Neighborhood roads in the southwest quadrant of Battle Ground are the priority for the city’s 2025 street preservation efforts.
On Tuesday, Feb. 18, the Battle Ground City Council received an update on the city’s Street Preservation Program from Public Works Director Mark Herceg. He provided an overview of the current state of Battle Ground’s roads, a recap of 2024 projects and a preview of proposed 2025 street work. Several projects approved in 2024 remain unfinished due to contractor delays and will carry over into 2025.
Every three years, Battle Ground city staff assess road conditions on a scale from 0 to 100, with 100 representing a brand new road and 0 indicating a road that has deteriorated to gravel. The city’s last assessment in 2023 resulted in an overall score of 72 — categorized as “good” but on the lower end of the spectrum. Roads are selected for improvement based on the approved budget and the goal of improving the city’s overall road condition score.
The city currently has a $1.3 million street preservation budget for 2025 but still faces deferred maintenance costs currently estimated at over $8 million.
Review of 2024 projects
In April 2024, the Battle Ground City Council allocated $2.5 million for road improvement projects aimed at enhancing pavement conditions across the city. The funding covered mill and fill, Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant (ADA) curb ramp upgrades, sealing, micro surfacing, pavement markings and lane striping.
Many of the planned 2024 preservation projects faced delays.
The following 2024 projects remain incomplete and will be carried into 2025:
• Remaining micro-surfacing on Southwest Scotton Way (Southwest 20th Avenue to state Route 503)
• Remaining micro-surfacing on Southeast Grace Avenue (Southeast Rasmussen Boulevard to Southeast Eaton Boulevard)
• Remaining slurry seal and cape seal in the Northwest Neighborhood (northeast corner of state Route 503 and Northwest Onsdorff Boulevard)
• Remaining micro-surfacing on Northwest 15th Avenue (Northwest First Street to just north of Northwest Fourth Street)
• Remaining cape seal in the Northwest Neighborhood (between Northwest 12th Avenue and Northwest 20th Avenue)
• Remaining slurry seal in the Central Neighborhood (northwest and southwest corners of South Parkway and Rasmussen Boulevard)
However, several projects were completed in 2024, including:
• Mill and fill: Northwest 18th Avenue (West Main Street to Northwest Third Street) and Southeast Eaton Boulevard (Southeast Grace Avenue to Northeast 157th Avenue)
• Chip seal: Southeast Commerce Avenue (Southeast Rasmussen Boulevard to Southeast Eaton Boulevard)
• Crack sealing: Various locations in the northwest, southwest and southeast quadrants
• ADA sidewalk ramp replacements: Multiple locations throughout the city
Councilmember Victoria Ferrer asked Herceg for clarification on why the 2024 projects were unfinished.
Herceg responded that the contractor had failed to start on time, leading to significant delays.
“I can’t answer specifically what happened with the contractor, but we had an end date of ... the end of September to finish our projects. They didn’t even start until October, so they were already, without having done a single bit of project, behind,” Herceg said.
Proposed 2025 street work
The 2025 street preservation program has a total estimated cost of $2,160,000. Remaining work from 2024 will use carry-over funds and will not dip into this year’s budget.
Budgetary allocations include:
• 2024 project remainder work: $900,000
• Southwest section (2025 highlight): $1,040,000
• Contracted crack sealing and markings: $200,000
• Long line striping by Clark County: $20,000
The 2025 preservation efforts will primarily focus on the southwest neighborhoods, particularly the area south of Main Street and near 20th Avenue. Other necessary work, such as crack sealing and striping, will be funded through separate contracts.
The proposed projects include:
• Horse Thief Canyon subdivision: Slurry seal application on all roads except Southwest 24th Avenue
• Southwest 24th Avenue, Winchester Ranch and Robinwood subdivisions: Cape seal treatments (chip seal followed by slurry seal)
• ADA ramps: Upgrading approximately 50 intersections to comply with federal accessibility standards
Ferrer highlighted the number of sidewalk and ADA ramp improvements in both 2024 and the proposed 2025 projects and asked Herceg how long sidewalks are meant to last. Herceg explained that while concrete sidewalks can last 75 to 100 years if properly installed, frequent updates to ADA standards mean that many ramps and sidewalks must be replaced long before the concrete itself deteriorates.
The total estimated cost for these projects is $1,040,000, which accounts for most of the city’s $1.3 million street preservation budget for 2025. Other necessary work, such as crack sealing and striping, will be funded through separate contracts.
Mayor Troy McCoy highlighted the need to review the three worst roads in the city during the upcoming council retreat.
“I would be interested in looking at the three worst roads potentially and what that dollar figure is and what budgetarily that means and where do we spread that ... The retreat’s going to be action-packed, so I’m glad to hear that’s coming because that’s what I wanted to hear tonight,” McCoy said.
Following the meeting, McCoy emphasized the importance of cost-effective road maintenance, particularly the use of slurry seals, to extend the life of roads before full reconstruction becomes necessary. He explained that while some roads may eventually need complete rebuilding, preventative maintenance helps delay those costly projects. During the council retreat, McCoy hopes to evaluate which roads should be prioritized for reconstruction due to deferred maintenance.
“You don’t paint a Pinto, you know. You sometimes just have to buy a new car, so we’re gonna have to buy a few new cars for a few of our roads because of deferred maintenance. The council has to decide how we want to do that, how do we structure that. And I believe the retreat is scheduled, I think it’s in March. So the hope would be that the council can give direction to staff on, ‘hey, this is what it looks like,’ you know, or these are the priorities for council and the city. And budgetarily, what does that look like? Because we probably can’t do all of them,” McCoy said.
The council retreat is expected to take place in March, and updates will be posted on cityofbg.org/agendacenter.
