A week after San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders avowed his support for $1.6 billion in three new building projects, he took to the streets to celebrate a different kind of infrastructure.
On Rowan Street in the Fairmount Park community of City Heights on Wednesday, Sanders stood with Councilman Todd Gloria for a press conference extolling the city’s street repairs.
“I think all of you have made it clear that street repair and street maintenance is a fundamental core objective of city government and that’s what you want out of us,” Sanders said.
The city will spend $79.2 million on street repair this year, an increase of almost 400 percent according to city officials. A $103 million infrastructure bond issue in the spring made much of the repairs possible.
Of the 150 miles in roads the city plans to fix, 60 miles come in Gloria’s district. He represents some of the oldest areas in the city.
“I don’t know about any of you, but there’s nothing sexier to me than a newly paved street,” Gloria said.
Rowan Street was selected, Gloria said, because residents had complained for five years about its poor conditions. It last received maintenance 25 years ago.