Industrial Park Drive between South Main Street and Vanderbilt Circle up until a few days ago had some of the biggest — if not the biggest — potholes in Manteca.

Years of heavy truck traffic virtually destroyed the left turn lane pavement on westbound Industrial Park Drive.

Much of the other asphalt was starting to crumble.

The problem has disappeared thanks to efforts by city crews that dug up problematic pavement and repaved the stretch of roadway.

The fact Measure Q sales tax is being collected assured the city the costs could be covered without putting a serious dent in the adopted general fund budget.

Mayor Gary Singh indicated city crews in the coming weeks will be turning their attention to pavement issues on Locust Street and Wawona Street.

Measure Q, which is expected to provide roughly $2 million annually for the 20 years it is in effect will augment existing funding to knock down what was identified as a nearly $50 million backlog in street repairs and maintenance needed to extend the life of pavement to avoid costly reconstruction once a street deteriorates beyond being repairable.

The sales tax measure is far from being a panacea.

That’s because with each passing year pavement undergoes wear and tear as well as impacts from weather. 

While the city has been knocking off backlogged needed such as Lathrop Road and Louise Avenue upgrades they contracted out to do and  in-house work the city did on Industrial Park Drive, each passing year adds more work that needs to be done to the backlog list.

There is also the question of the future of gas tax that provides the bulk of street upkeep funds for cities and counties in California.

More fuel efficient cars prompted the recent increase in the gas tax as the state had experienced more vehicles on the road increasing pavement wear and tear but each vehicle, for the most part, was paying less due to better gas mileage.

Then there is the big issue the California Legislature has yet to address.

Even though there is a looming state mandate in 10 years that new vehicles powered by fossil fuels can’t be sold in California, the legislature hasn’t made any significant moves to replace the gas tax.

At the same time, electric vehicles that do not pay gas tax to maintain streets, are heavier than comparable gas-powered vehicles. The extra weight wears down pavement.

It is against that backdrop Manteca needs to decide the best course for using Measure Q funds that will be committed to streets.

The Louise Avenue project completed last year between Main Street and the roundabout east of Highway 99 cost $3.1 million.

Large projects such as Louise Avenue need to be contracted out. However, the cost means only one road project, if that, can be done in a given year.

The city could expand the street crew and add more equipment for what work can be done in-house even if it means breaking it down in smaller segments to tackle over multiple years as Manteca is doing on Spreckels Avenue.

But adding too much staffing wouldn’t be sustainable with a 20-year tax.

At the same time the cost of road work is soaring. The cost of rehabbing Shasta Park neighborhood streets, as an example, has increased significantly.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com