If you've ever wondered about the progress of a San Diego street repair or other infrastructure project there may soon be an app for that. The idea is included in Mayor Jerry Sanders package of reforms he's presenting to city council next week.
This street resurfacing project in the College area is almost complete. It's one of more than 950 infrastructure projects underway in the city of San Diego. But most neighbors have no idea how long it will take, the cost, or the long-term effect it'll have on their daily life.
"It's very difficult to build a project that doesn't cause impacts, dust, parking, traffic issues -- you name it," said City Engineer James Nageelvoort.
That's why Mayor Sanders wants to launch an app for San Diego's Capital Improvements Program (CIP) to streamline the process and update the city's website to make it more user friendly. "Right now probably if you go to our website you'll find that we're disorganized, you can find data, but it's not user friendly in terms of where to go find information, said Nageelvoort.
His team has been working on the beta or test site where users can find background information on projects citywide, or go directly to the project in your neighborhood or Council District. You can even find out how much is being spent on a project, or who was awarded the contract.
"Most of our projects are actually local. They're smaller and affect local areas and they have an impact on the public and the public has a right to know, where their dollars are going," Nageelvoort said.
At the end of the day it's about transparency and making information easily accessible to the public. Mayor Sanders will present his capital improvements reform ideas to city council next Tuesday. If approved, the app could be up and running by summertime.
