City of Martinez, Measure D Projects: FY 2021-22

Dear Martinez Community Member,

Thank you for your continued support of the City of Martinez. It is an honor for me as a City Manager to work in a community that chooses to tax themselves in order to improve the quality of life. Through Measure D, a half-cent sales tax measure approved in 2016 by the residents in Martinez, the City is able to provide over $1.8 million in funding exclusively for Martinez road improvement and maintenance needs. And we are hard at work investing the funds you trusted us with to improve the road infrastructure within the community. 

The City recently held a workshop to share with our plan for which streets will be repaired and to garner feedback from community members. On February 3, 2021, the City Council approved the plan and city staff is currently securing a contractor to start another round of pavement work. If you want to view a map of the project schedule or learn more about Measure D please visit our City Website using this shorten link: http://ow.ly/hP1d50DOruV

In addition, I wanted to share with you all of the different approaches we use to maximize the impact of our expenditures. Street repair and rehabilitation can be done through a number of different surface treatments. These are listed in order of level of work and cost to perform:

Method 1: Crack Seal

Placement of specialized asphalt emulsion into lateral and horizontal cracks that develop in asphalt as it ages. The crack seal prevents water from seeping into the streets structural section (base rock) and destroying the street’s structural integrity and strength from within. Crack sealing is often performed prior to micro-surfacing, chip seals, or cape seals. The combination of these treatments is less expensive than an overlay which typically requires edge grinding and may include crack sealing.

Method 2: Micro Surface (Slurry Seal)

Seal coat the street surface with fine aggregate infused asphalt emulsion to preserve the wearing surface of the street and prolong the street’s service life.

Method 3: Rubberized Cape Seal

Repair minor localized defects in the street by milling and backfilling with new asphalt “plugs” then placing a layer of rubber infused asphalt emulsion on the street surface to seal cracks and weatherproof the surface while immediately covering the asphalt.

Method 4: Edge Grind with Asphalt Overlay

Repair localized defects in the street by milling and backfilling with new asphalt “plugs” then edge grinding at the gutter lip on both sides of the street and layering a new layer of asphalt (Typically 2” thick) over the surface of the street from edge to edge. Emulsion with pre-coated, rubberized, 3/8” aggregate chips and power rolling them into the hot asphalt emulsion. The new chipped street surface is power rolled and power swept numerous times to remove loose chips. The chipped surface is left to cure for up to fourteen days and then is coated with a micro surface seal coat to provide a smooth driving surface.

Method 5: Street Reconstruction

The complete reconstruction of a street that has reached the end of its service life and can no longer be successfully maintained or rehabilitated. The work includes removing or grinding the street surface and structural section and replacing both with either reconditioned materials (Full Depth Reclamation) or new materials (Reconstruction).

I hope this provides a helpful resource for you to understand how we invest in the community and how we as City staff work to improve the daily experience of our community. Again, please visit our website at http://ow.ly/hP1d50DOruV to view our repair schedule for the upcoming year.

Thank you and stay safe!