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Millions More Needed To Maintain San Jose Roads

SAN JOSE (KCBS) - The $20 million San Jose spends each year to maintain its roads falls far short of the $100 million that should be spent on repaving every year, the city's top transportation official said Monday.

"If you look at surveys of road conditions for all the cities in Santa Clara County, San Jose ranks at the bottom of the list," said San Jose Transportation Director Hans Larsen.

KCBS' Mike Colgan Reports:

A report out Monday argues that deferred maintenance could push the cost of repaving to $860 million a year if steps aren't taken to improve conditions now.

Larsen has proposed prioritizing repairs on the 400 most heavily traveled miles of the city, since 87 percent of San Jose vehicle traffic travels on just about one-third of the city's streets.

"The work horses of our transportation system," Larsen said, include thoroughfares such as Monterey Highway, Santa Clara Street, North First Street, Capitol Avenue, Camden Avenue, Meridian Avenue and Bascom Avenue.

"We're recommending that we focus our investments on those major streets where most people travel," he said.

Additional money for pavement maintenance on other streets could come from either a parcel tax or a bond measure, Larsen said.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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