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11 months agoon
Pothole complaints increased eight times over normal during the recent storms. But, the city of Fresno says it’s fixing them at a rapid pace.
Mayor Jerry Dyer held a Thursday news conference to thank public works staff for fixing potholes and clearing downed trees.
“What they’ve done is nothing short of miraculous in our city,” Dyer said.
Part of the reason was planning ahead. The city set aside $2.8 million for tree trimming, something not done before. City Manager Georgeanne White said decades of planning by the Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District sent excess water into ponding basins. This spared Fresno the flooding fate of some other Central Valley cities.
Mayor Jerry Dyer thanks public works employees behind him for fixing Fresno roads. (GV Wire/Jahz Tello)
Related Story: City Hall Gets 10 Times as Many Calls on Potholes. What’s the Repair
Dyer provided a sobering statistic.
“We’re somewhere around $500 million behind schedule in terms of our paving of streets. And so the older the street, the more cracks it gets. When it rains, heavy storm water seeps through those cracks and we end up getting the erosion effect and ultimately a pothole,” Dyer said.
The city provided other figures about the magnitude of bringing Fresno streets up to muster:
Dyer and his management team said help is on the way from various federal and state resources. There is $14 million in federal pandemic relief funds. And, Public Works Director Scott Mozier said another $23 million will be en route over the next few years.
We hear you Fresno!!! After the recent series of storms, we received hundreds of calls about potholes throughout the city.
Six crews have been working ten hours a day filling those potholes you reported and many others they proactively found. pic.twitter.com/2pBB5cDA2F
— City of Fresno (@CityofFresno) January 26, 2023
“There is a lot of federal dollars that are out there today under a number of Biden propositions,” Dyer said. They include the Inflation Reduction Act and the Build Back Better program.
While the intent is for infrastructure like bridges and rails, Dyer said neighborhood streets need the most attention.
Fresno City Council President Tyler Maxwell added that the city will apply for state and federal grants. His focus is on neighborhood roads as well.
Dyer said he started negotiations today for a new Measure C renewal, for the 2024 ballot. The countywide sales tax funds several road projects. A renewal to extend the tax failed in the November 2022 election.
“We’re going to work collectively together so we can get to the conditions of our roads improved with local measures and federal funding,” Dyer said.
Curiosity drives David Taub. The award-winning journalist might be shy, but feels mighty with a recorder in his hand. He doesn't see it his job to "hold public officials accountable," but does see it to provide readers (and voters) the information needed to make intelligent choices. Taub has been honored with several writing awards from the California News Publishers Association. He's just happy to have his stories read. Joining GV Wire in 2016, Taub covers politics, government and elections, mainly in the Fresno/Clovis area. He also writes columns about local eateries (Appetite for Fresno), pro wrestling (Off the Bottom Rope), and media (Media Man). Prior to joining the online news source, Taub worked as a radio producer for KMJ and PowerTalk 96.7 in Fresno. He also worked as an assignment editor for KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, California, and KSEE-TV in Fresno. He has also worked behind the scenes for several sports broadcasts, including the NCAA basketball tournament, and the Super Bowl. When not spending time with his family, Taub loves to officially score Fresno Grizzlies games. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Taub is a die-hard Giants and 49ers fan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with dual degrees in communications and political science. Go Blue! You can contact David at 559-492-4037 or at Send an Email
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