Road Repair
Introduction
Over the past several years, the City has been laying down the groundwork to address the extensive damage to Pinole roads through a mix of strategic planning, temporary repairs to enhance safety, and ongoing maintenance. The City is actively working to try to obtain funding to pay for road projects. While we strategize funding sources, we are preparing the Road Rehabilitation Plan, so that we are poised to get started immediately once funding is secured.
state of pinole’s roads
City roads are inspected every two years as part of a pavement management program through the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). After the inspection, different categories of roads (arterial, collector, and residential) are assigned a Pavement Condition Index (PCI) score. The most recent inspection showed that the City of Pinole has a backlog of approximately $60 million in pavement maintenance and repair work.
The most recent inspection showed that the City of Pinole has a backlog of approximately $60 million in pavement maintenance and repair work.
The backlog is the accumulated cost of road rehabilitation projects that would be required to bring up the City’s pavement score but have been deferred due to funding constraints. Increasing costs to repair roads and continuous wear and tear poses significant challenges when trying to develop a holistic solution for our roads, but the City is very close to starting road rehabilitation.
The Cost of repairing roads
As mentioned above, Pinole has approximately $60 million worth repairs needed to bring all the roads up to a good condition – but how much does it cost to fix a road?
Many factors go into deciding which roads need to be fixed and what type of remedy is needed. Decisions on which roads to address consider factors such as when they were last treated, their classification within the network, nearby traffic generators like schools, equity across neighborhoods, and coordination with capital projects, development, and bike/pedestrian improvements.
Treatment decisions are guided by pavement condition ratings, the type and extent of road damage, related curb and sidewalk issues, accessibility requirements, and the most cost-effective repair methods based on available funding. Different treatments have varying costs.
Decisions on which roads get fixed and with what treatment depends on many factors. Thorough analysis ensures that priority areas are addressed with the most cost-effective repair methods based on available funding.
The City is working to make sure the cost information shared is as accurate and up to date as possible. While we do not have exact amounts yet due to shifting market prices, detailed unit and total cost estimates will be included as part of the upcoming Road Rehabilitation Plan to give our community the clearest picture moving forward.
Funding Sources
Road repairs are planned to be funded through a combination of local and state sources, including $750,000 of Measure J funds for the Pavement Rehabilitation Plan and $350,000 of Measure S funds for maintenance and repairs in FY 25/26. Long-term improvements such as slurry seal, cape seal, and reconstruction will be supported by $750,000 from Measure J, and $1.5 million from Gas Tax funds.
Measure J
Measure J was a voter-approved initiative in Contra Costa County, California, in 2004 that extended the county’s half-cent transportation sales tax for 25 years, continuing until 2034. It funds a variety of transportation projects and programs, such as highway and major road improvements, public transit enhancements (including BART and ferries), bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and safe routes to school programs. $750,000 of Measure J funds will go towards Pinole’s Pavement Rehabilitation Plan.
Gas Tax
The Gas Tax Fund collects state-imposed excise taxes on fuel sales, distributed primarily by population, along with SB1 Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account funds. These restricted funds are used for street construction, improvement, and maintenance, often accumulating over multiple years to support larger, more cost-effective capital projects.
Measure S 2006
In November 2006, Pinole voters approved Measure S which established a half-cent local sales tax for general city services. While the funds can be used for any city service, including roads, its revenue is a major source of general funding for the city’s overall budget. $350,000 of Measure S funds are planned to fund road maintenance and repairs in FY 25/26.
What about Measure I?
Measure I funds are currently being used to help close the City’s budget deficit rather than funding specific road projects. This approach allows the City to maintain essential services, including public safety, for the community.
What’s Next
After extensive analysis and with consideration of the community’s input, the City will establish two different road repair plans: Road Rehabilitation Plan and Road Maintenance Plan.
Road Rehabilitation Plan
The Road Rehabilitation Plan contains a strategic methodology for major repair of key roadways, such as San Pablo Avenue, Pinole Valley Road, and Shea Drive. This plan is part of the City Council approved Capital Improvement Plan and aim to cover the more comprehensive road work such as slurry and cape seal, and road reconstruction to be carried out annually by external contractors. Details of the Road Rehabilitation Plan is under development and will be shared with the community in future weeks.
