In 2016, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 2811 adding Section 3.45.060 to the City Municipal Code; creating an additional funding source called the Transportation Utility Fee (TUF). This is what funds the City Pavement Program. Improvements to Pavement may include patching, crack sealing, fog sealing, slurry sealing, chip sealing, grinding, inlay, overlay, reconstruction, assessment of street drains, and adding required Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) improvements. Work may also include drainage system or stormwater system improvements.
Due to the Middle Housing Development Requirements and issues with aging or undersized systems beneath the roads, work on some streets is delayed so that the underground repairs can be completed at the same time as the pavement work. We coordinate work with PGE, NW Natural Gas, and other utilities so that new pavement does not need to be dug up to fix issues as often. Using this longer term planning allows the City to take advantage of funding options to save money and improve how long the pavement lasts.
With that said the city will be conducting $2M in road repairs over the 2025-2027 Biennium, and following council goals many sections of district 1 and 3 will receive grind and inlay and other paving improvements. We recognize that many streets in Newberg are waiting for pavement care. Know however that we are now hard at work and will be doing as much as we can each year to resurface pavement. We appreciate your patience and welcome comments for this citywide work.
Common Paving Repair Methods
The city has price awarded contracts with several large paving firms to carry our repairs to Newberg roads this summer. Below you can read an explanation of the most common approaches that are used to preserve repair and extend the life of our pavements.
Crack sealing - Cracks are sealed by injecting a hot, liquid, rubberized asphalt material into small to moderate sized cracks, which bonds to the sides of the crack. The sealant not only stops water and debris from entering the crack but also expands and contracts as temperatures change, which helps prevent additional cracking.
Slurry sealing - A slurry seal is a thin, protective layer applied to existing asphalt pavement, consisting of a mixture of water, asphalt emulsion, fine aggregate (small crushed rock), and additives, used as a preventative maintenance treatment to seal minor cracks, improve skid resistance, and extend the life of the road surface by preventing water penetration and oxidation; essentially acting like a protective coating on the pavement.
Grinding & inlay - A "grind and inlay" is a road repair technique where the top layer(typically 2-3 inches) of damaged asphalt is first ground down (milled) to remove cracks and imperfections, and then a new layer of asphalt is placed on top of the milled surface, effectively "inlaying" a fresh layer to restore the road's structural integrity.
Contact information:
Pavement Projects: Brian Kershaw, Project Manager
Ph: 503-537-1236 Email: brian.kershaw@newbergoregon.gov
STATUS UPDATES - 1/2/2025
2nd Street Slurry Seal project
The road re-surfacing and all street marking have been completed as of October 2024.
Six blocks near Edwards Elementary School
Five of six blocks have been completed (grind and inlay) as of October 2024, and one ADA ramp is left to go. The last southern block on Meridian will be done before the end of June (after the rainy season ends).
Planning for Road Repairs 2025
Plans are underway for road re-surfacing on the following streets rom the end of May to September of 2025:
| Location | Planed Treatment |
| South Center Street | Grind and Inlay |
| All of Mountainview - If we can! | Crack Sealing |
| Last Edward school adjacent block, S Meridian St | Grind and Inlay |
| Howard Street | Slurry Seal |
| Various sections of 3rd and 4th Street | Slurry Seal or Grind and Inlay |
| E Fulton | Slurry Seal or Grind and Inlay |
| Meadow Lane | Grind and Inlay |
