An audit of San Diego’s streets found 25 percent are in poor condition. Streets are determined to be in poor condition if they have severe cracking, numerous potholes and may need to be totally rebuilt.
The number of poor streets has tripled since a decade ago, when only 9 percent of streets were considered in need of extensive repair. Meanwhile, the percentage of streets considered to be in good condition has fallen to 35 percent in 2011, from about 50 percent in 2001.
Mayor Jerry Sander’s office has said the bad economy often meant money for street repairs was diverted to other things. San Diego’s own financial problems mean it wasn’t able to borrow money to fix the streets for several years. The city has since re-entered the bond market and has borrowed money for road repairs.
Sanders says he wants to streamline the process of getting street repairs started. Sanders has been criticized for dragging his feet on road repair in recent years.
