Union City Among Best in Region for Pavement Condition
Union City continues to rank among the best cities in the Bay Area for quality of pavement on local streets and roads.
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission released an annual report analyzing pavement condition across the Bay Area, and found that the average pavement condition index (PCI) for cities in the region is 67 out of a maximum 100 points. The report analyzed nearly 43,500 miles of streets and roadways during 2018. Union City received an average PCI score of 80, ranking it in the “Very Good” category. The highest-ranking city in the region is Dublin, which had a score of 86.
Shawn Vinson, Streets Supervisor for the City of Union City, can attest firsthand to the high quality of pavement in Union City. He has worked for the City of Union City for 33 years, and says that the pavement has “absolutely” gotten better in that time. He notes that the city’s engineering department “is spearheading a large slurry seal program and investing a lot of money back into our roadways, allowing us to invest in other projects such as our overlay project,” which will help protect roadways from deterioration.
The City of Union City is expected to receive approximately $2.7 million dollars from SB-1, the voter-approved tax measure, for road maintenance and rehabilitation for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. As a result, the city has begun road rehabilitation projects including on Decoto Road, Alvarado-Niles Road, Union City Boulevard, and other heavily used arterial roads in the city.
“We’re pretty proactive on pavement management because it’s what our residents want. We put a lot of emphasis on that,” says Vinson.
Maintaining and preserving local streets can reduce drive times and resulting traffic congestion, ensure that emergency services have safe and reliable streets to respond to emergency calls, support the local economy, and improve bicycle safety. Residents can learn more about Union City’s streets on the City’s website.
Read more about the MTC’s report and other city rankings here.