The City of Highland Park spends a significant portion of the budget each year on infrastructure maintenance and improvement, and uses several factors to prioritize this work. Below is more detail on how the City determines what to do when, adapted from a conversation with Highland Park’s Public Works Director.

Street resurfacing: The City has approximately 130 miles of streets which are tested every five years for surface condition, structural integrity and deflection movement. This data is used to generate a Pavement Condition Average Number (PCAN). The PCAN is a quantitative indicator of the overall condition of the pavement. This includes an evaluation of the sublayers and foundation of the pavement (generally 6-12 inches below the surface). While these layers are not visible as you drive, ride, or walk on the pavement, they are important to its overall structural integrity and are factors in the City’s plan for maintenance, rehabilitation, or full reconstruction of roads. Streets with a solid sublayer rating, but a poor surface rating may be a candidate for resurfacing, while a poor sublayer rating usually indicates the need for a full reconstruction. 

In addition, the City reviews underground utilities such as watermain, sanitary and storm sewers to determine whether they are in need of upgrade or full replacement. It doesn’t makes sense to resurface over infrastructure that is in need of replacement, so road resurfacing may be coordinated to line up with the needed underground work in a future year.  

The City seeks grant funding for infrastructure projects to lessen the burden on taxpayers. In the case of a grant funded reconstruction, the project may need align with the grant funding timeline, and must be in compliance with state and federal rules.  These grants typically cover 80% of project costs, and large infrastructure projects often involve several years of design and planning prior to construction. You can learn more about the City’s 2023 capital improvement projects here.