Road Maintenance Plan
The Road Maintenance Plan addresses the ongoing work to keep the roads in good shape and is coordinated with the Road Rehabilitation Plan. It identifies the various city zones and associated scheduling of work over a five-year period. The Road Maintenance Plan aims to take a proactive approach in enhancing/replacing deteriorated signage and pavement marking to meet state standards, as well as potholing to be conducted by the City’s maintenance team. This is in addition to regular maintenance efforts citywide based on staff observations and requests of our community members.
Details of the Road Rehabilitation Plan is under development and will be shared with the community in the next coming weeks (Fall 2025).
TIMELINE
Budget Adopted
June 17, 2025
Road Maintenance Plan Completion
Beginning of October 2025
Road Rehabilitation Plan Completion
End of October 2025
Road Repair Town Hall
November 20, 2025
Request for bids posted
December 2025 – January 2026
Bid awarded
February 2026
Road Repair Begins
March 2026
Active WORK
September 2025
Public Works averages 30 pothole repairs each month. Potholes filled on the following streets this past month:
- Pinole Valley Road
- Simas
- Tara Hills
- San Pablo
- Pinole Shores
We will keep you updated as new projects kick off. Follow us on social media or subscribe to the Pulse for the latest updates. Check back soon for more road projects!
Coming soon: Pavement Marking & Signage Upgrades (RO2504), Traffic Calming Program (RO2506) and Accessibility Improvements (RO2501).
Plans and Supplemental Information
It takes a lot of planning to develop comprehensive road plans. One cannot simply look at a series of damaged roads and jump in to fix it. Spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair roads without a thorough analysis of related infrastructure could cause other costly problems later.
Several aspects of public infrastructure and critical data are being considered such as: safety improvements, sewer and stormwater systems, ADA compliance, utilities, street signals and illumination, traffic engineering, and much more.
Over the past several years, the City has completed a series of plans and analysis that support a more holistic road repair plan. Below you can read about some of this work in more detail.
Local Road Safety Plan
The Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) was adopted by council on February 21, 2023. The LRSP was developed through data analysis, stakeholder collaboration, and public input to identify and prioritize roadway safety improvements. The LRSP fulfills state and federal grant funding requirements and serves as a blueprint to enhance traffic safety through engineering, enforcement, education, emergency response, and emerging technologies.
Pavement Management Program Final Report
The latest (PTAP 2024) Pavement Management Program report, completed every 2 years, provides an evaluation of roadway conditions, assigns pavement condition index (PCI) ratings, and identifies short- and long-term maintenance needs. It also outlines cost-effective strategies and funding priorities to help cities plan and budget for pavement preservation and rehabilitation.
Traffic Collision Data
A Traffic Collision Data map uses information from the California Highway Patrol’s SWITRS system (2015–2025) to show patterns of crashes involving injuries and fatalities. This tool helps the City analyze collision trends and prioritize road safety improvements in future planning efforts.
ADA Transition Plan for Public Improvements
The City plans to update the City’s 2004 ADA Transition Plan for Public Improvements in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025/26. Council has approved a $250,000 budget for City Street Improvements according to the updated plan. Council has also approved an additional $150,000 to make ADA improvements to curb ramps in FY 25/26.
Active Transportation Plan
The City is very close to finalizing the Active Transportation Plan (ATP). Extensive community outreach and research was done to shape the ATP. The final ATP will presented to City Council in Fall 2025.
San Pablo Avenue Bridge Replacement Planning
The PE phase for the replacement of the San Pablo Avenue bridge over the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad is planned to begin this FY 25/26. This phase of the project will be funded by $1,990,449 Federal and regional grants, and $100,000 Measure S 2014.
The City of Pinole began planning the San Pablo Avenue Bridge Replacement Project with a Project Study Report in 2015, which identified structural deficiencies and recommended pursuing grant funding. The City was later approved for funding through Caltrans’ Highway Bridge Program, and in 2020 preliminary engineering and environmental technical studies began. Since then, the City has completed alternative selection, reached consensus with Caltrans on the preferred design, and is continuing environmental review and design work, with construction anticipated to begin between 2024–2026.
Upcoming Events
Road Repair Town Hall
Join your neighbors for an in-person town hall to learn more about roads and the City’s plans to address them, followed by a Q&A session and activity.
Thursday, November 20, 5:30-7:30pm | Pinole Senior Center