Many Youngstown streets the kind only a car repair shop could love

YOUNGSTOWN

To those traveling eastbound on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard: Be careful because the street is barely there.

The road, between Rayen and Belmont avenues, is so filled with potholes that a Vindicator reporter saw many eastbound motorists take the chance of driving in the westbound lane and face oncoming traffic rather than risk damaging their vehicles driving through potholes.

Westbound MLK is in terrible condition compared to most other streets in the city, but is in good shape compared to the other side.

“MLK was a disaster last year and we filled in the potholes, but it didn’t last long,” said Mayor John A. McNally.

“We’re aware of it and trying our best to rectify it,” said Sean T. McKinney, the city’s buildings and grounds commissioner who oversees the street department.

That pothole-filled section of MLK is on the city’s list to be repaved this year as part of an estimated $890,000 improvement project with about $580,000 coming from state and federal funds,

McNally said. The work is to start in mid-May, but McNally said city officials will look to do the work earlier.

Read what other streets are on the list in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.