Friday’s Off Ramp: Curbed…in San Carlos.

October 9, 2009

1065-Chesterton-Ave

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No doubt you've come across a scene like this at countless street corners throughout San Carlos lately.   And if there's an “old style” curb corner that hasn't been jackhammered out yet, chances are it's on the list. What's going on? It's your national Economic Stimulus money at work right here in San Carlos.

ARRA Grant.

Recently, San Carlos received a grant in the amount of  $559,000 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA.) The City has chosen to use $295,000 of this money to fund it's 2009 Pedestrian Improvement Plan in which they'll replace 119 of the old high-curb street corners like this one below:

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…with the newer, sloped style like this one:

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This makes it much easier for folks in wheelchairs or parents pushing their toddlers in strollers to navigate the sidewalks to get around town. It's something that needed to be done, and I think it's a great use of the money.  Part of the funding will also go to re-striping crosswalks and generally making it safer for pedestrians around town. The balance of the ARRA grant money that wasn't used to fix the sidewalks and crosswalks will be used to re-pave Crestview Drive, which badly needs it.

UPDATE 10/13:  A number of folks have asked why Crestview gets the nod on the repaving work ahead of other streets in San Carlos.  Robert Weil, Public Works Director/City Engineer in San Carlos was kind enough to forward the following info:

Crestview Drive Re-Paving

For more information on the project, check out the link on the City website:

Economic Stimulus Project Construction Starts in San Carlos

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(The Friday Off Ramp series is just an occasional editorial on Fridays about stuff that happens in San Carlos.)

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4 Comments

  1. Tara on October 9, 2009 at 5:09 pm

    Instead of focusing on repaving Crestview, there are plenty of streets in San Carlos where sections of the road have come out. It would be a better bang for the buck.



  2. Karyn on October 9, 2009 at 7:12 pm

    I agree. I’ve seen worse on other streets that Crestview’s condition. I’d rather the city fix the potholes and the crumbling strips of asphalt throughout the city instead of spending a huge amount on Crestview. No doubt if you live on Crestview, you’ll probably disagree.



  3. Tim on October 9, 2009 at 8:14 pm

    $260,000 to fix Crestview? I drive it all the way to Carlmont every day. It isn’t that bad when compared to other streets that badly need patching.
    To whom do we convey this to at City Hall?



  4. Bill on October 13, 2009 at 5:00 am

    OK, these corners have been torn up for over a week and no movement–did the stimulus money run out? Prediction: tonight’s storm will cause havoc and flooding on city streets, due to the blocked drains and torn up corners. They’ve actually placed sandbags against the curbs to block the water flow! Stay tuned…



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