The City of Dover's street paving program is an annual program to preserve the city’s roadway system. The City of Dover owns and maintains about 135 miles of paved roadways, which excludes state-owned roads such as the Spaulding Turnpike, Dover Point Road, Durham Road, Knox Marsh Road and Littleworth Road. The city invests yearly in preservation maintenance of the roadway system to maximize the roads’ service life while minimizing life cycle costs, and ultimately provide an operational roadway system for the community.
Roads to be paved are evaluated annually based on the city’s pavement management program, which considers the pavement condition, frequency of use, and available funding. Each year, an amount is appropriated for general street improvements through the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and funded through the city's operating budget.
Roads that are severely degraded and require a complete reconstruction are candidates for a standalone CIP project that often incorporates upgrades of public utilities, such as water, sewer and stormwater drainage. Because these projects are significant and often require debt financing to complete, they are typically planned at least six-years out.
Roads with a structurally sufficient subbase are generally good candidates for pavement maintenance through the Street Paving Program to extend the service life of the road until funding becomes available for a complete street reconstruction through a CIP project. The CIP is part of the city’s community planning process. It maps out significant infrastructure projects and estimated costs over the next six years that are linked to goals and values outlined in Dover’s Master Plan. Click here to find more information about the CIP.
Through the annual budgeting process approved by the City Council, $1.7 million was allocated for general street improvements during the 2023 construction season. It includes $801,000 from FY2022 capital outlay carry-forward funds, and $951,000 from FY2023 capital outlay funds.
Streets included in the program are listed below; however, all streets may not be paved due to weather, funding and other challenges.
For more information, contact Community Services at 603-516-6450.
Brookline Ave | Washington St to Fourth St | Reclaim |
Cedarbrook Dr | Full Length | Overlay |
Fourth St | Washington St to bridge | Overlay |
Iona Ave | Full Length | Pave |
Kennedy Cir | Full Length | Overlay |
Mitchell Ct | Full Length | Overlay |
Crescent Ave | Full Length | Overlay |
Glencrest Ave | Full Length | Overlay |
Grove St | Sixth St to Ash St | Overlay |
Hellman Ave | Full Length | Overlay |
Hillcrest Dr | Full Length | Overlay |
Horne St | Sixth St to Ash St | Overlay |
Hough St | Horne St to Central Ave | Shim |
Maple St | Sixth St to Ash St | Overlay |
Chestnut St | Washington St to bridge | Cold Plane / Overlay |
Locust St | Central Ave to Silver St | Cold Plane / Overlay |
Fairfield Dr | Full Length | Reclaim |
Sunset Dr | Full Length | Reclaim |
Old Garrison Rd | Rabbit Rd to 280 Old Garrison Rd | Pave |
Leathers Lane | Full Length | Reclaim |
The life cycle of a well-constructed road is generally 25 years to 35 years, and is impacted by traffic volume and weight, weather, environmental conditions, and maintenance. Proper maintenance performed on a regular schedule can substantially extend the life cycle of pavement. The preservation maintenance strategies utilized to extend the life cycle of City’s roadway system are low-cost, low-impact, and minimize disruption to traffic.
Crack Sealing
Cracks in roadways allow water to filter under the pavement surface and begin to undermine the gravel base gravel layers potentially causing pot holes. Hot poured crack sealant is applied to hinder further pavement deterioration. A Crack Sealing program is completed yearly separate from the Street Paving Program.
Patch Paving
The width of a road is not subjected to the same traffic volume and loads; therefore, some areas of the road will fail while other areas remain structurally sound. Failed areas are considered areas in the roadway that have become depressed and may have broken pieces of pavement. These failed areas are removed and replaced with a thicker pavement section. Once a roadway section exhibits significant areas of patch paving, the roadway will qualify for cold planning and overlay.
Shim Overlay
Shim overlay consists of applying 1.25 inches of pavement over the existing paved surface. The shim overlay strengthens the existing pavement thickness and provides a smooth riding surface. Existing manhole and catch basin covers are required to be raised prior to placing the shim overlay.
Cold Plane and Overlay
Cold planing consists of removing the surface of the existing pavement to a specific depth, and then a 1.5-inch pavement overlay is applied over the cold planed surface. Cold planing creates grooves in the existing pavement to interlock with the new overlay, which provides a stronger pavement section. The cold plane and overlay strategy can be used to re-establish roadway cross-sections and improve drainage. As with the shim overlay strategy, existing manhole and catch basin covers are required to be raised prior to placing the overlay.
Reclamation
Reclamation is the process of grinding the existing pavement in place and mixing it with the existing base gravel material to improve the strength of the base. The reclaimed material can be shaped to re-establish the roadway cross-section and improve drainage. After compaction of the reclaimed material, 3.5 inches of pavement is installed. Existing manhole and catch basin covers are required to be adjusted, as needed, through the reclaim process.
The Pavement Condition Management Program maintains the pavement condition of the City’s roadway system and identifies strategically timed repair techniques to achieve its full value of the initial investment. The City has completed two pavement condition assessments, first in 2012 completed by city staff followed by another assessment in 2015 completed by a consultant, CMA Engineers. These assessments have guided the City’s approach for pavement management over the past decade. The city is currently working with a consultant, Stantec, to update the Pavement Condition Management program, which will used to support the decision making for roadway infrastructure projects over the next several budget cycles. During the summer of 2022, the consultant conducted a pavement condition survey, analyze pavement repair strategies, and provide an optimized budget to be utilized in future years.
The consultant utilized the below specialty vehicle to help prepare the survey.
For more information, contact Community Services at 603-516-6450.