San Jose To Fix 300 Miles Of Roadway

SAN JOSE, CA — San Jose will repair over 300 miles of roads this year in the first phase of an $870 million, 1,400-mile repaving project funded by taxpayer-approved ballot measures.

The city said it has not fully repaved local and residential streets since 2012 due to budget concerns, instead repairing potholes in neighborhoods and only fully repaving major thoroughfares.

"This summer, San Joseans will start spotting road repaving crews throughout our city, as we pave nearly 300 miles of deteriorating streets -- more than we've repaired in two decades," Mayor Sam Liccardo said in a statement.

Councilwoman Magdalena Carrasco said the project will help low-income families save money on costly car repairs stemming from blown tires, traffic accidents and damaged alignments.

"Our families rely on smooth roads to go to and from work, take their children to school, and run errands, "Carrasco said in a statement. "This is good government delivering on our promise to maintain our most basic infrastructure."

The 10-year project is funded by county Measure B, Measure T and Senate Bill 1, creating about $87 million per year for pavement maintenance, according to the city. Measure B passed with about 71 percent of the vote in 2016, the highest level of support for any county transportation tax, according to the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.

The half-cent countywide sales tax is expected to generate $6.3 billion in 30 years, with funding toward BART developments, Caltrain, and highways, in addition to local roads.Measure T, the largest bond measure in San Jose's history, passed with about 69 percent of votes in 2018. The public safety bond will direct $650 million toward disaster response and road repair, and was championed by Liccardo.

— Bay City News