Local street preservation - Save Our Streets (SOS) program

The City is responsible for maintaining 159 miles of street of which 83 miles are local streets* (this Functional Roadway Classification Map identifies all local streets in Auburn). Before 2004, funding for pavement preservation had dropped dramatically for these local streets due to the repeal of the Motor Vehicle Excise Tax (car tabs). The City responded to this situation by proposing a funding measure (Proposition No. 1) which was approved by Auburn citizens in the November 2004 General Election. This Proposition now allows the City's property tax levy to generate money for a dedicated local street fund which is used solely to fund a local street pavement preservation and improvement program, called the Save Our Street (SOS) Program. Since 2005 the City has been combining the levy funds with funds from other sources to implement yearly local street pavement preservation projects.

During the initial years of the SOS Program, streets with pavement that is in fair to poor condition (that is pavement that only requires a routine maintenance type of treatment) have been given a priority over streets with pavement that is in very poor condition (pavement that must be completely reconstructed). Although this may seem counterintuitive at first, this strategy of treating the streets in fair to poor condition first is a proven pavement management strategy that will allow the SOS Program to treat more street overall. This is because it is much more expensive to defer work on a street in fair to poor condition than it is to defer work on a street in very poor condition since the pavement on the fair to poor streets will continue to deteriorate (and will therefore be much more expensive to fix in the future) while the pavement on the very poor streets will always have to be reconstructed (and will therefore cost about the same to fix in the future).

More information about Auburn pavement management strategies and the work done in the initial years of the SOS Program can be found in the year-end reports listed below.

Beginning in 2008 the City will continue to treat the fair to poor streets but will also begin design work on the very poor streets (construction on these very poor streets is scheduled to begin in 2009). All of the fair to poor streets that will be treated in 2008 are shown on the map below (2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 Program Map). The very poor streets that will be reconstructed in 2009 through 2011 are being evaluated and as soon as the City finalizes the schedule, a new map will be posted on this webpage.

*This does not included streets recently annexed into the City at the beginning of 2008.

SOS annual work program

• 2005 thru 2008 program map (PDF)
• 2007 year-end report (PDF)
• 2006 year-end report (PDF)
• 2005 year-end report (PDF)