Last updated on March 19, 2023

Deterioration of Mehlenbacher Road

The Pinellas County maintenance performed on Mehlenbacher just wasn’t inadequate. It was nonexistent. Pinellas county has never performed periodic or corrective maintenance for three decades.

These established levels of road maintenance ensure smoother travel and proper drainage and offer needed repairs to a road’s surface—simple, inexpensive customary care. Filling potholes or repainting pavement markings wasn’t performed.

Street sweeping prevents polluting our bays and causes flooding was always sporadic and, for years now, nonexistent on Mehlenbacher. I’m sure Pinellas knew not keeping a road clean adds to its deterioration.

The county claims Mehlenbacher’s routine maintenance gets scheduled every six months, with some residents still dealing with ditches carrying Belleair stormwater.

Not only is twice a year unsatisfactory for maintaining invasive vegetation and debris. In the past ten years, Pinellas county did corrective on the ditch using an attachment tool on a backhoe loader. Their claim every six months needs to be proven.

It is much cheaper to keep a good road in good repair than to rebuild a poor one. Unless, like Pinellas, you do nothing for 30 years.