Maintaining Roads in Wheat Ridge: Why It Matters
The health of our roads is essential for community development, safety, and mobility. In Wheat Ridge, we take a systematic, data-driven approach to maintaining our streets, ensuring investments are targeted and cost-effective.
Have you ever wondered how we decide which roads to repair in Wheat Ridge?
The process starts with a comprehensive pavement analysis, guided by the Pavement Condition Index (PCI). Originally developed by the Army Corps of Engineers, PCI is a standardized system that evaluates pavement health. Every street in Wheat Ridge is assessed for cracks, potholes, and other distresses, then rated on a scale from 0 to 100. Currently, the city’s streets have an average PCI of 66, which indicates an overall fair condition.
This assessment helps us prioritize repairs by identifying which streets need attention and which can benefit from preventative maintenance.
A key principle of our pavement management program is “the right repair on the right road at the right time.” Proactive maintenance not only extends pavement life but also saves money in the long term. Here are the three primary types of street maintenance:
- Routine Maintenance: This addresses minor, everyday issues like crack sealing, pothole patching, and isolated low spots. While it doesn’t improve the PCI, it keeps streets functional and prevents further deterioration.
- Preventative Maintenance: Preventative treatments, such as slurry seals and chip seals, protect streets in good to fair condition. These measures are cost-effective and delay the need for costly repairs.
- Corrective Maintenance: For streets with significant deterioration, corrective maintenance involves structural repairs like resurfacing or full-depth reclamation. These treatments restore functionality and improve PCI.
Our goal as a city is to provide safe, efficient, and sustainable roadways for all residents. By leveraging data and targeted strategies, we ensure that every dollar is spent wisely to improve our street network.
Repairs are prioritized based on the PCI, available funding, and a six-year maintenance cycle. Streets in need of repair will also be evaluated for possible modifications to pavement striping and marking to allow for better bike and pedestrian connections to take place simultaneously. The city also uses a zone-based system (see map below) to focus work geographically, with dedicated plans for arterial streets. Maintaining streets to a target PCI of 65 costs about $3 million annually, with funding provided by the Next Chapter Bond Fund (2J).
Investing in our roads is about more than convenience. Well-maintained streets improve safety, support economic development, and enhance quality of life. Proactive infrastructure maintenance is also important to our residents. Through our residents’ survey, our Let’s Talk Resident Engagement program, and City Plan engagement, our community has told us that they value well-maintained streets and would like the city to be more proactive. By focusing our funds on preventative maintenance and efficient spending, Wheat Ridge is building a sustainable, reliable street network that meets the needs of its residents now and into the future.
Wheat Ridge’s strategic and data-driven pavement management program ensures the efficient use of public funds while maintaining the city’s streets in a reliable condition. By focusing on proactive maintenance and fostering collaboration, the city achieves its goal of providing safe, durable, and accessible roadways for its residents. In 2025, Wheat Ridge will be focusing on corrective maintenance in improvement zone 1 and preventative maintenance in zone 6. 
