Pavement Management Program/Bond Support

In 2011, the Town of Narragansett recognized a need to update its outdated pavement management system, which was based on outdated software and information about its roadway system. To that end, the town retained BETA to develop a new, customized Pavement Management Program for its 105-mile roadway network.

Narragansett’s Pavement Management Program (PMP) was developed utilizing BETA’s customized Microsoft Access database. All paved Town-owned roadways were inspected by BETA personnel and assigned a condition rating. The information from the inspections was used to populate the database and determine a town-wide average Road Segment Rating (RSR). Upon completion of the PMP, the 2012 average RSR was determined to be 75 (on a scale of 0 to 100). Contained in that average were a significant number of roadways classified as either failed or projected to fail in the near future.

Narragansett therefore decided to develop a five-phase roadway improvement program, to improve as many roadways as possible to a condition which will require only routine (i.e. non-capital) maintenance. The roadway improvement program was funded by a Roadway Bond Issue, which was included on the local 2012 election ballot.

BETA assisted the Town in the development of the five-phase road improvement program and the Roadway Bond Issue, using the PMP as the technical basis for the program. The proposed value of the bond issue was set at $17M. BETA also assisted the Town in its community outreach efforts in the months leading up to the election, where the bond issue was passed by a significant majority of local voters.

Going forward, BETA will continue to assist the Town in its PMP efforts, as well as in developing additional asset management programs for other elements of its infrastructure.