FAQs

The Pavement Condition Index is an industry accepted rating tool which summarizes the overall condition of a segment of roadway. The PCI rating scale ranges from 0 to 100 with 100 being the best rating a roadway can receive. The PCI is often used as a planning tool to help select the right pavement intervention at the right time to help extend the life of a roadway while lowering costs. You can see the PCI ratings for every road in the A-Z listing of roads and in the summaries for our three road types in the key findings slideshow.

DMI stands for Distress Manifestation Index. It is based on the types, severities and densities of the distresses to the road. Together with the Riding Condition Rating, it drives (pun intended!) the PCI rating.

There are many factors that roads staff and Council take into consideration when deciding which roads should be repaired or upgraded. The amount of traffic, type of traffic and cost are just three considerations (see Section 4.0 of the report for details). WSP/Golder provided a gravel road classification matrix tool for the Township to consider in future decision-making processes. A summary of the proposed factors can be seen in Table 12 of the main report.

The consultants used specialized software called DOT (Decision Optimization Technology) which analyzes and models road conditions, deterioration and projected costs to fix roads. You can read more about it on page 12 of the full report.

Section 4.0 of the report provides background on all of the factors considered in the operations, maintenance and upgrade of gravel roads. This section also provides background on case studies about when it is economical to upgrade a gravel road to a hard surface.  

The average network rating of 57 (Fair) for gravel roads currently supports discussion that new and dedicated funding may be needed to support re-gravelling programs. Gravel materials, and in particular the aggregate will break down year over year through grading and plowing activities and the quality of the road structure will gradually decline over time. Changes to the gravel road funding programs will be discussed in the draft 2023 budget and the new five-year plan (2023-2027).

The study recommends we update the ratings every three years. Maintaining an accurate record on the condition of the Township's roads will be key to ensuring an effective asset management program. Having this information will ensure the right roadway treatments are applied at the right time to save costs and extend the life of local roadways.

Once Council approves the 2023 budget in March, we will publish the road projects approved for the 2023 budget year on the Roads and Construction page of our website. For larger projects, like the Battersea Road Reconstruction project, you can follow the projects in more detail on this site.