Foley Starts 6.3-Mile Street Resurfacing Program, Hires Sawgrass Consulting to Grade 210 Miles of City Roads

FOLEY, Ala. — Work is beginning on street improvements across Foley as the city launches its annual resurfacing program and the most extensive assessment of its roadways it has ever undertaken.

The Foley City Council approved plans to resurface 6.3 miles of city streets. At the same time, the council approved a plan for Sawgrass Consulting to evaluate the condition of 210 miles of municipal streets and 9 miles of alleys, creating a score for each road segment that will guide where the city paves in the years ahead.

Where crews are paving

The 6.3 miles of resurfacing include several well-traveled streets:

• Park Avenue between South Hickory Street and South Pine Street
• Lakeview Drive from Carnoustie Drive to Baldwin County 12
• West Peachtree Avenue from North Cedar Street to Alabama 59

Resurfacing typically involves milling away the worn top layer of asphalt and laying down a fresh surface. Drivers can expect temporary lane closures, flaggers and some delays in work zones while crews are on site.

Grading every street from 0 to 100

The road study is known as a Pavement Condition Index, or PCI, assessment. Each roadway will be evaluated using standard industry criteria and assigned a score from 0 to 100, with 100 representing a road in perfect condition.

Pavement condition surveys typically look for signs of wear such as cracking, potholes, rutting, patching and uneven surfaces. Scoring every segment the same way allows a city to compare roads fairly and to decide which need simple maintenance, which need resurfacing and which may need more extensive reconstruction.

Foley City Engineer Taylor Davis said the city’s last PCI assessment was completed in 2019 and that assessments should be done about every seven years.

“With the changes in Foley, it’s time to update this plan,” Davis said.

This assessment will be the first to include city alleys in addition to streets.

A color-coded map that updates as roads are paved

Unlike earlier assessments, the new report will be built into the city’s digital mapping system. That will let officials track improvements and update road conditions as each resurfacing project is finished.

“We can actively update each section of road each year as we pave,” Davis said. “We will initially get a plan with color-coded roads, red, yellow, and green, green being best. Each time we pave a road, we can go in and make it green.”

Davis said the system will give officials and the public a clearer picture of road conditions across the city.

“You can see something a little bit more transparent, a little easier to read,” he said.

Keeping Foley’s roads ‘above 80’

Mayor Ralph Hellmich said Foley’s roads scored well in the 2019 assessment, with an average grade in the 80s, and that the city wants to keep it that way as it grows.

“We are in good shape. Our roads are in great shape. Our goal is to not allow that number to start trending downwards,” Hellmich said. “That’s why, over the years, we have increased the mileage that we have paved, which has also increased the amount of money we’ve spent.”

Hellmich said Foley has consistently spent more on road maintenance than it receives in fuel tax revenue, which cities are required to use for transportation improvements.

“We’re striving to keep that number above 80, and that’s what we’ll find out in this grade program,” he said.

Road maintenance experts often point out that keeping good roads in good condition is less expensive over time than letting them deteriorate. A road that is resurfaced before it fails can usually be repaired with a relatively thin overlay, while a road that is allowed to break down may need to be rebuilt from the base up at far greater cost.

New tools to study traffic

The city is also exploring new technology to analyze traffic volumes and patterns. Systems that draw on satellite and cellular data can provide more detailed information than traditional traffic counters, such as the rubber tubes stretched across a road, helping officials understand how and when roads are being used.

“Technology has changed so much in just the last seven years since we last did this,” Hellmich said. “This will give Taylor and his people more tools that they can use because our conditions are changing with new roads and traffic patterns.”

Why it matters

Foley has been one of the fastest-growing cities in Baldwin County, with new neighborhoods, shopping and tourism attractions adding traffic to city streets. As the city’s road network expands, an up-to-date assessment helps leaders plan paving budgets, prioritize the roads that need attention first and show residents where their tax dollars are going.

Residents will be able to see the results in a more accessible form once the assessment is complete and loaded into the city’s mapping system.

Key facts

• Resurfacing: 6.3 miles of city streets, including parts of Park Avenue, Lakeview Drive and West Peachtree Avenue
• Assessment: 210 miles of streets and 9 miles of alleys, evaluated by Sawgrass Consulting
• Scoring: Pavement Condition Index from 0 to 100
• Last assessment: 2019, when Foley’s roads averaged a score in the 80s
• New feature: Results integrated into the city’s digital map, color-coded red, yellow and green