One of the first things people notice when they drive through a town is the condition of its streets. Are the roads smooth or full of potholes? Are the sidewalks safe to walk on, or are they cracked and uneven? In Dupont, too often the answer hasn’t been what it should be.

I hear it from neighbors all the time: cars damaged from potholes, seniors nervous about tripping on broken sidewalks, parents worried about kids crossing at poorly marked crosswalks. These aren’t small problems — they affect daily life, safety, and even property values. And when stormwater backs up into basements because the drainage system is outdated, that’s more than an inconvenience — it’s a financial and emotional hit to families.

But infrastructure today isn’t just about pavement — it’s about traffic, noise, and livability. Dupont has seen a huge increase in truck traffic from nearby factories. Heavy rigs rumble through our streets, tearing up the roads faster, keeping neighbors awake at night, and making it harder for families to feel safe in their own homes. On top of that, we’ve had to deal with loud, modified vehicles, and even late-night street racing up 315 / Ziglear Street.

That has to stop. As Mayor, I’ll work with PennDOT, local police, and our borough council to:

• Push for truck routing agreements that direct heavy traffic away from residential streets wherever possible.
• Enforce a vehicle noise ordinance so families aren’t kept awake by straight pipes and illegal mods.
• Crack down on late-night racing through targeted patrols and speed enforcement, especially in the hotspots everyone in town knows about.

For years, infrastructure has been patched together instead of planned. What we need is a multi-year paving and maintenance plan that doesn’t just fix the squeaky wheel but addresses the whole system — streets, sidewalks, drainage, and traffic calming. We need to make sure crosswalks are visible and enforced, especially near schools and senior housing. And we need to coordinate stormwater improvements that protect homes and reduce flooding, instead of waiting for the next big storm to expose the same weaknesses.

This is about more than asphalt and concrete. It’s about dignity. Families deserve to drive home on safe streets, kids deserve safe paths to school, and seniors deserve the peace of mind that comes with solid sidewalks and dry basements.

As Mayor, I’ll push for an infrastructure and traffic safety plan that’s honest, transparent, and forward-looking. Every resident should know what’s being fixed this year, what’s planned for next year, and how we’re keeping the streets safe and livable.

Strong foundations build strong towns. And that means streets that are safe, quiet, and built for people first.