There’s no way to sugarcoat the horrible condition of our roads in the unincorporated area. When I discuss potholes and crumbling pavements with fellow residents, the conversation usually ends with an expletive.
Paying for road maintenance is complicated. Engineers at Sacramento County Department of Transportation often function like accountants to secure every available dollar for our roads.
In a nutshell, the department uses approximately $20 million each year from the Senate Bill 1 gas tax, approved by voters in 2018. The measure requires annual valuations by state authorities to determine adjustments in the gas tax. The most recent change occurred in July, with an increase of 2.8 cents. Current tax is 53.9 cents per gallon.
The Army Corps of Engineers doesn’t mess around when it’s time to rip out junk built by people who live near the Sacramento River levee.
“Encroachments that must be removed in order to complete construction will not be replaced by the project,” the Army Corps says in a progress report on the Big Fix, the massive levee repair project.
The bulletin explains if residents along the levee want to restore their garbage, which includes fences and gates, staircases, garden furniture, lawns, trees and flower beds, they must obtain permits.
A parade of big rigs hauling dirt through the neighborhood has a nasty effect on people. Patience runs out. Residents want their streets back.
Yes, heroic efforts by the Army Corps of Engineers to strengthen the Sacramento River levee in Pocket, Greenhaven and Little Pocket have taken a toll. The public was warned the Big Fix would be large, loud, long and dirty.
