Last year at this time drivers and some businesses on Second Street were fuming – though business at tire and alignment shops was booming.

It’s good to know that Second Street won’t be as big a headache early this year. The credit goes back to last year, when city officials, with the help of local state representatives Andrew Molitor and George Borrello, reached an agreement with the state to perform temporary repairs last year after Second Street began to look like the surface of the moon.

That paving work took place in July, and City Council members said during last week’s meeting that patch work had already begun – with more to come as the weather breaks – as part of that agreement.

The situation is a major improvement from where we were last year. Drivers’ backs – and their vehicle’s suspension systems – thank the city and state for taking care of Second Street early this year. The situation early in 2025 was horrible for anyone who had to use Second Street, and the road’s condition pushed more traffic onto side streets than residents of those neighborhoods like.

The headache will come later this year when the permanent fix for Second Street begins. State work crews will repave nearly three miles of road in the city, including East 4th Street from Prendergast Avenue to East Second Street and East Second Street from East Fourth Street to Tiffany Avenue. The project will also include traffic signal upgrades, drainage and signage improvements, and pedestrian enhancements such as new sidewalks, ramps, and crosswalks.

When it comes to Second Street, the old adage “no pain, no gain” certainly applies.