Pavement Preservation

Preserving Our Pavement

Eugene has an active pavement preservation program, funded primarily by local motor vehicle fuel taxes and revenues from a voter-approved bond measure. Since 2003, the program has resulted in major street repairs to nearly 300 lane miles of city streets.

Project Selection

The goal of Eugene’s pavement preservation program is to bring Eugene’s streets back into a relatively good condition and prevent streets from falling into such a state of disrepair that they must be reconstructed. Preserving a street through an overlay or similar treatment is four to five times more cost effective than waiting to repair a street until after it requires reconstruction. The following criteria are typically used to select streets for repair and rehabilitation.

• Engineering-based data and needed street rehabilitation and reconstruction from the pavement management system.
• Geographic distribution throughout the community to ensure all areas of the City receive a benefit from the program.
• Citizen input on bond-funded project selection and other improvements included in the program.

Funding Sources

The principle sources of funding for Eugene’s pavement preservation program includes local gas tax revenues, a portion of the fees paid by new development in Eugene, and funding through the bond measure to fix streets approved by Eugene voters in November 2017.

Delays and Closures

Road repairs typically result in lane closures and travel delays in the construction zone. Motorists, cyclists and pedestrians are encouraged to use alternate routes to avoid delays and other construction-related inconveniences. Up-to-date information on work zones is provided on the road work advisory website or on Twitter.

Pavement Preservation Project Types

On overlay projects, spot repairs are made as necessary to the road bed, then the top layer of asphalt is ground off and a new asphalt surface is constructed. This strengthens the street and seals the road surface. On slurry seals, an emulsion of asphalt and sand is applied to fill small cracks and seal the surface to prevent water from eroding the road bed. On reconstruction projects the entire road is dug up and rebuilt from scratch. Street improvement projects typically take a substandard street to a fully improved street with an engineered road bed, drainage system and sidewalks, street lights and street trees.

Additionally, the Public Works Maintenance Division repairs streets by patching potholes, sealing cracks and applying thin overlays