Ask the Director
My street has potholes and cracks. When will the City fix it?
The first part of your question is easy. For potholes, call our Pothole Hotline at 652-4590. We can repair most potholes within 24 to 48 hours of your phone call.
Repairing pavement cracks usually requires more planning and expenses. The City of Ventura determines street paving priorities based on a combination of factors. Our primary concern is getting the most value for every public dollar we spend. This is especially important since we have limited funding to spend on paving. The City receives about $2 million each year for street paving. This money comes from the City's share of gasoline taxes. At this level of maintenance, street conditions in Ventura will slowly deteriorate over time. To hold the overall condition of our streets at their current level would require approximately $4 to $5 million annually. Given this situation, we try to use the available funding where it will have the greatest long-term value. Streets begin to age immediately after they are constructed. Water, sunlight and traffic all contribute to the gradual breakdown of the asphalt.
Typical street life is 20 to 40 years. Streets with a lot of traffic, particularly heavy truck traffic, wear out more rapidly than streets in residential neighborhoods. Your dollars are best spent when we can use low-cost sealing or overlays to delay the time when the street condition declines to the point where it will need more costly reconstruction.
"Ask the Director" Questions:
- Some areas of Ventura's beaches are cleaned more frequently. Why?
- Where are the City beaches and how often are they cleaned?
- Are there volunteer groups which help out with beach maintenance?
- How can we prevent ocean water pollution?
- What is the latest news about fixing the bike path at Surfers Point?
- How does the City figure out when to trim trees and how do I contact the City to have this done?
- The City used to spray olive trees to prevent fruit from developing. What happened to this program?
- What is the neighborhood replanting program and how can I get involved?
- Do I need a permit to use a park?
- Reclaimed water - the other water source?
- My street has potholes and cracks. When will the City fix it?