It’s a 16-year project that is half-way complete. Long before a failed medical marijuana ordinance with the same name, Nevada City voters passed Measure S–a half-cent sales tax increase where the money would only go to the re-paving and upkeep of city streets…

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80 percent of voters approved it in 2006, and work began in 2007. City Civil Engineer Bill Falconi picks the streets that will be worked on each year, along with Public Works Director Verne Taylor. Falconi says he gets recommendations from time to time on which projects need the most attention…

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Over half-a-million dollars a year on average get spent on the necessary repairs. Falconi says he picks projects that aren’t too close together so that traffic impact is minimized. They’ve done work on Broad Street, Spring Street, and Gold Flat Road, among others, and Falconi has several more spots in mind for this year…

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And there will be other projects as well. About 6 to 10 streets a year are repaired thanks to Measure S, depending on the length of the street and the work involved. Before Measure S, it was quite different…

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It’s ten times that now. Measure S is scheduled to sunset in 2023, and voters will have to decide at that time whether they want the work to continue. Also by that time, the streets that were paved in 2007 will likely need it again. Falconi says mid-way through the project, Nevada City has never looked better…

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125 projects, from Adams Street to Zion Street, either have been or will be completed–thanks to a decision voters made almost a decade ago.