Residents in the Tanglewood area say dangerous potholes along Mahoney Road are damaging vehicles and raising safety concerns for drivers who rely on the roadway every day.
“It’s atrocious, is what it is,” said Colette Davis Chambers, who has lived in the area for 20 years. “We literally are playing little kid games at the adult level. You got to weave in and out of all the potholes that are in the road.”
Davis Chambers says the condition of the road has already taken a toll on her car.
“My car is a 2020 Nissan. It has a front-end rattle right now. I’ve come this close to mangling my tire,” she said.
Other residents describe a similar experience, saying the potholes are difficult to avoid and quick fixes haven’t lasted.
“You learn where they are, and then there’s new ones. They do fill it in, but then it pops right back. It really needs repaving,” said Debbie Taupin.
For some, the concern goes beyond vehicle damage.
“Literally, we are playing dodgeball. We’re either riding on the yellow line or the white line. That is scary, especially with your kids,” another resident said.
Tanglewood is located in Santa Barbara County, but many residents say they rely on nearby Santa Maria for daily needs like shopping, dining and work. To get there, they often travel along this stretch of Mahoney Road, which city officials say is maintained by the City of Santa Maria.
“Mahoney Road is in poor shape. The city has been working on trying to reconstruct that roadway for a few years now,” said Santa Maria Public Works Director Brett Fulgoni.
Fulgoni says the project is costly due to the extent of damage.
“We’re looking at about $2.5 million to fix that segment of roadway. It’s going to be the most expensive type of construction,” he said.
He added that concerns about Mahoney Road are part of a broader pattern across the city.
“Their concerns don’t go unheard. We do hear them. I also hear complaints about Miller Street, about College, East Main,” Fulgoni said.
To help prioritize repairs, the city is now using a data-driven system to track road conditions and determine which projects to tackle first.
“Now we can go in and start to program what the fixes need to be with data rather than just visual inspection,” Fulgoni said.
As for when repairs could begin, Fulgoni says the city expects to put the project out to bid in early May.
“We should be out to bid the first week of May. Realistically, we’re probably going to be under construction in about three months,” he said, adding that construction could last about two months.
In the meantime, Fulgoni is asking drivers to use caution while traveling along Mahoney Road as the city works toward a long-term fix.
