Los Angeles's streets are famously in rough shape: potholes and busted streets cost drivers hundreds of dollars a year and just over 70 percent of LA roads are in poor condition. (LA even considered letting Angelenos tax themselves to repair the busted-up roadways in their neighborhoods.) Which is why it's so surprising that LA just won an award for its streets, and not just any award, but the "prestigious 2015 James B. Sorensen Award for Excellence in Pavement Preservation," says a release from the Department of Public Works.
Apparently, LA isn't as bad at fixing streets as it seems. They won the award for their hard work on 2,400 "lane-miles" of roads, "repairing and maintaining [them] to improve the quality of the road system, enhance efficiency, and provide sustainable street repairs" during the 2014-2015 fiscal year. It was the "largest annual pavement preservation program" the city's ever undertaken, but they probably need to keep this award-winning pace up in order to make a dent in the backlog of jacked-up streets.
· 73 Percent of Roads in Los Angeles Are in Bad Shape [Curbed LA]
· Potholes Cost Each Los Angeles Driver $955 a Year [Curbed LA]