County approves road resurfacing bid and award process

Joe Naiman

Village News Reporter

The County of San Diego approved the bid and award process to resurface 111.16 centerline miles of county-maintained road throughout unincorporated San Diego County including ten Fallbrook streets, three Bonsall roads, three Rainbow streets, and one Pauma Valley road.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 Nov. 17 to authorize the director of the county’s Department of Purchasing and Contracting to take the necessary actions to advertise the project for bid and award multiple construction contracts.

The supervisors’ action also designated the director of the county’s Department of Public Works as the county officer responsible for administering the contracts and found the maintenance of existing public roads to be categorically exempt from California Environmental Quality Act review.

The Road Repair and Accountability Act was passed by the state legislature in 2017 and raised the gas tax by 12 cents per gallon while raising annual vehicle registration fees from $25 to $175 based on vehicle value. The stipulations require that local governments submit a list of projects to be funded by Road Repair and Accountability Act revenue to the California Transportation Commission.

DPW is anticipating $42.2 million of Road Repair and Accountability Act funding during 2021-22. A 5-0 Board of Supervisors vote April 7 adopted a resolution with the list of projects to be funded by fiscal year 2021-22 Road Repair and Accountability Act revenue. The California Transportation Commission allows program changes and DPW followed the preliminary list with a thorough design process including in-depth road reviews and consulting with community groups, utilities, and other stakeholders. The information collected during the design phase was used to develop the final list.

DPW uses a pavement management system which incorporates field review, resident and community input, and mechanical test data to determine which roads are most in need of resurfacing. The structural deterioration of pavement is measured visibly by assessing the degree and type of cracking, the surface deterioration, and the surface defects.

The road maintenance program also evaluates the preferred rehabilitation strategy. Asphalt concrete pavement overlays are used for severely degraded roads with extensive cracking or potholes, although if the road has only minor cracking and no significant surface damage a thinner layer of slurry seals may be applied to protect the road. All of the Greater Fallbrook roads will have overlay treatment with an expected service life of 10 to 15 years.

The Fallbrook roads to be repaved are 1.60 miles of Alvarado Street from Live Oak Park Road to Mercedes Road, 0.85 miles of Gavilan Mountain Road between Rock Mountain Drive and the end of the county-maintained road, 0.19 miles of Hillcrest Lane between Iowa Street and the end of the county-maintained road, 0.93 miles of Live Oak Park Road from Reche Road to Alvarado Street, 0.04 miles of the Live Oak Park "Y" between Live Oak Park Road and Reche Road.

More roads to be repaved are 0.35 miles of Olive Avenue between Porter Street and the cul-de-sac, 0.13 miles of Orange Avenue from Porter Street to the cul-de-sac, 0.07 miles of Pheasant Valley Court from Olive Avenue to the cul-de-sac, 1.33 miles of Rock Mountain Drive between Sandia Creek Drive and the end of the county-maintained road, and 1.46 miles of Sandia Creek Drive from Riveredge Road to the end of the county-maintained road. On the list approved April 7 but not in the contract are 0.20 miles of Pankey Road between State Route 76 and the cul-de-sac and 0.29 miles of Shearer Crossing from Pankey Road to Dulin Road.

The Bonsall road segments on the April 7 list were 0.89 miles of Barsby Street from the Goodwin Drive cul-de-sac to the Vista city limit and 1.92 miles of Champagne Boulevard between Old Castle Road and Champagne Village Drive. Both of those are on the contract list as is 0.44 miles of Rivera Drive from Barsby Street to the Vista city limit at Taylor Street.

The revisions increase the Rainbow resurfacing from one road, specifically 0.87 miles of Old Highway 395 between Rainbow Glen Road and Second Street. Added to the list were 0.79 miles of Huffstatler Street from Rainbow Valley Boulevard to First Street and 0.98 miles of Rainbow Valley Boulevard from Chica Road to the Riverside County line.

The Pauma Valley resurfacing will be on 1.14 miles of South Grade Road between Cattle Guard 3 and Milepost 44.0.

On a countywide basis the work is scheduled to begin during spring 2022 and be complete by the end of calendar year 2022.