Willow Glen Resident

News

Community forums to let residents determine priority of street repairs

By Eli Segall

San Jose is taking a new approach when it comes to fixing potholes and crumbling roads: Residents can now tell city officials what they want fixed first when the city launches its Transportation Maintenance Master Plan at the end of April. At community forums in each of the city's 10 council districts, residents can pinpoint pressing maintenance needs and discuss their willingness to support a bond measure or parcel tax to fund these repairs.

Transportation officials aim to present their findings to the San Jose City Council by October.

"[The master plan] is not so much about telling us problems; we know what those are," said Diane Milowicki, head of the transportation department's master plan committee. "It's a matter of prioritizing them."

Funding every maintenance need is not a realistic option, city officials say. Roughly $370 million is needed to bring San Jose's entire infrastructure up to an acceptable level, and up to $220 million pertains exclusively to roads, Milowicki said. The transportation department also faces indefinite $30 million annual shortfalls, according to a 2005 maintenance report.

The master plan will focus on every facet of the city's transit infrastructure, including traffic signals and signs, street trees and sidewalk ramps. Approved last year by the city council, the plan is based largely on the 2005 maintenance report, which identified sweeping repair needs and funding shortfalls. The city council in February hired consulting firm Apex Strategies to perform outreach for the forums, conduct a survey of residents' maintenance priorities and update the department's funding needs.

Many issues will be discussed at the forums, but the state of San Jose's 2,300 miles of paved roads may dominate the conversations. Last fall San Jose was ranked worst in the country among major cities for having the greatest share--66 percent--of roads and highways in sub-par condition, according to TRIP, a Washington, D.C.-based transit advocacy group.

In historic neighborhoods, such as Willow Glen and the Rose Garden, streets are in visible disrepair, and curbs and sidewalks are crumbling. The bumpy conditions, however, can cause more than an unpleasant drive or walk, said resident Pat Burns.

"I call this the 'Brooklyn Avenue Puddle,' " said Burns, who lives on Brooklyn Avenue near the Municipal Rose Garden, pointing to a 40- to 50-foot puddle straddling his front curb. He attributes the buildup to a street tree in front of his house whose roots have cracked the sidewalk and created a dam-like barrier that traps rainwater.

Brooklyn itself is littered with potholes and laced with cracks, Burns pointed out. "It's only a matter of time before that road just falls apart."

Recently developed neighborhoods such as Almaden Valley, where streets are in near-perfect condition, also have infrastructure problems. Tracy Malak, who lives off Redmond Avenue, walks her 10-month old son Joseph every day in his stroller, and recently noticed that the intersections along Redmond do not have sidewalk ramps. Such ramps are required by federal disability laws.

"I couldn't imagine what it's like for someone in a wheelchair," said Malak, who has lived there for three years. "Seeing that was a real awakening for me."

The District 6 Transportation Maintenance Master Plan community forum is scheduled for May 8, 6:30 p.m., at Hoover Community Center, 1677 Park Ave.

For more information, call 408.535.3844.