- Advertisement -
  • Most Commentedmost commented up
  • Most Emailedmost emailed up
  • Popularmost popular up
- Advertisement -

« News Home

Why are the roads here so bad?

Published: Tue, July 31, 2012 @ 12:00 a.m.

Why are the roads here so bad?

I was born in Youngstown in 1955, left and moved back in 1974, and then left again, living in many different places and traveling around the world for work.

I am recently back in Youngstown for an extended visit with family. I am writing because I simply do not know how else to convey my distress over the roads in Youngstown. The problem has been here since I was a child growing up here.

In all of the cities in the world I have traveled to over many years, especially in developing nations, I have seen attention and investment given and put into rebuilding intercity, and community roadway systems. I have asked many residents in the Mahoning Valley about the roads here, and everyone says the same thing: “It will never change, the department of transportation will never do anything about it.” This is so discouraging.

I have recently been riding bicycle on Meridian Road and other roads on the West Side and in Austintown. The roads are haphazardly repaired, the shoulders are highly ridged and dangerous, along with that, I tried some of the sidewalks, it is apparent that they as well have not been updated in at least 20 years — judging by the concrete color and texture and faulting, probably 40 years.

What happened here? It seems as though complacency has taken hold. It is disheartening to think that the local population has to accept such inferior local workmanship. Is it funding? Is it management?

This is makes the local community look so unwelcoming, and I know that it is a great community of caring people.

Karen Glass, Bokeelia, Fla.


1doubled(210 comments)posted 1 year, 11 months ago

You get what you pay for. Just like in the private sector. Tax rates are their lowest in 60 yrs. Yet, people scream "Taxed Enough Already" -- cut gov't, cut gov't jobs, cut services, cut everything involved with gov't --- But the funny thing is that at the same time, they fight like crazy to make sure the local retailer - whose trucks help tear up those roads - gets a nice tax cut -- And all because they hired maybe 10 people last year at 8.50 an hour. But because they "created" these jobs, they get to save 3 million a year in taxes. It's the first law of capitalism -- You Get What You Pay For...You wanted your Gov't to be run like a business. Well, this is Gov't being run like a business -- revenues are down - money's tight - you get less for your dollar. So deal with it.

Suggest removal:

2AnotherAverageCitizen(1174 comments)posted 1 year, 11 months ago


Where would you expect 80% of the budget to go? The police cruiser lasts for years, many being used several shifts a day. You would bit>> and moan if they replaced the cruiser or firetruck every year so the personnel cost would be a lower percentage.

I would guess you are the first to complain when a new school gets built, even when the last building was used for 70-80 years.

Suggest removal:

3tnmartin(185 comments)posted 1 year, 11 months ago

Has mostly to do with astonishing incompetence and an hideous culture of tolerated corruption. And weather too.
my original major at YSU was Civil Engineering. After I saw what the situation is, I changed my major.
Repairs that in NO respect meet the standards, enabled by open bribery.
Badly done original work, ditto, done by contractors who bought the job, and make it back by violating the criteria.
The local freeze-thaw cycle that tears up the skimped-on drainage beds (skimped on to pay the bribes) hidden under the asphalt.
Been the case since the 1970's to my knowledge,and probably before then
Davis-Bacon deserves blame. So do unions.
So local nitwits blame the Tea Party and low taxes.

Suggest removal:


HomeTerms of UsePrivacy StatementAdvertiseStaff DirectoryHelp
107 Vindicator Square. Youngstown, OH 44503
