Pavement Management
Maximizing pavement life
The City of Vancouver maintains about 1,900 lane miles of paved streets. Pavement management is a way of protecting this community asset and maximizing the life of our streets.
Every year, we evaluate pavement conditions across the City and identify the most cost-effective methods for each selected street. When streets begin to fail, they fail quickly and the costs to repair them increase dramatically.
The City’s Street Fund, General Fund and license fees collected through the Transportation Benefit District provide the main source of funding for this annual program.
General timeline
Proactive pruning
The Pavement Management Program coordinates with Urban Forestry to care for and replant street trees. Tree and vegetation pruning begins in February and continues through June. New street trees are planted in the fall.
Proactive street tree pruning helps protect the health and structure of trees. Trees shading Vancouver streets cool neighborhoods and extend pavement life.
ADA curb ramps
Work usually starts in March or April. Federal requirements mandate that curb ramps be upgraded to current ADA-compliant standards along streets receiving treatments that are considered an alteration, such as paving or cape sealing. In areas where ADA-compliant ramps exist, no changes are required.
Pavement prep
Pavement crack sealing and repair usually take place from March through early July. In some areas, crews will mill off failed areas to prepare the street for pavement work.
Summer work
Resurfacing, rehabilitation and pavement preservation typically takes place from the middle of June through early September. Striping/pavement markings removed during street work will be reapplied after the surface is ready. Allow for curing time and weather conditions.
Rain and other conditions can affect schedules. If work is delayed due to rain or other issues, you will receive a new notice prior to work taking place.
How to prepare for pavement work
- Watch for no parking signs. Do not park on streets when work is scheduled. Vehicles will be towed if remaining on posted streets when crews arrive and work is ready to begin.
- Keep vehicles, bikes, people and pets off the street until the contractor has reopened the street to traffic. Don’t risk getting material on your vehicle or tracking it onto your driveway.
- Be prepared for delays. Plan ahead to avoid schedule conflicts while the street is closed.
- Do not water or irrigate yards the day before or of work. Turn off automatic sprinklers.
- If your regular garbage/recycling collection is the same day as the scheduled work, please set out carts at 5:30 a.m. for pickup. Mail delivery may be delayed a day.
- If any restriping is needed, this will follow later. Do not drive over the wet paint
Pavement general hours
Construction hours are typically from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, though work may continue as late as 8 p.m., if needed.
What to expect before work
In most cases, residences and businesses along impacted streets receive door hanger notices in advance of work. Be prepared for delays, watch for traffic changes, proceed slowly, and be alert to construction workers, bicyclists, pedestrians and other motorists.
Pavement applications are highly weather-dependent. In case of rain, work must be postponed and rescheduled.
2026 pavement work
2026 pavement work information coming soon.
Watch for postcards and door hangers for upcoming work on your street.
The streets can change based on funding, schedules and coordination with other utility work.
Questions?
If you have questions about the Pavement Management program, email the Pavement Management team at pwpavementmanagement@cityofvancouver.us.
Construction questions during summer street work:
Public Works Construction Services: 360-487-7750
7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday
Pothole repairs or street maintenance: online request submissions or 360-487-8177
Annual curb ramps
Sidewalk curb ramps that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) help people with disabilities safely transition from the street to the sidewalk. The City is required to evaluate and add ADA ramps as part of its Pavement Management program.
Following Federal Highway Administration guidelines, streets receiving treatments considered an alteration, such as asphalt overlay paving, microsurfacing and cape sealing treatments, are required to be upgraded to meet current ADA requirements. In areas where ADA-compliant ramps exist, no changes are currently required.
What is an ADA curb ramp?
A curb ramp is a short ramp. ADA standards require that curb ramps include “detectable warnings,” such as a series of small domes that contrast in color with the surrounding sidewalk or street. Curb ramps are an important part of making pedestrian routes accessible.
Resurfacing paving projects
What is an overlay?
Overlays are a mixture of coarse rock and asphalt that provides additional load-carrying capacity and a smoother ride. Street resurfacing is generally coordinated with other street, water, sewer and underground utility improvements.
Project phases
Phase one: Curb ramps
Preparations begin with curb ramp work. This first phase of construction involves installing new or reconstructing identified pedestrian ramps to bring those corners up to current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) required standards.
Phase two: Paving preparations
Crews will repair pavement by removing damaged areas and rebuilding those pavement sections. This is followed by leveling low areas where needed.
Phase three: Grinding and paving
Crews will grind and pave the street surface. All paving is highly dependent upon weather and construction conditions.
Phase four: Striping and finishing
Crews will restripe streets and complete any finishing work, such as replacing speed cushions and signal detection loops.
Preservation projects
What is pavement preservation?
Preservation treatments extend the life of streets at a lower cost than an asphalt overlay. The type selected for a street depends on the current surface condition, carrying capacity and travel use. Preservation projects alternate each year between the east and west sides of Vancouver.
Curb ramp improvements before surface treatments
Before work begins, crews often install new curb ramps or upgrade curb ramps at intersections to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Types of pavement preservation:
Microsurfacing
Microsurfacing begins as a coarse liquid application of dense-grade aggregate, asphalt emulsion, water and mineral fillers. The quick-setting emulsion allows traffic to begin using the new surface in a short time, as little as an hour, depending on conditions. As the product cures, the surface becomes smoother. The finished sealant forms a thin shell over the street’s existing asphalt surface, extending the life of the underlying pavement. Microsurfacing applications are generally used on arterial and higher-volume streets.
Slurry seal
Slurry seal is a mixture of fine rock, asphalt and water placed on the pavement about ¼-inch thick to protect the surface from sun and rain. Slurry seal applications are generally used on lower-volume local and residential streets.
Chip seal
Chip seal is a layer of sprayed emulsified asphalt followed by a layer of new rock. A chip seal treatment typically extends the life of a road by seven to 10 years and provides a new sealed surface at a lower cost than a standard asphalt overlay.
Cape seal
Cape seal is a surface treatment that begins with a chip seal and then combines a final slurry seal or microsurface application.
Chip and fog seal
Chip and fog seal treatment begins with a chip seal and then is finished with a fog seal. Chip seal methods can include an asphalt rubberized chip seal or a ¼-inch chip seal. Both help increase durability, decrease loose chips and improve the smoothness of the street. The type of chip seal method depends on the traffic on the street.
Asphalt rubber chip seal
An asphalt rubber binder is applied, then topped with a layer of chipped rock. Crews then apply a fog seal, a thin layer of liquid asphalt that coats and preserves the pavement, to the surface.
Bonded wearing course
Bonded wearing course is a thin hot-mix asphalt mixture applied over a thick polymer asphalt emulsion membrane. The high binder content seals the underlying road, protecting it from water infiltration and slowing the aging process.