Streets

The Town of Hillsborough street infrastructure consists of approximately 96 miles of streets, 2,500 catch basins and storm drain inlets, and thousands of street signs.

The Hillsborough Public Works Department – Street Crew:

• Maintains the quality of Hillsborough’s streets and storm sewer system.
• Installs and replaces street signs, guardrails and street markings such as stop bars.
• Repairs sections of the street damaged by tree roots and collapsed asphalt.
• Repairs potholes.
• Notifies homeowners to trim foliage that blocks gutters and streets.
• Performs maintenance on public lands and facilities.
• Inspects private improvements in the right of way (encroachment permits.)

The Town generally maintains its streets using a combination of micro-surfacing and scrub seal methods, in addition to digging out failed sections of streets. Micro-surfacing rejuvenates the existing asphalt surface and creates a rigid riding surface for vehicles. It also seals roads, preventing water from getting in and potentially leading to breakdown of the roadway and potholes. Because it is eight to 10 times more cost effective than traditional street overlay (replacing the top 2 inches of pavement), it allows the Town to resurface more roadways more frequently.

A broad overview of Micro-Surfacing from Missouri Petroleum can be found here:
http://www.missouripetroleum.com/microsurfacing.html

The quality of Hillsborough's streets are evaluated every 2-4 years.  The study grades the condition of streets called a Pavement Condition Index (PCI).  In 2010, the average PCI score was 70, which is a relatively high average score. 

How are streets selected for street projects?
The Public Works Department and City Engineer consider the PCI scores of streets, the timing of public projects for water and sewer infrastructure, and the limited funding when selecting streets for a project.  The Department's goal is to seal/improve each street at least once every 10 years.  This strategy has improved the average score from 54 to 70 in recent years. 

Sources for street funding include Measure A funds, gas taxes, the construction vehicle impact fees and general fund money. 
When water or sewer projects damage streets, a contribution is made by the appropriate fund towards the repair of the streets.

Street-Related Construction Responsibilities

Contractor Responsibilities (when working in areas around or on streets)

Contractors are responsible for repairing damage to parking strips and curbs/gutters. The damaged areas must be removed and replaced at the expense of the contractor. All work on streets or in right-of-ways requires appropriate permits from the Town’s Building and Public Works Departments.

Resident Responsibilities

As there is no street sweeping service in the Town, residents are responsible for keeping curbs and gutters clean and free of leaves and other debris to prevent clogs. This includes using acceptable materials in parking strip construction (and not using rocks or pebbles, which can clog storm drains during wet weather).

At the discretion of the City Engineer, residents may be required to replace or repair parking strips or curbs/gutters that fall short of compliance or present a potential problem to the storm drain system.

For information on parking strip specifications, refer to the Parking Strip Requirements Handout.