The city of Harlingen is getting ready to improve streets around town as part of its Street Improvement Program.

North Commerce Street is just one of three dozen streets the city will be upgrading. Driving down the street can be bumpy with its potholes and patches.

People who live in the neighborhood say they're more than ready for smoother roads.

"I would like it to be a beautiful area, an area where I can say 'wow, like, I would really like to live here,'" Harlingen resident Mariela Lagunez said.

Lagunez has lived in the neighborhood for 11 years and says getting home isn't easy.

"There are many potholes and when it rains, many more holes form," Lagunez said.

It's an issue that a neighbor down the street sees as well.

"The children that do have bikes, you can see them bouncing, and it's not a good for them. Even us as elderly who want to go ride our bikes, we can't because it's very bumpy," Harlingen resident Evelyn Noles said.

The city is aware of the road concerns in the neighborhood. That's why the street is a part of the city's Street Improvement Program.

"We're super excited, we identified them through our 2022 study that gave us kind of score of these streets that really needed repair," Harlingen mayor Norma Sepulveda said.

Sepulveda says the streets were chosen based on feedback from the community. The city will improve a total of 36 streets.

"There are some that aren't going to need the full reconstruction, but the ones that are in dire need, based on the study that I mentioned, those will be fully reconstructed," Sepulveda said.

The improvements will cost around $1.5 million. The money to pay for the street overhaul is coming from the city's budget.

After years of dodging potholes, drivers like Noles, say they're eager for the work to get done.

"They fill it, as you can see, the road how it is, it's all patched up. They've been doing it for years, and I'm glad that they are going to actually fix the road," Noles said.

The city is expected to start work in January and the work will be done based on priority.

For a list of streets getting upgrades, click here.

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