For years, Carson residents have complained about potholes and cracks in city streets. Some of them have even attended City Council meetings to air their grievances.
Now, they will finally get their wishes.
The City Council this week unanimously approved allocating $32 million from its general fund reserve to kick start a citywide street repair project that’s scheduled to begin early next year.
“This is the first time in history the city has ever taken on this daunting task,” City Manager David C. Roberts, Jr. said, “but it’s definitely a task the City Council and the mayor wanted to move forward as quickly as possible.”
The city has wanted to improve its roadway conditions for some time, Roberts said, “but it wasn’t able to do so previously due to a lack of funding.”
With $108 million in its general fund reserve, thanks to increases in sales and property tax revenues, Carson is finally able to address its long-delayed infrastructure improvement.
Roberts estimated that the entire project will take $50 to $75 million to complete. It aims to tackle around 254 streets divided over Carson’s four districts within the next several years, he said.
Withdrawing money out of its reserves ultimately takes the city out of a structurally balanced budget, Roberts said. But the money will be allocated through an annual process, so it won’t take a major hit on the city’s reserves.
“We hope to continue to replenish that,” he said, “as the city continues to grow and build through sales tax and all the visitors we have.”
City staffers and contractors will begin by identifying 10 streets that are in need of the a high amount of maintenance from each of the four districts using what’s known as the Pavement Condition Index, which measures the pavement health of a road using a scale of 0 to 100, Roberts said.
“We’re looking at tackling it at $32 million in the next three years,” Roberts said. “We’re hoping that’s going to get close to half, if not three quarters, of our streets completed.”
The street repairs will take place simultaneously across all four districts, he added.
Some of the first roads to get facelifts are Dunbrooke Avenue, and Brenner and Eddington drives, in District 1; 234th and 228th streets and Moneta Avenue, in District 2; Dominguez Street, Bataan Avenue and 223rd Street, in District 3; and 238th, Idbel and 236th streets, in District 4, according to a presentation by Carson Public Works Director Arlington Rodgers during the Tuesday, Nov. 7, council meeting.
The city will put out updates on its website so people will know ahead of time the streets being improved and alternate routes to take , Roberts said.
The level of repair will differ from road to road depending on their individual condition, city staffers said.
“One street may be getting paved, and we may miss a person’s street due to that because we want to stick to a system that is consistent,” Rodgers said. “It does not mean that that other street is not going to get done at some point.”
Roberts said he hopes the project will be completed in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Los Angeles. Carson will be one of the host cities and he expects a lot of visitors in town.
“Carson is a destination city, so it is important that our roads are maintained for optimal travel,” said Carson Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes. “Whether you choose to walk, drive, ride the bus or bike, you should be able to travel on a well-maintained road no matter what area of the city you are in.”
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