Minneapolis neighbors call out King's Highway as 'Street of 10,000 potholes'

Marianne Carolan was driving along Dupont Avenue S. in Minneapolis when she swerved to avoid a puddle and hit a pothole, causing more than $1,000 in damage to her car.

"The last puddle happened to be a pothole, but I couldn't tell because they all look the same," she said.

More than 40 signs dot the lawns along Dupont, also known as King's Highway, where neighbors say they are fed up with the deteriorating street. The signs call out the "Street of 10,000 potholes" and urge people to contact the Park Board, which is responsible for the street's upkeep.

The Park Board admits the project, originally scheduled for 2015, has been pushed back. And because the project is bigger than anticipated, it's been split in two — northern section this year, southern section maybe in 2018. Ultimately, it comes down to money, said Cliff Swenson, the Park Board's director of design and project management.

"The only reason for delay is we just don't have enough money," Swenson said. "We're behind across the system."

The estimated cost of repairing King's Highway is $1.6 million. The Park Board has $700,000 of the $800,000 needed for the first phase, which will involve full repavement.

Neighbors questioned why the Park Board doesn't use money it received from the state for regional park repairs. But Swenson said they looked at using regional park funds, but King's Highway isn't in a regional park.

That frustrates neighbors like Rodger Ringham.

"This is the first time we've seen a commitment from the Park Board," he said. "But some of us are still dissatisfied because the portions of the street being resurfaced runs by the Park Board offices."

Park Commissioner Brad Bourn said the section being repaved first is in worse shape, according to the Pavement Condition Index, a common measurement tool for roads.

"I wish we had the funding to do it in one season," said Bourn, whose district includes King's Highway. "When we found out it was a bigger project than we anticipated, we had to break it into two years."

But City Council Member Linea Palmisano, whose ward includes the area, said the Park Board needs to be transparent with residents and questioned whether the city needs to step in and help with communication. Palmisano also questioned the Park Board's explanation for not using regional park money.

The Park Board held a meeting with residents Thursday to explain the project and go over costs for individual homeowners. Swenson said residential properties along parkways would be assessed for street improvements at the same rate as other residential properties in the city.

Neighbors are wary of the costs, however.

"We know the cost is going to be significantly higher than other streets in the city," Ringham said. "In our case, they're going to totally dig up the street because it has been ignored for 34 years."

Faiza Mahamud • 612-673-4203