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Costs mount for fixing substandard roads
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Wills Street in Gainesville has a massive pothole at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The short road also has another pothole near the High Street end and many patches in between.
New roadways often get the most public attention, but keeping the pavement that’s now in place safe for motorists is another huge, expensive battle for governments — one they can hardly ignore. Officials say the costs to bring Gainesville and Hall County roads up to acceptable standards is about $55 million combined, or about the same amount for a major project, such as Spout Springs Road widening in South Hall. The issue has come up lately as governments talk about the paving programs and the future of a long-held revenue source, the 1-percent special purpose local option sales tax.