Despite some patching here and there, most of which began failing within weeks after completion, Autumn Street, like the vast majority of our city streets, remains a disaster -- the net result of years of deferred maintenance occasioned by the city's fiscal mismanagement. When is the city going to undertake meaningful road resurfacing? What is the plan? I've lived on Autumn for almost 20 years. It's never been done in all of that time and is long overdue.

Hi Ghazi, I understand your frustration around the condition of our roads. You have correctly attributed the current deficient condition of our roads to decades of neglect and deferred maintenance. I am happy that the current administration has made it a priority to invest in both the infrastructure above and under the ground. This is not something that can be fixed quickly.

In addition to the above there are also number of unique factors that have impacted the condition of Autumn Street. As I'm sure you know the Island Hill neighborhood, which Autumn Street is part of, is a former landfill with significant settling issues.

Awhile back you may also remember that there was a house explosion further down on Autumn which resulted in National Grid (or its predecessor) replacing the gas lines down the whole stretch of the street. Unfortunately, the gas company was not required to repave the street after their work which is a major reason why the road looks the way it does. We are exploring whether or not National Grid can help with paying for a portion of the work that needs to be done.

Almost every house on Autumn Street also has lead pipes which is why over the last month the Water Department has been proactively replacing lead service lines on Autumn Street. Over a dozen lines will be replaced.

The infrastructure underground needs to be fixed before we can repave a street. It would be a waste of taxpayer funds to pave a road and then rip it up a few years later.

Even though I know this is not the answer you would like to hear I hope this provides some clarity on the situation.

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