Opinion: Millbrook's Pothole Problem Is a Leadership Problem

MILLBROOK, June 3 — Let me tell you about my commute last Tuesday. I left my house on Alderton Avenue, navigated what I can only describe as a lunar surface on Griggs Street, and arrived at work with a cracked windshield and a fresh appreciation for suspension systems. I am not exaggerating when I say that Millbrook's roads have gotten dramatically worse over the past three years, and I am tired of hearing city officials describe the situation as "being addressed" while nothing visibly changes.

The Numbers Don't Lie

The city's own infrastructure report — released quietly on a Friday afternoon last October, as these things always are — identified 47 lane-miles of road in critical condition and recommended immediate remediation for 12 priority corridors. Six months later, one corridor has received patching. One. Meanwhile, Council Member Trent Holloway's office confirmed to this paper that the Public Works budget was actually reduced by $400,000 in the last fiscal cycle, largely to offset cost overruns on the downtown fountain renovation. Yes, you read that right. A fountain.

• Griggs Street ranked as the city's most-complained-about road for two consecutive years
• Pothole-related vehicle damage claims against the city rose 31% last year
• Millbrook has deferred road maintenance spending for five of the last seven years

I understand budgets are complicated. I understand there are competing priorities. But residents shouldn't need to budget for new tires every spring just because city leadership keeps kicking this can down a road too broken to drive on. If the candidates running in November want my attention, they can start by telling me exactly — specifically, with dollar amounts and timelines — how they plan to fix this. Vague promises about "investing in infrastructure" won't cut it anymore. The potholes are real. The solutions need to be, too.