Frequently Asked Questions

Who takes care of the roads?

There are three divisions under the Department of Transportation, all with different roles:

1. Road and Bridge Maintenance – This division handles small repairs such as pot holes, utility cuts, small patches, and crack sealing. This division handles all of the short-term solutions to fixing the roads.
2. Traffic Management – This division takes care of the street signs, traffic signals, and striping of our roads.
3. Engineering and Construction Management – This division is the long-term solution for repairing longer stretches of residential and major roads. This is also the division that is in charge of the installation of new waterlines, storm sewers, and sanitary sewers that go under the roads.

How are roads fixed?

There are various treatments to roads, depending on the current condition of the road.

Resurfacing

The top several inches of asphalt are stripped off and repaved. A few deeper repairs may be necessary so the new road lasts longer. Curbs and driveways are not replaced. If the road has sidewalk, pedestrian curb ramps at crossings will be replaced.

Approximately $550,000 per mile.

Reconstruction

The road is completely removed and rebuilt. Curbs, drive aprons and any damaged sidewalks are replaced, and pedestrian curb ramps will be added or replaced.

Approximately $2.4 million per mile.

Reclamation

The road is recycled in place by grinding the existing road up and adding cement to it, then putting new layers of asphalt on top. This treatment can only be done on asphalt roads that do not have any concrete or brick below the asphalt. Curbs and driveways are not replaced. If the road has sidewalk, pedestrian curb ramps at crossings will be replaced.

Approximately $1.0 million per mile.

How are residential roads selected?

A consulting firm drives and rates the condition all of our residential roads on a scale from 0-100. The ratings dictate what types of treatment are needed on each road.

We select our worst roads from the bottom of the list for reconstruction. Reconstruction makes up about half of our annual road construction budget, but it is the most expensive treatment option we have, so we are limited in how many reconstructions we can do each year. The other half of the budget is used for resurfacing, where we select roads with a rating somewhere in the middle — if the rating is too high it's not needed, too low and it needs a full reconstruction.

Other factors that the city considers when selecting roads are proximity to schools and churches, combining nearby road projects, and coordination with other work that has to be completed on the street, such as a new waterline.

Why are they doing that road and not mine? Why can’t the city just do all of the worst roads first?

Reconstructions are necessary for the roads in the worst condition. We have a rating system we use to determine the condition of each road and we start at the bottom of the list to select roads for reconstruction. Reconstructions are also costly — at $2.4 million per mile, we are limited in the number of full reconstructions we can do each year.

At the same time, we want to prevent roads from getting to this point. Roads that fall in the middle of our rating system are selected for resurfacing, which is a far more affordable treatment that can extend the life of the road. At $550,000 per mile, we can do many more resurfacings each year at the same cost and save the city money long term.

The reality is many streets in Toledo are in poor shape. We are working through the worst of the worst (red) while trying to maintain the others (yellow).

When are you going to fix my street? How can my road be considered for resurfacing or reconstruction?

If a road is not on a current list of roads to be fixed, we cannot provide an exact date. Please call Engage Toledo at 419-936-2020 to request to inspect your road for future consideration.

Why are some larger roadways scheduled to be fixed many years from now?

Larger roads are very costly to fix and the city cannot afford to repair them without help. There are numerous federal and state funding sources available to the city to help pay for as much as 90% of the cost to repair a road. However, we have to apply for and be awarded the funds. Our applications compete with all of the surrounding municipalities that are also applying. There are many roads in the city that have been applied for numerous times and have not been awarded funds. When a road is awarded money, the funds are typically not available for 4 to 6 years. For example, we currently have several roads that were awarded funding in 2021 that will not be constructed until 2027.

Will my curb and drive approach be fixed with the road?

If the road is a reconstruction, all curb and drive approaches will be replaced. If it is a resurfacing or a reclamation, we do not fix or replace curbs and drive approaches unless they are damaged by the contractor during resurfacing.

Will sidewalks be fixed/added on my street?

On a reconstruction project, damaged or broken sidewalk will be replaced and ADA accessible pedestrian ramps will be added or replaced at intersections. On a resurfacing, the only sidewalk fixed or replaced will be for ADA accessible pedestrian ramps. The city has a Complete Streets policy that requires us to evaluate roads and determine if sidewalks make sense for the neighborhood. New sidewalks may be added to a road if there are pieces of sidewalk to connect to along the road or if there is existing walk to connect to on other streets. It is also important to add sidewalk where there are schools, churches, and/or parks in the neighborhood.

Will my tree be removed for construction? Will you replace it?

The Division of Forestry will determine if a tree has to be removed as a result of roadway construction. Removal depends on how much of the root system is being removed as a result of the new sidewalk or curb. The city will make every effort to replace any removed trees with a new one. That determination will be based on several factors including width of the treelawn, new or existing underground utilities, and species types.

I live on a road that is just made of loose stone and does not have any curbs or drainage. Can my road be fixed?

Your type of road is commonly referred to as an “unimproved” road. Many of these roads were installed in separate townships before being annexed into the city. The contractors did not have to abide by city rules and regulations when it came to building the roads. Most were built without any pavement structure or drainage.

By city charter, we are not allowed to improve these roads up to standards like the improved roads. They are maintained by our Division of Road and Bridge Maintenance by filling potholes and occasionally adding layers of stone mixed with some liquid asphalt (typically called “tar and chip” or “chip seal”). Road and Bridge Maintenance is in the process of converting some of the roads to a stronger pavement by adding a layer of asphalt on top, but they cannot do that to many of them due to drainage issues.

Residents on a street can file a petition to have their street improved with curbs and drainage, but they will be assessed on their taxes for the improvement.