Foley is launching its annual street resurfacing project while preparing for a comprehensive review of road conditions that will help city officials prioritize future repairs and maintain the city's growing network of streets.

The city plans to repave 6.3 miles of roadway under a project approved by Foley City Council. Work includes Park Avenue between South Hickory Street and South Pine Street, Lakeview Drive from Carnoustie Drive to Baldwin County 12 and West Peachtree Avenue from North Cedar Street to Alabama 59.

At the same time, Foley is preparing for its most extensive assessment of municipal road conditions to date. The study will examine more than 200 miles of city streets and alleys, giving officials updated information to guide annual resurfacing decisions.

Under a plan approved by City Council, Sawgrass Consulting will conduct a Paving Condition Index, or PCI, assessment of Foley's road network. The evaluation will help officials identify which roads need repaving or other improvements and establish priorities for future projects.

Taylor Davis, Foley city engineer, said the last assessment was completed in 2019. He said road conditions should be evaluated approximately every seven years to ensure the city has current information for planning.

"With the changes in Foley, it's time to update this plan," Davis said.

Sawgrass representatives will drive all 210 miles of city streets and 9 miles of alleys as part of the upcoming assessment. It will be the first time Foley's alleys have been included alongside its streets.

Consultants will evaluate each roadway using standard industry criteria and assign it a score from zero to 100, with 100 representing a perfect condition.

The new assessment will also differ from previous studies by integrating the results into the city's computer mapping system. That will allow officials to update road conditions as improvements are completed rather than relying solely on a report that becomes outdated over time.

"We can actively update each section of road each year as we pave," Davis said. "We will initially get a plan with color-coded roads, red, yellow, and green, green being best. Each time we pave a road, we can go in and make it green."

Davis said the mapping system will make it easier for city officials to track road conditions and identify areas that need attention.

"You can see something a little bit more transparent, a little easier to read," Davis said.

Mayor Ralph Hellmich said Foley performed well in the 2019 assessment, earning an average score in the 80s. The city wants to preserve that performance as development and traffic continue to change throughout the area.

"We are in good shape. Our roads are in great shape. Our goal is to not allow that number to start trending downwards," Hellmich said. "That's why, over the years, we have increased the mileage that we have paved, which has also increased the amount of money we've spent."

Hellmich said municipalities are required to use fuel tax revenue for streets, but Foley has spent more than the required amount to help maintain its road network.

"We're striving to keep that number above 80, and that's what we'll find out in this grade program," Hellmich said.

Beyond pavement conditions, the city is also exploring new technology to better understand traffic volumes and patterns and determine where additional road improvements may be needed.

Hellmich said newer systems that use satellite and cellular technology can provide more detailed traffic information than traditional manual counters. The data could help city officials understand how traffic is changing as new roads are built and travel patterns shift.

"Technology has changed so much in just the last seven years since we last did this," Hellmich said. "This will give Taylor and his people more tools that they can use because our conditions are changing with new roads and traffic patterns."

Together, the pavement assessment and expanded traffic data are expected to give Foley officials more information to guide infrastructure decisions, prioritize spending and keep road conditions from deteriorating as the city grows.