Streets feeling the strain

Not at critical point yet, city roadways headed that way if funding does not improve, Harer says

MOSES LAKE — The term "golden age" is supposed to evoke memories of a long time ago, when things were better than they are now.

Listening to Gary Harer, municipal services director for Moses Lake, the golden age for the city streets was 2001.

Four years later, street maintenance has not stopped; what has changed is the amount of money the city has to do it. The 2005 preliminary budget for street maintenance is about $580,000.

The Motor Vehicle Excise Tax used to contribute between $200,000 and $300,000 more than that to the maintenance of streets.

"The streets were in good shape in 2001," Harer said.

People's initiatives greatly decimated this contribution, forcing the street maintenance fund to borrow monies from an equally depleted general fund.

The general fund has been affected by stagnating interest rates and low sales tax revenues, limiting how much it could help pay for repairs. To Harer, the effects on the streets are clear.

Harer said the state is currently contributing around $300,000 to the maintenance of streets, not enough to pay for crack-sealing projects, the lowest rung on the scale of street maintenance or a seal coat, the second rung.

A crack seal is supposed to take place every five years, filling up a street's wide cracks. A seal coat is supposed to take place around every seven years. Main arterials receive what is called a chip seal and other streets get a slurry seal. They both rejuvenate the asphalt, fill out the minor cracks, and protect it from the sun.

If a seal coat does not do enough anymore, it is time for an overlay, an application of one-half inch of asphalt. And if the streets are even worse off than that, it's time for a reconstruction, which is the phase Harer does not want the city streets to get to, as it's the most expensive level.

The city is not hitting the five-year mark due to the reduced funds, but it's close, he said.

Cracks on the asphalt have several causes. The great differences on temperature between the summer and the winter causes the asphalt to expand and contract. Subgrade and rock under the asphalt are washed away with the rain, taking away support.

Then, trucks travel up and down these unsupported streets, speeding up the damage.

Still, Harer said, the city has not reached a critical point, although certain spots in the city, such as Pioneer Way and Grape Drive between Valley Road and Highway 17, show clear signs of wear and tear. If funding is not picked up, sooner or later, the situation will become critical, he added.

"We have to maintain what we have or there will be more expense," he said.