October 2008

Be Aware When the Rubber Hits the Road

By Chris Long

You might spot one from time to time if you’re really looking, but unfortunately many of us notice them after it’s too late, when we hear that costly thud, followed, perhaps, by our favorite series of swear words.  As any San Francisco driver, skateboarder or bicyclist knows, Bay Area roads suffer from an assortment of potholes, defects, cracks and other dangers.  A casual internet search suggests that potholes are an increasingly hot issue in the City.  A San Francisco potholes Flickr.com group has 10 members; Yelp.com has an entry for “Potholes on Divisadero Street;” and Youtube.com features a video called “Potholes of San Francisco.”

To judge road conditions, public works officials refer to the pavement condition index, or PCI.  Roads with PCI under 70 are tagged for repair.  San Francisco’s roads have an average PCI of 64, down from 78 in 1988.  The 2005 The Road Information Project (TRIP) Report, published by a nonprofit organization that conducts annual road reports and works to improve road conditions, lists the San Francisco-Oakland area as the nation’s fifth worst area in terms of road repair. Last summer in a talk with SFGate’s C.W. Nevius about the City’s growing pothole problem, Department of Public Works (DPW) director Ed Reiskin said, “It’s true...Over the years the City has not maintained the standards on its streets.”

Potholes are caused by several factors, including seepage, faulty road construction, aging pavement and overweight vehicles.  They are a serious threat to an automobile’s tire and suspension systems, and pose safety hazards to bicyclists and skaters.  They even threaten San Francisco’s more than 900 mile-long sewer system, as collapsed potholes are a frequent cause of sewer failure.  During the first half of this decade San Franciscans suffered an estimated $4.5 million in car damage and injuries sustained by pedestrians and bicyclists due to street defects and road debris.  

Local tire expert Tom Ryan is a native San Franciscan whose family dates to the Gold Rush era.  “I used to go down to Dayton after school and unload boxes,” he said nostalgically, referring to the long-defunct Dayton Tires warehouse that was located at the corner of 9th and Harrison streets.  As the owner of Leo’s Tire & Brake, situated between 19th and 20th streets on Third Street, Ryan sees more than his fair share of tire damage. Originally founded in 1963 by World War II veteran Leo Caravelli, Leo’s boasts 4.5 stars on Yelp.com.  Ryan has serviced privately- and commercially-owned automobiles for more than 40 years.  He says that tire damage is often preventable, caused from simple oversights, like driving directly over potholes and running over glass while parking. “Basically (drivers should) just be aware, especially for debris besides potholes,” he said. Ryan also cautioned against broken metal bands that line many San Francisco curbs.  “When that band gets damaged or sticks out, it’ll run right through the sidewall of the tire, and that’s not repairable.” When asked his opinion about the state of San Francisco’s roads, Ryan didn’t have much to say other than he thought the City “had a budget for that.”

The San Francisco DPW is responsible for maintaining the City’s roads through its Street and Sewer Repair program, which patches potholes, depressions, bumps and other defects.  In 2006, District 7 Supervisor Sean Elsbernd secured $15 million for road repairs. According to DPW communications spokesperson Christine Falvey, the department repaired 18,204 roadway defects in fiscal year 2006/7, and 11,000 defects in 2007/8.  “This fiscal year, DPW will have spent $36.4 million on its roadway resurfacing program and public works will have paved more than 300 blocks by the end of the fiscal year,” said Falvey, in response to a Fog City Journal inquiry.

A separate capital budget also helps to repair individual potholes, Reiskin said. “Our pothole program is primarily funded through the City’s capital budget,” Reiskin reported. “For fiscal year 2007-08 we have $1.68 million for this program, which essentially funds two crews plus materials.”

Private organizations also try to address the pothole issue.  San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC) Lane Stewards conduct road hazard sweeps on the first Saturday of each month, during whichthey remove debris and mark trouble areas.  Potholes encircled in neo-green paint mean that SFBC has marked road damage.  A 2006 SFBC survey gave San Francisco a D- grade in terms of pavement quality.

DPW estimates that more than 2,000 street segments are currently in need of repair, with a price tag of roughly $400 million.  One of the more damaged streets, Cesar Chavez, is scheduled to be repaired and improved in the winter 2010.

To report a pothole, call 3-1-1, 282.5326, or send an email with no attachments to: potholes@sfdpw.org.   

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