The City of Lancaster’s Pavement Management Program (PMP) is a road maintenance  program to extend the lifespan of roadways by prioritizing preventive rehab measures instead of  costly reconstruction. The program will help with long-term cost savings, reduce road repair disruptions, and overall enhance road safety. 

Better Road Conditions

Applying the RIGHT TREATMENT to the RIGHT PAVEMENT at the RIGHT TIME using the RIGHT MATERIALS.

The City of Lancaster engages in proactive road maintenance to maximize roads’ lifespans and minimize costs. With an average lifespan of 25 years, roads deteriorate over time, often accelerated by vehicle traffic. By treating roads earlier, the City can extend their lifespans with long-term saving implications.

• Long-term cost savings for the City
• Shorter detours
• Fewer roadway disruptions
• Safer roads 

The overall quality and condition of a road is measured using the Pavement Condition Index (PCI). PCI is a numerical index between 0 and 100, with 100 representing the best possible condition and 0 representing the worst. Pavement features such as the existence of cracking and potholes will impact the PCI classification; PCI is not a measure of drivability. Zero PCI does not necessarily mean that a road cannot be driven, but probably means it will be a very bumpy ride.  

The Pavement Condition Index helps us determine what level of treatment is appropriate and at what cost. In general, the lower the PCI, the costlier the treatment. 

Life Cycle of Asphalt  

Well-designed and well-built asphalt roads will last about 25 years.  However, no matter how good a road is constructed, the asphalt will begin to deteriorate almost immediately.  Over time the materials that make up asphalt begin to break down and become affected by elements such as rain, sunlight and chemicals that come into contact with the pavement surface.  Roads that experience high volume of vehicle traffic will deteriorate at a faster rate than roads less traveled.    

Types of Road Treatment  

There are more than a dozen ways you can treat a road, from a simple fog seal to complete road reconstruction. But we’ve broken these down to three categories: -- Preventive, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction -- and have included some of the more common treatments within each.  

Preventive

Preventive maintenance aims to maintain or enhance the operational state of the road, minimize the speed of deterioration, and prolong its lifespan by five to seven years. By helping slow the rate of deterioration, we can delay or eliminate the need for major rehabilitation or reconstruction in the future.  

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation treatments aim to improve roadway safety and aesthetic appeal, prevent moisture from seeping into the base, and extend the pavement’s lifespan by eight to ten years. These treatments are typically performed on roads that exhibit various types of damage, such as block cracking, rutting, shoving, and potholes. These damages can’t be repaired using preservation techniques, but they aren’t severe enough to warrant complete reconstruction.   

Reconstruction 

Reconstruction requires replacing the road with new or reused asphalt lasting up to 20 years. While reconstructed roads are the most preferred option for drivers, they are also the most expensive. In addition, such projects can take several months to plan and construct, which may cause considerable disruptions to drivers and nearby businesses.

Additional Improvements 

When resurfacing roads, the City ensures that bike lanes are incorporated in a manner consistent with the Lancaster Master Plan of Complete Streets. This plan is guided by the California Complete Streets Act of 2008, which aims to create a balanced and multimodal transportation network that caters to the needs of all road users. The City also complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards for alterations or additions made to existing roads.

Economic development 

Our Engineering department works closely with the Economic Development team to identify opportunities in which public infrastructure can be used to attract new businesses to our community.  These efforts help generate employment opportunities for residents and increase tax revenues to fund essential municipal services.

What factors are used to determine which streets to prioritize and how they are treated?

Through our robust Pavement Management Program (PMP), there are several elements in determining which streets receive priority to repair, such as:  

• PCI – Pavement Condition Index measuring road quality and life cycle 
• ADT – Average Daily Traffic measuring vehicle traffic and load 
• WER – Weighted Effectiveness Ratio indexing cost efficiency and impact 

In addition, budget and available funds plays a significant role in the process to fix the roads, which are frequently assessed by the City of Lancaster. See our quick guide below with our methodology. 

Why “worst-first” is the wrong approach: 

Opting for a “worst-first” strategy in fixing roads entails rebuilding the worst roads from the ground up. Consequently, maintenance on other roads is often overlooked, causing their conditions to deteriorate further. This approach leads to a growing list of roads that require rebuilding each year, incurring higher costs. 

Inform Lancaster App

Spot a street in need of maintenance? Report it with just a few taps on our FREE ‘Inform Lancaster’ app. Your input helps us prioritize repairs and keep our roads safe for all. You can also submit detailed description, accurate location, and a photo to help City staff resolve the issue. Download now! 

Road Maintenance History: 2015 – 2023 

From 2015 through 2023, we treated 432.27 lane miles of roadway, see Map 1 for project locations.

Map 1

Pavement Plan: 2024 – 2028 

Our current list of locations (2024) and locations programmed out for the next several years (2025-2028) are shown on Map 2.

Map 2