[youtube video=”r2l_p-XQfoU” rel=”0″] Bouncing along one of central Albany’s old residential streets, especially on a bike like in the video here, makes you wonder if the city will ever have the means to make repairs, now decades overdue. Monday’s council work session does not signal a solution any time soon.
More than half a mile of Hill Street in southeast Albany will be rebuilt this year, and the cost is substantially less than city engineers had feared.
Though not, admittedly, among the burning issues of the day, how to spell Albany’s Lyon Street is occasionally in dispute. People tend to spell it with an “s” at the end of Lyon, but the “s” does not belong there.
Autumn leaves are piling up everywhere in Albany this mild and dry — so far — November. But the end is in sight as more and more of our trees are beginning to look pretty bare.
Getting streets maintained and pavement repaired is always an issue in Albany, but not any more on two streets in a leafy neighborhood at the southwest edge of town.
On a bike ride along the Albany riverfront, I could not help noticing that segments of Water Avenue now have a nice new surface. Could the same kind of treatment be a solution for the many old city streets where the potholes resemble craters on the moon?
The Albany City Council seems open to the idea of putting a local gas tax before the voters this fall. That’s the impression I got after catching the tail end of a council work session on Monday.
The Albany City Council is working itself up to a plan for raising the money it will take to upgrade and maintain city streets, many of which are in poor shape. Early estimates say the city would need $10-19 million a year, depending on how fast the council wants to accomplish how much.
If you live in Albany and want the street in front of your house swept, you can get out a broom and shovel and sweep it yourself. Or you can check the schedule and make sure you don’t block the city’s sweeper when it comes around, like clockwork, at least once a month.
Albany talks bond issue, utility fee for streets
There’s a good chance the Albany City Council will ask voters in 2020 to approve a bond issue to pay for reconstructing half a dozen streets including Albany Avenue. Voters might also be asked to decide on an extra monthly utility fee to pay for street maintenance and repairs.
Tags: Albany streets, infrastructure costs, street bond, street maintenance