Joshua Sabatini, The Examiner
2008-06-25 10:00:00.0
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SAN FRANCISCO -

After years of neglect, some of The City’s cracked and pothole-riddled streets will finally be repaved.

The City is expected to spend a record $38 million to upgrade 11 major roadways as well as smaller neighborhood roads deemed in poor or fair condition this budget year, which begins July 1.

However, after years of failing to spend money for improvements to streets, The City will make only a small dent in the decades of backlogged repairs.

The big-ticket projects include $3.9 million for the resurfacing of Seventh Avenue, from Lincoln Way to Laguna Honda and Laguna Honda from Seventh Avenue to Plaza. There are two $3.2 million projects: the resurfacing of Folsom Street between 10th and 19th streets, as well as from Powhattan Avenue to Alemany Boulevard; and the resurfacing of Noriega Street from 35th Avenue to the Great Highway.

The multitude of roads to be fixed are rated from a low of 39 to a high of 57 by The Department of Public Works, which means they are in poor to fair conditions. A recently paved road received a 100 rating, while the more wear on the road, such as cracks or potholes, the lower the rating.

In 1988, the conditions of San Francisco’s streets earned them an overall score of 78 out of 100. But by 2005 the score dropped to a low of 64, where it stands today. San Francisco roadways have deteriorated during the last two decades due to a lack of steady funding that would allow for continuous upgrades and fixes.

Less-than-stellar road conditions can reduce the life of vehicles and require more visits to the garage mechanic, pose safety risks and make the driving experience unpleasant.

Mayor Gavin Newsom has said that the repairs of potholes and repaving of streets are “the bread and butter of being mayor.” He allocated a record $36.4 million for road resurfacing in last year’s budget and increased it by $2 million this year.

Supervisor Sean Elsbernd, the most outspoken advocate for more spending on capital needs, said it’s a “good year” in terms of how much money is being put into street resurfacing. Elsbernd said the money ensures The City is funding its annual need to make sure streets are not going to get worse but “it’s doing nothing to go after the backlog that we have as a result of decades of mismanagement.”

Gerald Hirigoyen, chief owner of the trendy restaurant Piperade on Battery Street, was happy to learn of the repaving of Battery Street, but said other roads in The City are just as bad and worse.

“The whole city is in shambles. The condition of the streets, it’s like a Third-World country.”

jsabatini@sfexaminer.com

S.F. will need to continue spending to maintain roads

Despite Mayor Gavin Newsom’s record amount of spending to improve city roads, the overall conditions of the streets will decrease if The City does not spend at least $38 million annually in future years, according to city officials.

“To achieve an average [pavement condition] of 70 [out of 100] over the coming ten years, The City would need to annually appropriate $56.9 million for street resurfacing,” The City’s 2009-18 capital plan says.

Department of Public Works Director Ed Reiskin told The Examiner that in Newsom’s proposed budget, nearly half of the resurfacing budget comes from borrowing on The City’s future gas tax revenues.

“We don’t have a long-term solution in place. We really need a sustainable way to do it,” Reiskin said, adding that the borrowing provides for an adequate level of funding for only two years.

Newsom’s spokesman Nathan Ballard said that repaving city streets is a “top priority.”

“The mayor has more than doubled the investment in street resurfacing since he took office.” Ballard said. “After years of neglect, we are for the first time meeting our repaving needs.”

The poor street conditions can be attributed to DPW operations. A 2007 city audit of the DPW, the agency tasked with overseeing The City’s roads, said the agency “has not ensured that street projects are completed timely and cost-effectively.” The audit pointed to a lack of oversight of projects, leading to delays and questionable costs.

The department was then headed by head Fred Abadi, whom Newsom replaced in January with Reiskin.

“DPW has gone above and beyond the audit findings to improve the means and methods by which we fund, select, bid out, advertise, coordinate and construct roadways in San Francisco,” DPW spokeswoman Christine Falvey said.

— Joshua Sabatini