Council approves $167,000 pavement-management contract after debate on local alternatives

Council debated and approved a pavement-management plan contract that will produce a citywide pavement condition inventory and PCI mapping using high-fidelity pavement-scanning equipment.

Engineering staff clarified that the total contract value is $167,000: the MPO portion covers $107,000 while the City’s share is $60,000, which will fund collection on local (non–federally eligible) streets. Lance Meyer explained the vendor’s van uses laser measuring equipment to record cracks, rutting depth and other distresses; that data will feed the city’s pavement-management software and help choose cost-effective treatments (for example, when chip-seal is not viable because a street is degrading too quickly).

Alderman Fuller questioned whether the city could obtain similar information from local paving contractors or by polling residents to prioritize streets, arguing for lower-cost approaches. Meyer responded that while contractors and staff input are part of project design, the scan provides objective, repeatable data and a level of fidelity and coverage that manual or ad hoc methods would not deliver. He also said contracting for the scan can unlock federal funds for eligible arterials and that doing the work in-house would be labor-intensive and unlikely to achieve the same quality or timeliness.

On the vote, the motion to approve carried 6–1, with Alderman Fuller recorded as the dissent. Council members who supported the contract emphasized long-term cost savings and better decision-making from improved asset data.

Staff indicated the MPO partnership is new for this scope in Minot and that the scan is typically performed about every four years to update pavement condition trends and plan treatments.