Caliente Drive Improvements Coming Through Street Maintenance Sales Tax Program
By Nina Sherer, Arlington Public Works and Transportation
Posted on June 05, 2020, June 05, 2020

Your Money in Action

Beginning the week of June 8, 2020, a contractor will begin work under the 2020 Street Reclamation and Miscellaneous Concrete Program to improve the ride and strength of Caliente Drive between Bardin Road and Green Oaks Boulevard.

Click here to view a map of the Caliente Drive project location.

Contractors will begin by replacing various sections of curb and gutter, valley gutter, and drive approaches that have standing water or no longer meet functional expectations. These concrete repairs will be followed by reclamation of the roadway.

Reclamation is a multi-step process that involves the removal and pulverizing of the existing asphalt and then mixing the pulverized materials with lime and cement to increase the strength underlying subbase. The reclaimed material is then shaped by a grader into a strong new base. Finally, 6 to 8 inches of new asphalt will be laid and compacted. The result is a new road with an extended lifespan of up to 20 years at a fraction of the cost, time, and environmental impact of the traditional “remove and replace” method of pavement rehabilitation.

Since January 2019, the City has reclaimed more than 35,000 square yards of roadway surfaces.

Using the reclamation process on an area the size of a football field can:

  • Prevent 4,095 tons of material from entering the landfill
  • Eliminate emissions from and fuel for 321 truckloads of materials being hauled to and from the work site
  • Eliminate the need for 2,520 tons of new stone aggregates, and
  • Reduce maintenance costs up to 40% over a 5-year period

Miscellaneous concrete repair and reclamation are two of the projects comprising the City’s Street Maintenance Sales Tax Program. The program also includes roadway crack seal, concrete panel replacement, and some sidewalk repairs. Funding for these various projects is provided in large part by the voter-approved Street Maintenance Sales Tax.

The City uses an annual pavement survey program to inventory the conditions of one-third of the streets within the city limits each year. The condition of each street segment is reported as an Overall Condition Index (OCI) Rating between 0-100 based on its “ride” and “distress”. Roadways with an average OCI rating of less than 50 are called “red streets” and are recommended for inclusion in the Department of Public Works and Transportation’s Capital Improvement Program. Roads with an average rating between 50 and 70 are called “yellow streets” and are included in the Street Maintenance Sales Tax Program.

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