Why are the roads here so bad?

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.