Post Date: 01/07/2020 9:32 AM

The Department of Transportation recently shared our three-year paving plan . The plan is a first-of-its-kind forecast for DOT. It shows our commitment to prioritize hundreds of miles of local streets in poor condition, while continuing to maintain major streets that carry most of our city’s traffic.

The three-year plan includes 635 miles of city streets slated to be preserved or rehabilitated by the end of 2022. This including 213 miles of major streets and 422 miles of local and neighborhood streets. Every year, we will update the forecast, giving residents and commuters an idea of when the streets they use will be refreshed or resurfaced. An interactive pavement project map lets the public see the big picture.

Despite its name, the pavement maintenance program covers more than just asphalt. The work will also add thousands of curb ramps that comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. Some streets will be reconfigured to be calmer and safer. And we will take advantage of the opportunity to add or improve bike lanes and bicycle detection systems at traffic signals across the city. The 2020 paving program will support the third year of our Better Bikeways San José program. That effort is drastically improving safety and comfort for bicyclists in and near the downtown core.

The paving preview comes on the heels of a successful, historic 2019 paving season. Two years of planning work, aided by dry weather, helped us complete our planned 277-mile paving program. We also completed an additional 12 miles of paving work that was suspended in 2018 due to weather conditions, for a grand total of 289 miles. In comparison, in 2013, we paved just 29 miles citywide. Bike infrastructure was added or enhanced along 33 miles of streets in 2019, and roughly 2,400 curb ramps were built or upgraded to current ADA standards.

Voter support for recent tax and bond measures has made this all possible. The funding from Measures B and T, as well as Senate Bill 1, is guaranteed for many years to come. Having stable funding sources means we’re able to plan out a 10-year paving program that will reach nearly every street in the city, including all 1,490 miles of our local and neighborhood streets.

“Voters gave us this great opportunity, and now we owe them two things: transparency and results,” says our Director of Transportation, John Ristow. “I hope this update and our continued progress on the paving program will inspire confidence. We heard you loud and clear, and we’re doing what we promised.”

To keep up with our paving program and other DOT work, select “Transportation” under “Subscribe to Department News” on the City’s E-Notification page.