San Francisco Chronicle: State budget woes may mean bumpy roads ahead

[marmar]

State budget woes may mean bumpy roads ahead
Michael Cabanatuan, Chronicle Staff Writer

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

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(06-15) 21:00 PDT -- California drivers will face a bumpier future filled with potholes and pavement cracks, unswept streets and perhaps even drawbridges left in the air, if Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget plan becomes law.

Schwarzenegger's proposal to close the state's $24.3 billion budget gap would divert most of the state gas tax money that goes to cities and counties to fill potholes and maintain streets.

"It would basically take away our ability to provide road services," said Daniel Woldesenbet, Alameda County's director of public works. "The road program would become nearly nonexistent."

If that happens on a wide scale, "there will be more people needing alignments," said Jojo Bayabo, manager of Tire Broker and Auto Service in San Francisco's South of Market district. "People will suffer."

The state levies an 18-cent-a-gallon tax on gasoline for transportation uses, 6 cents of which goes to city and county public works departments for road repairs and related activities. The rest goes to Caltrans. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/15/BAVU184J4M.DTL&type=politics

[David__77]

1. The deficit is amazingly large.

I'm really not sure what the future holds in store for my state...