Cover Photo: A driver drives on the wrong side of the road to avoid potholes on Vickers Street in Kearny Mesa on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Full Article Here in the San Diego Union Tribune: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/05/01/san-diego-reins-in-road-repairs-expects-significant-declines-in-street-conditions/?share=rwgcsscnicothfdsrwcu

San Diego reins in road repairs, expects ‘significant declines’ in street conditions

Pothole patching is taking a hit from a work slowdown imposed by the mayor this winter due to budget woes. The news on the paving plan is arguably worse.

By David Garrick | [email protected] | The San Diego Union-Tribune

UPDATED: May 2, 2025 at 3:27 AM PDT

San Diego’s budget crisis is slowing pothole patching and crippling a plan to sharply raise road-repair spending intended to get the overall rating of the city’s streets back to the national standard.

That ambitious eight-year plan, announced last year after a comprehensive survey showed San Diego’s rating had dropped from “satisfactory” to “fair,” calls for the city to spend $259 million on street repairs during the fiscal year that starts July 1.

But the city plans instead to spend $83 million — less than one-third of the goal, and sharply down from the roughly $140 million spent last fiscal year and also budgeted for this year.

Pothole patching, which the city has made a higher priority in recent years, is also taking a hit thanks to a hiring freeze and restrictions on worker overtime imposed this winter by Mayor Todd Gloria.

Smaller crews working fewer hours have ballooned the city’s backlog of pothole repairs from roughly 150 just before the restrictions to nearly 2,000. Average wait times between reporting a pothole and crews fixing it have tripled from six days to 20 days.

The news on the paving plan is arguably worse. San Diego officials say that without new sources of money for fixes, the overall condition of the city’s streets will steadily decline to a “poor” rating of 53 by 2035.

Potholes line Vickers Street in Kearny Mesa on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Remainder of this article here: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/05/01/san-diego-reins-in-road-repairs-expects-significant-declines-in-street-conditions/?share=rwgcsscnicothfdsrwcu