There are 1,370 miles of streets in poor condition in the city of Milwaukee, according to a new report by the Department of Public Works.
And there isn’t any simple remedy to the problem.
The report to the Council’s Finance and Personnel Committee tried to get everyone on the same page in terms of the breadth of the problem, the scope of the repair costs, and number of options available.
The DPW report said it would take a little more than $60 million annually to maintain average pavement quality, and from 2022 to 2025, about that much was invested each year.
“However, the resources available from the State and Federal governments are required, in nearly all cases, to be targeted at arterial roadways,” the report said. “This is resulting in continued improvement in the average pavement quality of the City’s major streets, while collector and local streets tread water or continue to decline.”
Streets last between 25 and 30 years before needing repair, and many streets are nearing, or at, the end of their life at the same time, according to a report.
As problems have built up, it would now take $821 million to repair all the roads in poor condition, $752 million just for collector and local streets.
“This report reaffirms what residents have long voiced — safe, smooth streets are a basic city service, not a luxury,” said Alderman Peter Burgelis.
Milwaukee City Engineer Kevin Muhs suggested four possible steps the city could take to raise money to speed up road repairs:
The Department of Public Works also identified one other cost associated with any funding increases to meet demand: More workers would be needed to repave the roads. Those labor costs would be significant.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Miles of Milwaukee streets in poor condition: 1,370. Cost to repair them: $821 million.
Reporting by Maya Bell, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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