More Funding But Street Rehab Costs More

With recent annexations, the City of Grass Valley now maintains around 130 miles of roadways. But, speaking to the City Council at its recent meeting, the city’s engineer, Bjorn Jones, said the average estimated cost for a full rehabilitation of just one mile is now between 800-thousand and one-million dollars. The good news is that more funding streams have been found in the last ten years. That includes a new state gas tax and Measure N. But Jones said it’s Measure E, passed in 2018, that now provides the bulk of the money, or one-point-two million of the one-point-eight-million budgeted for this fiscal year…

click to listen to Bjorn Jones

Jones said in the last 20 years, Grass Valley has received over 23-million dollars, but about half of that amount is in just the last five years, thanks to Measure E. But, thank, in part, to skyrocketing construction costs, he said available funding still falls short for full maintenance of the local transportation system. And, in response to a question from one councilmember, he also stated that a lot of effort has also been made to improve pedestrian and bicyclist access, hoping to reduce driving and wear and tear on streets…