What do Austin and Baghdad have in common? Condition of roads. (Houston: construction, inspector)

[curious1111]

Seriously, living here and having spent a few days there...

What in the world is the deal with the street surfaces in/around Austin, especially downtown +10 miles radius? I have been on the roads in big comfortable long cars, small cars, trucks, suvs, taxis, town cars, etc. It doesnt matter what you are in, the roads are just so uneven, broken up, pot holes everwhere, crumbling, its absolutely ridiculous. Is it a tax money issue? Is it a need to vote that it matters issue? Is it that people just get used to it and not care? I have traveled all over the world and I seriously dont think I have been to a city size of Austin or bigger with its road infrastructure problems. Especially if you focus on near downtown. It takes a toll on suspensions!

[centralaustinite]

What? I live my entire life within a 10 mile radius of downtown. South First was just resurfaced as was part of Cesar Chavez. Oltorf was just entirely rebuilt from 35 to First St. Ben White is good. Exposition smooth. Westover has too many speed bumps but is fine.

Can you be more specific?

[ScoPro]

The OP is correct, but downtown can be excused because of the constant large scale construction that has been going on for years.

Some other areas have 3rd world streets, but a few have been rebuilt.

Two things really gripe me about Austin street repair in general:

1 - It takes years to complete repairs that should only take weeks.
2 - It seems that CoA has trenching machines with fresh asphalt sensors - as soon as a street has been built or resurfaced, inevitably a crew comes along & digs a utility trench across it. Then fills it in with a nice big bump in the road.

[EzPeterson]

Totally disagree

[curious1111]

Originally Posted by centralaustinite

What? I live my entire life within a 10 mile radius of downtown. South First was just resurfaced as was part of Cesar Chavez. Oltorf was just entirely rebuilt from 35 to First St. Ben White is good. Exposition smooth. Westover has too many speed bumps but is fine.

Can you be more specific?

You have just mentioned like 5% of the downtown area +10 miles radius. Let's take the recently resurfaced part of Cesar Chavez or even west 6th/5th streets near Mopac, great. But again, its like 5%. Baghdad. Been there. Our streets downtown for the most part are same condition.

[orngkat]

Something I have noticed is that many of the streets I drive daily in Central Austin have lost almost all their striping. At night, one can't tell what lane one is driving in very well. Also don't like the patches everywhere - looks ugly.

[10scoachrick]

Been riding bikes around Mellow Johnny's for five years and for five years, the roads in that immediate area have had voids, craters, gaps...not only from new con...make that de-struction. San Antonio from 4th to CC has the same holes it had in '08...easily large enough to throw a bike or scooter.

[gpurcell]

Downtown is generally going to be pretty bad until its built out; just the nature of development. Rest of central core is a lot better than it used to be; I think there must have been a LOT of deferred maintenance back in the 1980s--it really bugged me as a street inspector when I moved down here in 1995.

[atxcio]

Want to see roads in terrible condition, just go to Houston. They have an excuse (weather), but still...

The roads I travel in Austin seem fine. Not great, but not the worst Ive seen. The toll roads up north and east seem very good.

[Austin97]

they resurface the streets in my area around every 4 years or so. My wife and I are always surprised because we never think the streets need it. We are in northwest austin.