El Paso County’s transportation network consists of more than 2,100 centerline miles of public roadway, ranging from major thoroughfares in urban areas to rural gravel roads and neighborhood streets and cul-de-sacs.
El Paso County Department of Public Works maintains over 1,100 centerline miles of paved roads, which equates to over 2,300 lane miles. 225 of the 1,100 centerline miles are chip sealed. Centerline miles include both sides of the road, whereas lane miles are the individual lanes (2 or 4 lanes depending on the road).
In 2018, a consultant surveyed the roads, and data was collected and analyzed on 2,321 lane miles of asphalt pavements. Visual data was analyzed on 2,073 lane miles of gravel roads.
Information gathered included the Surface Distress Index (SDI) and the Ride Condition Index (RCI), which are used to calculate the Pavement Quality Index (PQI).
The Pavement Condition Index (PCI) provides a numerical rating for the condition of road segments within the road network, where 0 is the worst possible condition (impassible), and 100 is the best (perfect condition).
The PCI tells public works officials the current condition of a road and the anticipated rate of deterioration of that road over time. The PCI values are used in prioritizing, funding, and executing maintenance and rehabilitation programs.
In order to determine the health or condition of the streets, the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) is used. The PCI is a 0-100 rating scale based on the physical and structural condition of a road:
- PQI scores of 70 to 100 are considered “satisfactory or good”. These are newly built or resurfaced roads that show little or no distress.
- PQI scores of 50 to 69 are considered “fair” with only slight or moderate distress, requiring primarily preventative maintenance.
- PQI scores of 25 to 49 are considered “poor” and are worn to where restoration may be needed to prevent further deterioration.
- PQI scores of 0 to 24 are considered “serious” and may require full reconstruction.