Photo by Oakland Tribune           

A contractor's dispute that has held up repaving on Oakland's Redwood Road has been resolved, clearing the way for work to begin this summer. The $7 million contract was awarded last week by the appeals board of the Alameda County Transportation Improvement Authority, which is funding the repaving of Redwood Road and 59 other Oakland sites. ChronicleWatch began reporting on the matter in April, after readers complained about poor conditions on "Rocky Redwood Road," as tipster Kristin Furuichi Fong dubbed it. "It is riddled with potholes and monstrous cracks," she said. Larry Walters told us that the street posed a particular risk to bicyclists. "A bike tire is a 1/2-inch wide. There are crevices there that are 2 inches wide," he said. Public works spokesman Niccolo Deluca said crews went out seven times over the last year to patch the road. Last month, several city leaders, including City Manager Deborah Edgerly and Councilwoman Jean Quan, rolled up their sleeves to help fill potholes on Redwood Road. "The Public Works Agency is honored to have the participation of so many of our city leaders," said Public Works Director Raul Godinez, who was also on hand to hear from local residents. Deluca said that work will begin on Redwood Road by mid-July.

Who's responsible: Raul Godinez II, Oakland's director of public works (510) 238-3962; rgodinez@oaklandnet.com