Our Roads are Full of Potholes. Why Are They So Hard to Fix?

KQED's Forum

KQED

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 10 November 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The pothole is the bane of any commuter’s day. In Oakland, the city has paid over $35 million in the last 10 years in pothole litigation. And according to a new study, nearly one quarter of San Francisco’s streets are rated below standard. We’ll talk to experts about road maintenance and why it’s so expensive. And we’ll hear from you: What’s a road in your town that needs some attention? Guests: Carla Short, director, San Francisco Public Works Jose Fermoso, reporter, Oaklandside - Fermoso road safety and transportation for Oaklandside Doanh Nguyen, Acting Chief Deputy Director, Caltrans Bay Area Office John Goodwin, spokesman, Metropolitan Transportation Commission - the transportation planning, coordinating and financing agency for the Bay Area Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for this podcast comes from Rainbow Grocery, your local worker-owned cooperative, celebrating
0:05.4	Native American history this month with an installation honoring Native communities.
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0:15.9	Support for KQED podcasts comes from Genentech.
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0:27.3	Learn more about Genentech's commitment to patients and society at gene.com slash our promise.
0:36.0	From KQED.
0:39.0	Welcome to Forum.
0:40.4	I'm Alexis Madrigal.
0:41.8	We're talking roads this morning.
0:44.7	For most of us, the road is the pavement.
0:47.5	But a road is not just asphalt slapped on the ground.
0:50.7	Our roads are complex structures with different layers,
0:53.6	and many of them are in need
0:55.6	of deeper repairs than our city budgets can handle. We're going to get an overview of the
1:00.8	condition of the roads in our area, and then we're going to dig in on some of the specific places
1:04.8	and difficulties that we face. We're joined first by John Goodwin, spokesperson for the Metropolitan
1:10.6	Transportation Commission, which helps fund transportation around the Bay Area. Welcome, John.
1:15.5	Good morning.
1:16.6	We're also joined by Jose Firmoso, a reporter with Oakland Side covering transportation and roads. Welcome, Jose.
1:22.7	Hey, Alex.
1:23.6	Nice to have you. John, let's start with you. Can you break down how a road breaks down?
	...

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