Rising asphalt prices are threatening Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's plan to pave upwards of 50 miles of city streets this year, Public Works Director Guy Costa said yesterday.

"Asphalt went up 30 percent," Mr. Costa said. "We're estimating that we're going to have to cut seven to 10 miles" from the paving plan, unless the mayor and City Council add $1.7 million to $2 million to the resurfacing budget of $10 million.

Mr. Costa told council at a special meeting on paving that rising oil prices are driving asphalt costs. The city buys asphalt from New Castle-based Lindy Paving Inc. at a price set by a state contract that adjusts for oil prices.

The price the city pays for "binder" -- which is laid down first -- is up 53 percent from last year. The price for the smooth asphalt that forms the driving surface is up 44 percent since last year, including a 29 percent spike in just the last month, according to quotes provided by Mr. Costa.

This year's paving list is based on street evaluations by public works inspectors using paper checklists and subjective numerical ratings of each section's safety, cracking, rutting, spalling and ride quality.

Council questioned Mr. Costa on progress toward an objective, computerized system. Council demanded such a system last year, after the Post-Gazette found that 46 members of the Democratic Committee and four of the nine council members were slated to get fresh asphalt in front of, or very near, their homes last spring and summer.

The city is paying Iowa-based CarteGraph Services Inc. $35,000 for a computer program that will take data on street history, use and condition and spit out a list of those sections most in need of resurfacing.

Mr. Costa told council that the CarteGraph system "won't be at full capacity" next year, but later said the system will include enough data by next winter to produce a priority list.

"I'm not certain that we're putting enough money into doing this," Councilman Bruce Kraus said. He said some comparable cities have invested $300,000 in such systems. "I want everything to be above board, and determined by need, rather than anything else."

Mr. Costa said the higher-end packages include services such as consultant inspections of all streets -- something the city doesn't need, since it has 20 years of basic data on its roads.

A council-mandated Internet posting of street data and paving plans might be done this year, he said, "but if not, then 2010."