Consultants tell Pingree Grove board village roads are in ‘preservation’ condition; recommend $950K–$1.17M annual program

Consultants told the Pingree Grove village board on May 18 that the village’s pavement network is in strong, preservable condition but will need steady funding to avoid expensive reconstruction.

Ramesh Kaivan of Applied Research Associates, working with AECOM, said a vehicle outfitted with lasers and 360° imaging was used to scan village roads and calculate a pavement condition index (PCI). The village’s network PCI is 81.9, Kaivan said, placing the system in a preservation category rather than a deferred‑maintenance crisis.

The presenters explained their method: the PMS (pavement management system) assigns each road a PCI from 0 to 100, models pavement performance over time and recommends treatments (preservation, mill‑and‑fill, reconstruction) and timing. Kaivan said the study produced separate performance models for local and collector streets and showed two funding “spikes” in 2027 and 2033 when larger interventions would be needed if funding is uneven.

Using the study’s performance modeling, the consultants presented several funding scenarios. Kaivan said a funding “sweet spot” of about $950,000 to $1,170,000 per year would preserve most of the network and stabilize PCI over a 10‑year horizon; a do‑nothing scenario would drive the PCI sharply downward and increase long‑term costs.

The team demonstrated the Paver software the village was trained on and said staff can run scenarios and update the database as work is completed. Kaivan urged a preservation‑first approach — microsurfacing and rejuvenation where appropriate — arguing preservation covers more mileage for the same dollar compared with reconstruction.

The study estimated that eliminating all backlog would require roughly $11.67 million over 10 years but emphasized the consultants were not recommending full elimination immediately; instead, they recommended targeted preservation to keep the network in good condition.

Why it matters: steady, modest annual investment in preservation is typically far less costly than letting roads deteriorate to the point that they require reconstruction. The village now has a tool and training to prioritize work, track past projects and model budget impacts going forward.

Board members thanked the team and noted the village hosted Paver training last week; Kaivan said the village updated its prior analysis (2020) and showed measurable improvement in the 2025 scan.