“On the Road Again” is a song written and recorded by Willie Nelson, but I probably didn’t need to tell you that. In fact, most people probably instantly had the tune come to mind when they read the song title. Maintaining city roads is a vital part of upkeeping the city of Burnet’s infrastructure and allowing residents to be on the road again.
While there is still plenty of work to be done, the city has begun to take a more strategic approach to ensure the 45 miles of roadways in the city are well-maintained and safe for residents. The process starts with evaluating the condition of the roads, which involves assessing various types of pavement distress, and determining the overall state of the roads and what kind of maintenance is needed.
There are several methods to evaluate road conditions, most of which focus on the current state of the pavement. However, the method preferred by the city is the Remaining Service Life (RSL) approach. This method is more informative because it focuses on how much life remains in the pavement rather than just its current condition. When a road’s RSL falls below 10 years, rehabilitation costs, such as overlays or fulldepth replacements, tend to increase significantly.
In 2021, Burnet undertook a comprehensive road assessment. At that time, the assessment showed that the average road in the city had a remaining lifespan of only 8 years.
Given that a well-maintained road typically lasts over 20 years, this meant on average, Burnet’s roads had less than half of their expected life left.
To address this, the city invested approximately $5 million in road rehabilitation and maintenance over the last 2-3 years. This investment has led to the rehabilitation of over 11 miles of roads and preventative maintenance on an additional 10 miles. These efforts have paid off, as the overall condition of the roads has improved significantly.
The average remaining lifespan has increased from 8 years to over 12 years. This improvement underscores the importance of preventative maintenance. It requires far less effort and money to maintain a road in good condition than to let it deteriorate to the point where major repairs are needed. In fact, for every $1 spent today to keep a road in good shape, the city can potentially avoid a $4-$6 expense 10 or more years down the road.
To support these efforts, the city uses computer software to monitor road conditions and recommend the appropriate types of improvements. After a road is reconstructed, this planning tool helps schedule the next round of preventative maintenance, with the goal of performing maintenance on each street once every 7 years.
Burnet’s approach to road management is a balanced one. While the city is committed to bringing every road to an acceptable condition, a significant portion of the effort will be directed towards preventative maintenance. As a sign of its ongoing commitment to maintaining and improving roadways throughout the city, the Burnet City Council recently approved the 2024-2025 budget which contains $3.8 million in funds for street improvements.
Finally, a significant street rehab process is currently underway that will assist with our RSL number. The following streets are being addressed, and the overall project is expected to be completed within the next 60 days.
The proposed overlay will consist of placing 2 inches of Hot Mix Asphalt Concrete (HMAC) over the existing pavement to extend the life of the road.
Certain roads that are severely cracked will be both milled and overlayed. Milling will consist of removing the existing asphalt to expose the base material underneath, proof rolling, adding tack oil, and then going over with HMAC.
