Politics & Government

Eight Stretches of Road to Get Attention

Some of Piedmont's most heavily trafficked streets are being repaired.

Piedmont's street paving program, which is largely funded by county sales tax revenues, has been curtailed in recent years by the economic downturn. Interim Public Works Director Chester Nakahara wants to start making up for lost time. To that end, City Council approved a $279,883 contract last week to repave five sections of road and seal three more this summer.

Nakahara said the following streets were picked for repaving based on their condition and status as major routes through town:

  • Moraga Avenue from Monticello Avenue up to Pala Avenue;
  • Seaview Avenue from Mountain Avenue to Hampton Road;
  • Bonita Avenue from Oakland Avenue to Magnolia Avenue;
  • Hillside Avenue from Oakland Avenue continuing past the Recreation Department;
  • Magnolia Avenue from the Recreation Department to the Excedra Plaza.

The following streets will be slurry sealed—i.e., resurfaced—to keep them from degrading further until they can be fully repaved:

  • Highland Avenue from Moraga Avenue to Park Way;
  • Highland Way.

Additionally, Hampton Road will be crack sealed from Crocker Avenue to Indian Road.

With a 10 percent contingency fund and allowances for construction management and inspections built in, the total budget for the pavement project is $340,133.

The work is being paid for with carryover in the sales tax fund from 2010-2011 and $275,000 allocated for street resurfacing in the recently approved 2011-2012 city budget.

At the May 21, Councilman Jeff Wieler had questioned whether $275,000 was sufficient to keep Piedmont's roads in tip top shape.

Find out what's happening in Piedmontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I've noticed that Oakland is repaving Grand and 51st," Wieler said at the workshop. "I always used to brag that our streets were the finest around, I'd hate to see anyone catching up."

"We're under-investing in our streets," Finance Director Mark Bichsel said in reply.

But Bichsel speculated with efforts to pursue state and federal grants, Piedmont would be able to spend $600,000 to $700,000 on street repairs overall in the next year.

Meanwhile, Piedmont is still well ahead of Oakland.

Find out what's happening in Piedmontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

With a score of 70 out of 100 points on the Pavement Condition Index, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission rated Piedmont's streets "good" in its recent . Oakland by contrast, scored 56 points, putting that city's streets in the "at risk" category.


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