Sacramento County Would Need $52 Million To Get Roads In 'Good' Condition
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A new report shows Sacramento County streets are in bad shape and are only going to get worse. County leaders say millions of dollars are needed just to fix current damage.
From busy commercial corridors to neighborhood streets, Sacramento County maintains more than 4,000 miles of roadway, and each one is inspected and graded.
Transportation managers want to keep all roads in at least "good" condition, but now a new survey shows the county is falling far flat of that goal.
Shantelle Kelnhofer's Orangevale Neighborhood is one of the worst, with every residential street ranked "very poor" or "failing."
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"It just keeps getting worse and worse, and you just see chunks of asphalt all over the place," Kelnhofer said.
Matt Robinson with the Sacramento County Department of Transportation explained why the roads are so rough.
"Over the years the reduction in workforce, as well as the cost of the materials, has caused us to not be able to take care of the lanes as succinctly as we'd like to," Robinson said.
The county spends $35 million a year on roadway maintenance, but just to keep streets from getting worse would cost $50 million a year. The cost to get the roads into "good" conditions would be $87 million, a $52 million deficit.
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The county also has a $700 million backlog in needed maintenance.
"It's going to take years for us to really try and catch up," Robinson said.
Meanwhile, people are stuck driving these bumpy boulevards, hoping the county will come up with more money to smooth their daily ride.
The county encourages drivers to report potholes and other damaged roadways. You can call their hotline at Call 311 or 875-4311 or report online at www.311.saccounty.net
Read the full roadway report here.
