The Revitalist

The latest installment in Mayor Menino's war on potholes is a moratorium on new street cuts. The Mayor is fed up with poorly repaired cuts made for construction or utility work that create uneven road surfaces and potholes. He is "tired of it," and he's "not going to stand for it." Understandably, contractors are bewildered and upset - yesterday, they had a full work schedule - today, there is no predicting when they will be allowed to dig. The moratorium will be in effect until the DPW develops a plan that gets the work done and ensures that "our streets are restored to their former condition." Begs the question of just what that former condition is.

However, potholes are one of those lifestyle issues that make a big difference to city dwellers, like trash and graffiti. I think it's great that the City is taking an aggressive position. I'm sure it's very satisfying for the Mayor to say I'm not going to take it anymore and demand that Joe Casazza do something to fix it. I don't envy Casazza's job, though. Let's hope that the City can come up with a plan to ensure that street cuts are fixed in a timely and quality fashion and can do it quickly, but I'm not holding my breath.