If you've driven along Ingraham Street through Pacific Beach, you know it can do a number on your car. But a major road repair project is now underway to improve the conditions along the busy street.
It’s happening on a half-mile stretch, between La Playa Avenue and the Riviera Street and Crown Point intersection.
To those who live, work and drive along Ingraham Street say this project is a welcome sight.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
“This is awesome.”
Grant Cooper is the owner of Crest Liquor. It’s been at the corner of Ingraham and La Playa Avenue since 1947.
“Grandpa started this [opened this store] after WWII and then dad took it over and then handed the reigns to me,” Grant said.
He says they’ve seen a lot of changes along Ingraham over the years, and not for the better.
“The road degrading, you really do see a lot of cars getting broken down,” Grant said. “We probably should’ve become an alignment shop, honestly.”
“It’s been a while coming, but it’s just one of the many projects the city has throughout the city,” City of San Diego spokesperson Jose Ysea said.
Street maintenance projects
The transportation department has been working to get to all of them, but it’s a long list.
A recent city audit found it would take nearly $2 billion over the next decade for the city to meet its street condition goals.
So far, just $645 million has been identified.
But Ysea says the city is on track to complete work on 71- miles by the end of June, well ahead of their goal of 60 miles for this fiscal year.
And next year, they hope to do another 75.
“It’s gonna take a lot of money to be able to get all the roads that we need fixed up to par. But again, you have to think of it as an investment – an investment for the future and for our residents to be able to drive on smooth roads," Ysea said.
Hopefully, for generations to come.
"Yeah, maybe get a 4th generation in here and we’ll keep it going. That’s my goal and adding a road like that is definitely a betterment for the group around here," Grant said.
The work along that stretch of Ingraham is expected to be finished by the end of Friday, but crews will likely be back over the next several weeks to check for any areas that may need some extra attention.
To find out when or if any repairs are scheduled in your neighborhood, you can search the city's street repair website.
