Four weeks of pavement repairs underway on busy Balboa Avenue in Kearny Mesa

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The wait is over in Kearny Mesa, where San Diegans have been driving around craters on one main thoroughfare for years.

As of Monday night, Balboa Avenue -- from Kearny Villa Road West to Genesee Avenue is officially under construction.

This improvement project comes as the City of San Diego just finished repaving Convoy Street and Clairemont Mesa Boulevard.

Mayor Todd Gloria said his "Sexy Streets" initiative will improve more than 50 miles of the city's busiest and longest neglected roads.

The repavement project comes after the city scored poorly on a recent pavement condition index review.

Gloria said fixing streets like Balboa Ave and getting rid of its potholes is also part of a larger plan for Kearny Mesa, where the city wants to increase housing availability and transportation options for San Diegans.

This plan also includes eventually improving sidewalks, bike lanes, transit connections, and ridesharing infrastructure.

Gus Padilla, who works in the Kearny Mesa, said better road conditions will be better for business.

"In the car business, there’s a lot of test drives that happen and these roads are normally where we go on our routes. Whether down Balboa, Mercury, main streets, or Clariemont, we see [potholes] all the time," Padilla said.

The city said repaving on Balboa Avenue is expected to take four weeks, consisting of two weeks of night work, then two weeks of day work, followed by lane striping.