70 percent of Jackson streets in failure status, city official says More than 1,400 streets beyond life expectancy, according to 2013 analysis Share Shares Copy Link Copy

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PART OF THE CITY. SOUTH JACKSON ....ON TREEHAVEN DRIVE. CHRISTINE HOLMES/RESIDENT: I JUST MOVED BACK FROM GEORGIA AND I AM THINKING I AM GOING TO TEAR MY CAR UP. EVELYN THOMAS KNOWS HER OAKHILL DRIVE NEEDS WORK. SHE'S BEEN HERE SINCE 72. EVELYN THOMAS/RESIDENT: THAT AREA OUT THERE HAS BEEN LIKE THAT SINCE PRETTY MUCH NOVEMBER OF LAST YEAR. NOT FAR FROM 5 POINTS ON VARDAMAN STREET.... WAYNETT TARDY/RESIDENT: AS SOON AS WE GET A GOOD RAIN THE STUFF WASHES RIGHT BACK OUT. SCOTT SIMMONS: THAT HAS GOT TO BE FRUSTRATING? WAYNE TARDY: IT IS FRUSTRATING. 3 STREETS .. THAT ARE ALL ON A COMPREHENSIVE LIST CALLED A "PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT ANALYSIS" IN 20-13. THAT COMMISSIONED STUDY SHOWS JUST HOW MANY STREETS HAVE, IN ESSENCE, OUTLIVED IT'S LIFE EXPECTANCY IN THE CITY OF JACKSON AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN REBUILT BY NOW. 16 WAPT GOT A COPY ..WHICH REVEALS A STAGGERING NUMBER: MORE THAN 1,464 STREETS IN THE CITY OF JACKSON THAT, 3 YEARS AGO, WERE CONSIDERED TO HAVE OUT-LIVED IT'S LIFE EXPECTANCY. SCOTT SIMMONS: HOW MUCH OF JACKSON'S STREETS DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE IN FAILURE STATUS? 70 PERCENT? CHARLES WILLIAMS/CITY ENGINEER: YES, NO DOUBT IT. SCOTT SIMMONS/REPORTI NG: 70 PERCENT OF THE CITY'S STREETS ARE CONSIDERED AT FAILURE? AND HAVE OUTLIVED THEIR LIFE EXPECTANCY. CHARLES WILLIAMS: . CHARLES WILLIAMS IS THE CITY ENGINEER TRYING TO MAP OUT THE CITY'S ROAD TO RECOVERY. BUT IT IS HAS BEEN A SHORT JOURNEY SO FAR....ON AN INFRASTRUCTURE THAT FAILED TO HAVE ADEQUATE UPKEEP AND MAINTENANCE FOR THE PAST 30-YEARS, BY MOST ACCOUNTS. SCOTT SIMMONS/REPORTI NG: ONE OF THE MOST STARTLING REVELATIONS OF THIS UNDERGROUND SURVEY IS THAT IT WOULD TAKE AN ESTIMATED 10 YEARS AND 2- BILLION DOLLARS JUST TO ADDRESS MOST OF THE PROBLEMS. BUT THE CITY HAS TO ALSO ADDRESS MASSIVE SEWAGE AND DRAINAGE PROBLEMS BELOW THOSE TROUBLED STREETS...WHICH MAKES THE PRICE TAG FOR REPAIRS SKYROCKET. SCOTT SIMMONS ANOTHER BILLION? CHARLES WILLIAMS/CITY ENGINEER: I WOULD SAY MORE THAN THAT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF WATER AND SEWER LINES IN THE CITY YOU HAVE GOT TO HAVE THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO MAKE THAT WORK. THEY'VE PICKED UP PACE SINCE THE 1 PERCENT SALES TAX WAS PASSED. AND SINCE THIS ADMINISTRATION TOOK OVER, THE CITY HAS ADDRESSED APPROXIMATELY 30 STREETS, IN LARGE PART, THANKS TO THAT MONEY. BUT THE BULK OF THAT WORK HAS BEEN ON MAJOR STREETS. CHARLES WILLIAMS/CITY ENGINEER: WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THE USAGE AND VOLUME WE TACKLE THOSE STREETS FIRST AND THEN WE KINDA WORK BACK FROM THAT. AVENUES LIKE TREEHAVEN, OAK HILL AND VARDAMANN ARE NOT CONSIDERED PRIORITIES BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT MAIN ARTERIES. >CHARLES WILLIAMS/CITY ENGINEER: WHAT I DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO LOSE FOCUS ON IS THAT THERE IS A MOMENTUM THAT IS STARTING AND EVEN THAT WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO YOUR STREET YET WE ARE WORKING TO GET TO ALL OF THESE STREETS. >COJDI BUT THAT JOURNEY MAY TAKE MORE THAN A DECADE...WITH AN ESTIMATED 800 LINEAR MILES OF JACKSON STREET LISTED IN FAILURE CONDITION AND ACTUALLY GETTING WORSE ... AS MORE TIME GOES BY. IN JACKSON SCOTT SIMMONS 16 WAPT NEWS. WORK WILL START THIS YEAR ON NORT

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