On Your Side: Boyle Heights' Alcazar Street pothole problem

A Boyle Heights neighborhood has been pleading with the city to fix a pothole-riddled street. Alcazar Street is in such disrepair that residents say it's causing car problems and leading to safety issues.

The day after KCAL News contacted the city about Alcazar Street in Boyle Heights, crews were out there working on it. But residents say they've been asking for help for years.

On a stretch of Alcazar Street in Boyle Heights, the two-lane road can only safely fit cars traveling in one direction.

"Morning and evening is constant traffic jams with sirens and horns and people just getting upset because they are running late to work," said Angelo Frisina, a local homeowner.

A massive pothole is to blame. It's now surrounded by a berm of asphalt caused by the road literally crumbling under traffic.

"It's damaging vehicles, constant traffic jams, it's awful," said Frisina.

Alcazar Street is used as a thoroughfare during rush hour as it dumps out directly across the street from Keck Hospital of USC at Soto Street. But for Angelo Frisina, Alcazar Street is where he lives. He owns a home that sits directly in front of the pothole. He shared with us emails dating back months, requesting the city fix the street.

"They've come and done very quick and rough patch jobs, but it hasn't really solved the problem," said Frisina.

While we interviewed Frisina, we watched car after car, even large trucks, try to maneuver around one another as they passed the pothole.

"This has been going on for over four years," said Alex Perez, who also owns a home on Alcazar. "If you take a little look across the street at USC, look at all their curbs and streets and walkways. Real nice."

In an email between a resident and one of L.A. City Councilman Kevin de León's caseworkers, that worker writes that Alcazar is a "priority location," but gave no timeframe for repairs. The day after KCAL News contacted the city councilman's office, however, crews and heavy equipment were finally out working on Alcazar Street.

Kevin de León's Office released a statement:

"Last spring Councilmember de Leon's office responded to concerns about the condition of Alcazar Street and submitted a request to the Bureau of Street Services asking to prioritize Alcazar as part of the street resurfacing program. Based on the street conditions, the Bureau of Street Services advanced it on the resurfacing list for the 2022-23 fiscal year. Currently, the bureau has scheduled this location for a large asphalt repair next Tuesday at the earliest in order to allow a 5-day notice for the businesses and property owners. The street is scheduled to be resurfaced in March and residents will be notified of the exact date in the coming weeks."

Residents say they've been complaining to former Councilman José Huizar, who was in office prior to de León.