Street Preservation Program

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Each year the Street Preservation team resurfaces streets throughout the City. This activity starts in late spring and is completed by late fall.

Overview

The overall goal behind street resurfacing is to reduce the number of future potholes and allow smoother and safer driving for all. During the 2025-2026 resurfacing season, approximately $34.8-Million went toward street resurfacing and street infrastructure work.

During the 2024-2025 resurfacing season, the city surpassed the milestone of 25% of all Kansas City roadways being resurfaced. With another 300 lane miles anticipated to be replaced during the upcoming 2026 - 2027 fiscal year, the City is on track to be over 40% resurfaced by April 2027.

Year By Year Resurfacing:

May 2016 to April 2017: 159 lane miles resurfaced.

May 2017 to April 2018: 156 lane miles resurfaced.

May 2018 to April 2019: 162 lane miles resurfaced.

May 2019 to April 2020: 112 lane miles resurfaced.

May 2020 to April 2021: 115 lane miles resurfaced.

May 2021 to April 2022: 245 lane miles resurfaced.

May 2022 to April 2023: 469 lane miles resurfaced.

May 2023 to April 2024: 519 lane miles resurfaced.

May 2024 to April 2025: 360 lane miles resurfaced.

May 2025 to April 2026: 330 lane miles resurfaced

What is being resurfaced this year?

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View the Street Restoration (SR-1) Coordination Map:

Posted May 5, 2022: City Council approves nearly $40 million in street preservation contracts. Read the news release.

Posted November 9, 2021: The street preservation program wrapped up a successful season, resurfacing 137 lane miles on 272 streets using over 120,000 tons of asphalt. Read more in the news release.

Posted July 13, 2021: City Council approves $30 million in street preservation contracts. Read the news release.

Posted October 16, 2024: Kansas City launches the “Trash to Roads” Pilot Program. Read the news release.

Posted November 20, 2024: Kansas City surpassed 1,500 lane miles resurfaced since the fiscal year 2021-2022. Read the news release.

Resurfacing and Microsurfacing Data for choosing streets

The Street Preservation Division of Public Works uses a data-driven approach when selecting streets for annual street preservation contracts and maintenance. Street Preservation performs maintenance, resurfacing and other activities on streets based primarily on street ratings gathered by an ARAN (automatic road analyzer) vehicle every 2 years. This is an advanced pavement data collection vehicle equipped with precision survey systems.

picture of one of the street surveying ARAN vans

The ARAN software is able to perform our roadway data collection task, identify street distress, (Alligator cracking, Block cracking, Transverse / longitudinal cracking, Raveling / weathering, Bumps / dips / sags, Rutting / shoving, Potholes, IRI (Roughness condition), Ride Quality, etc.) and provide the City with an overall condition index (OCI) for each of our City-maintained street segments (approx. 32000 segments / approx. 6000 lane miles).

The OCI’s are then loaded in to our asset management system, where Street Maintenance engineers run scenarios and perform analysis to address the maintenance needs of our City streets. Inspections, engineering judgement, utility coordination, project coordination, and administration direction are some of the factors used to create a final selection of streets to place in the contracts. Not all streets in a given area are resurfaced at the same time because they are not rated the same.

Graphic providing an overview of Street Condition Rating standards used by KCMO Public Works. For more information, feel free to contact us at 81.513.9960.

This graphic shows the street condition rating system and the corresponding pavement activities suggested for each rating group. Each Kansas City street segment has a particular rating in our asset management system, Cartegraph.

Utilizing this data-driven approach allows Public Works to address needs in all council districts, although not all needs in each district. It should be noted that the number of streets Street Maintenance crews are able to resurface each year depends on the budget.

One of the main objectives with using this data-driven approach is to use the right tool (in this case, the right maintenance activity) at the right time, thus spending taxpayers' tax dollars wisely and efficiently (performing maintenance before street conditions enter into a more costly activity like street reconstruction). This allows Public Works to stretch the dollars to perform more maintenance activities throughout the City.

Trash to Roads Program:

KC road crew working on a street

Kansas City's “Trash to Roads” Pilot Program is part of an innovative effort to improve sustainability. Under the program, small portions of select neighborhood roads will be repaved using advanced materials derived from recycled waste. Three asphalt mixes tested are being tested. One mix is made from recycled tires, another is made from plastics, and the last mix is made of a combination of both.

This program is made possible through a Collaboration with the University of Missouri, LiveGreenUSA, and JM Fahey Construction. The goal is to explore new technologies that not only divert waste from landfills, but also create longer-lasting roads that reduce maintenance costs and strengthen the resilience of supply chains.

Trash to Roads Studies Conducted in Missouri