Mesquite Seeks $125 Million For Road Repairs

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MESQUITE (CBSDFW.COM) - Community members in Mesquite have stated that potholes are plaguing their streets, and they have big plans to do something about it. But it will take money to get the repairs started. It is now up to voters to decide if they want the city to borrow money in order to fix the roads.

The city is looking at a $125 million bond with the goal of fixing over 100 miles of streets. Residents would then have a tax rate increase of about 9.4 cents over the next five years.

Without the bond election, Mesquite officials said that they will have to rely on the current system -- just more than $1 million spent each year on regular street maintenance. About nine miles of roads are repaired each year.

However, city officials said that the streets are deteriorating three times faster than they can be fixed. If the bond is approved, the worst streets would see repairs begin late next year.

There is going to be a town hall meeting to address this issue at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday night at Mesquite City Hall. Residents are urged to come and weigh in with their concerns. Early voting begins on Monday.