Strategy, commitment behind city street improvements

As the second year of the Paving for Progress program comes to a close, there are clear indications that we are on the right path to making lasting and much-needed improvements to our roadways.

To start, the city has successfully developed a comprehensive pavement management plan to guide stewardship of local-option sales tax funds, as well as outline the most effective preservation tactics. This ensures that we will not be allocating these funds arbitrarily, lacking a clear vision for where we are going or where we are coming from. This plan provides a prioritization list for our community, and allows residents to see the entire 10-year plan, the methods we'll be deploying, the data we used to make the decisions, and the roads we'll be focusing on.

This comprehensive approach to improvements will enable our overall street condition to improve for the first time in decades. Of the total 600 miles of city streets analyzed, 150 miles will be addressed in the 10 years of the program. The City has allocated 60 percent of the funding to local streets and 40 percent to arterial roads. More than 50 percent of all vehicle miles driven in Cedar Rapids will be on roads repaired through Paving for Progress.

The Iowa Department of Transportation and Iowa State University's Institute for Transportation provided expertise and technology in order to analyze the condition of every roadway in Cedar Rapids. This independent analysis ensures we have the best data to assist with strategic prioritization and a balanced approach to improvements - rehabilitating our worst while preserving our best. We cannot continue to wait until a road needs complete rehabilitation before we take action. Instead we must be proactive and make improvements to roads before they require such extensive and expensive repairs. By improving fair roads now, such as Glass Road, we are extending its life, reducing the need for more expensive repairs in the future.

We've also implemented some new strategies as the program has taken shape − adjusting bid schedules to ensure the most competitive bids from contractors, continually evaluating programs to determine the most efficient improvements, and considering creative ways to get projects completed faster for the traveling public. This summer we shaved a month off construction time on the Glass Road project by temporarily shifting to one-way travel. We will continue to look for ways to enhance the program's overall impact, using these methods and exploring others.

There are no plans to sit in idle mode. Updated pavement condition data will be collected every two years and the plan will continue to be re-evaluated and adjusted as needed. Staff will remain nimble as road conditions change or projects can be combined to stretch our dollars further.

We've already seen more than 11 miles of roadway positively impacted through the program. To put it in perspective, that is almost the geographic length of the city of Cedar Rapids from north to south. More than 30 projects have been completed so far, and approximately 10 more are slated to wrap up before the winter flurries set in. We invested $16.5 million in fiscal year 2015, and we are committed to investing approximately $18M a year in our 10-year program. We encourage residents to learn more about the program and future projects at CityofCR.com/pavingforprogress.

City Council and staff will continue to listen to the needs of the community and remain committed to following through on the pledge for roadway improvements.

We want to express our thanks to residents who have been invested in this process. Your feedback, emails, and interest have been appreciated by staff and all council members, and have already helped benefit the design of projects taking place in our neighborhoods. Your interest further cements our commitment to implementing this program effectively and successfully. We look forward to seeing continued improvements to our roadways.

' Ron Corbett is mayor of Cedar Rapids. Susie Weinacht, Ann Poe, Ralph Russell, Kris Gulick, Monica Vernon, Pat Shey, Scott Olson and Justin Shields are members of the Cedar Rapids City Council. Comments: (319) 286-5051; Mayor's office/City hall, 101 1st St SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401