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Fort Wayne to repave 150 miles of old, pothole-filled alleys

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) – A tax increase is paying for a campaign in Fort Wayne to repave 150 miles of alleys marked with potholes and buckled pavement.

The first of the 25 alleys set for repaving over the next two years is a half-mile stretch that resident Jesse Allen says is littered with nails and glass that can puncture the tires of passing cars.

The Journal Gazette reports some of the targeted alleys are in such poor condition residents can barely drive down them.

The funding to repave the alleys and some sidewalks is coming from a 0.13 percent increase in the local option income tax the City Council approved in July.

Public Works Director Bob Kennedy says alleys were ignored for years because the city focused on main arterial streets with heavier traffic.