repairs, sealing of cracks, and construction of ADA ramps will also take place prior to paving and preservation work.

Throughout the process, residents and businesses along the project corridors will receive notices with details about work hours, parking restrictions, closures and more. The public is also encouraged to watch for signage and flaggers during construction, alerting travelers to slow down and be prepared for brief delays ahead. The city’s website and social media channels will also be used to keep the community informed by providing ongoing updates as information becomes available.

There are more than 1,900 lane miles of paved streets in Vancouver. Each year, streets are evaluated to determine the most cost-effective methods to extend pavement life and provide better driving conditions. When streets begin to fail, they fail quickly and the cost to repair them increases dramatically. Keeping good streets in good condition provides the most cost-effective and efficient use of available resources.

Since its adoption by the City Council in 2015, Vancouver’s Street Funding Strategy has provided additional funding to continue improvements to overall pavement conditions citywide and reverse a trend of deterioration. Transportation Benefit District fees are a substantial part of this funding strategy.

More information about the 2022 Pavement Management Program is available online at: www.cityofvancouver.us/pavement. To go directly to the map of 2022 pavement projects by www.cityofvancouver.us/pavement.

Tentative schedules will be posted on the Pavement Management website, www.cityofvancouver.us/pmschedule, in advance of street work. Pavement work is highly weather dependent, and schedules are subject to change. Watch also for Vancouver Public Works construction alerts posted on Nextdoor, Twitter @VanPubWorksUS and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/VancouverPublicWorks.

Information provided by city of Vancouver.