Residents on the 1400 block of Macomber Street in Toledo said they have spent decades asking the city to repave the road and have only seen patches in return. Neighbors and a business owner at the intersection of Macomber and Albion said the street is uneven and filled with potholes, and they want a full resurfacing or reconstruction.
Leonard Chandler has lived on the block since 1989. He said the road has never been repaved during that time.
“All they do is come patch here and patch there, but they’ve never paved it in the almost 40-plus years,” Chandler said.
Chandler described driving down the street in one word: “Bumpy.”
Demetria Roberts has lived on Macomber Street for more than 20 years.
“There’s potholes and the street is really uneven. When I’m driving my car, I’m always falling into a pothole,” Roberts said.
Chandler said he has contacted the City of Toledo for decades about the road.
“I’ve seen them come right around here. They’ve done the street over behind me — Milburn. They did Auburn because it was in bad shape, too. So, why did they skip over Macomber? I pay my taxes just like everybody else. My taxes are current, up to date and I just want to see a little bit of something done,” Chandler said.
Mike Deye owns Hale Performance Coatings at the intersection of Macomber and Albion.
“I drive down this street every day and it’s definitely a rough street that needs some attention,” Deye said.
Deye wrote a letter to city council a few weeks ago detailing the condition of the road. He said council has not responded to his letter yet.
“My main concern was supporting our neighbors and our surrounding community. Again, everyone is putting in a great effort to increase our homes and our properties, and we would like to really make our neighborhood something special here,” Deye said.
A spokesperson for Engage Toledo replied in a statement: “The City is aware of the pavement condition on Macomber St. Each year, the City has to make several difficult choices regarding which streets are selected for resurfacing and reconstruction as part of our Residential Roads Program to make the most of our yearly budget and long-term planning. Resurfacing is less costly than reconstruction, and each year we complete more resurfacing projects than reconstructions.
The condition of the section of Macomber St. on the 2026 Residential Program list allowed the City to resurface it. The condition of the section of Macomber St. near Albion needs a full reconstruction and we do not yet know when we will be able to reconstruct that street.”
Chandler said he was not satisfied with the response.
“They said they don’t have a definite time of when they’ll do it, and I don’t think that’s fair. I really don’t think it’s that bad to where they have to tear the whole street up. I think if they just resurfaced it, it would be a lot better,” Chandler said.
Roberts said neighbors want the work done regardless of the timeline.
“Well, however long it takes, we’d like for it to get done. We’d like them to get the job done,” Roberts said.
Another section of Macomber Street, between Upton and Isherwood, was recently repaved. Engage Toledo said the condition of that portion allowed the city to resurface it.
