Riverside street paving plan for 2026-27 totals $26 million, against a recommended $41 million
A Public Works report for the Budget Engagement Commission's Nov. 12 meeting says Measure Z money for paving dropped by $3.2 million this year and that the city's average street condition score has slipped to 58.
Riverside Public Works recommended spending about $26 million on street resurfacing, preservation and traffic safety work in fiscal 2026-27, according to a report prepared for the Nov. 12 meeting of the city's Budget Engagement Commission.
The work covers 20.9 miles of streets, according to the staff report.
The same report puts the recommended yearly budget for pavement management at $41 million.
The commission was asked to receive the report and offer input on how Measure Z money is spent on roads. The records reviewed do not show what input it gave. Minutes of the meeting had not been posted.
Where the money comes from
The $26.08 million paving budget draws $9.4 million from the state's SB 1 gas tax, $8.2 million from Measure Z and $5.08 million from Measure A. Another $2 million comes from the state gas tax account known as HUTA and $1.4 million from federal Community Development Block Grants.
Separate allocations include $4.9 million for concrete repairs and $700,000 for traffic safety work.
Measure Z, the city's one-cent sales tax, provided $11.4 million for paving in 2025-26. The drop to $8.2 million came after the city projected shortfalls in Measure Z and the general fund, and the city shifted more Measure A money to roads to help offset the cut, the report says.
Measure Z is set to expire in 2036.
Street conditions
The city's most recent pavement report, from February 2024, rated the street network at 58 on a 100-point scale, down from 61 in 2018. A score from 50 to 60 counts as fair.
The share of streets rated poor or very poor rose from 12.7% in 2018 to 21%. Staff wrote that once that backlog passes 20%, bringing it down becomes extremely hard to fund.
The report says construction costs rose about 40% from 2021 through 2024 while the paving budget stayed about the same, so the city resurfaces fewer miles for the money.
In August the council hired Applied Research Associates Inc. to reassess the full network, now estimated at 905 miles.
Streets on the list
The 2026-27 list includes work on Victoria Avenue between Washington Street and Grace Street, part of a three-year effort along that corridor.
Other arterial streets on the list include sections of Van Buren Boulevard, Adams Street, Chicago Avenue, University Avenue, La Sierra Avenue, Tyler Street and Columbia Avenue.
Construction is expected during 2027 after design, bidding and contract awards. Public Works also released a provisional list for 2027-28 that it says could change.
The city posts a map of paved and planned streets at riversideca.gov/pavingmap.
