While Southern Indiana residents continue to see prices rise at the pumps, the $450,000 New Albany receives in gasoline-tax refunds from the state to use for street repaving is nowhere near enough, an officials says.

The amount is a “drop in the bucket,” said Carl Malysz, deputy mayor and director of development.

“Our gut estimate is that our tab right now to get all of our streets reconditioned is going to be somewhere around $8 million, maybe $10 million,” he said.

During his State of the City Address, Mayor Doug England called New Albany’s streets “embarrassing,” and promised to make repaving efforts a priority. He said too much money had been spent in recent years on the sewer system while street repairs were shunned.

Malysz said street issues are broken down into two categories — the first being the maintenance. Fixing potholes and repaving on a smaller scale fit into this category, which Malysz says will have its own budget.

Last week, the city began fixing potholes with a more permanent fix of asphalt, as opposed to the expensive coal patch, which is used during winter months.

During a recent Board of Public Works and Safety meeting, Street Department Commissioner Mickey Thompson said calls have been pouring in and crews have kept busy filling in the gaps.

Part two of the equation involves a more detailed thoroughfare plan.

“There are major projects that need to be implemented in New Albany in many different locations,” Malysz said.

Thoroughfares include more than just revamping roads. They deal with everything from sidewalks to safety issues, according to John Rosenbarger, director of Public Works.

Rosenbarger points to a Indiana Department of Transportation project that will bring an overpass to Grant Line Road to hopefully solve some of the traffic issues surrounding the train route that cuts the busy road in half.

“It’s a great project that has long been sought by multiple administrations for many years,” Rosenbarger said. “We have a traffic conflict at an active railroad crossing, and it’s certainly a pain.”

Construction of the overpass is slated to begin next year, but Rosenbarger said a more realistic picture is probably getting finished by 2010.

“It’s an aggressive schedule by INDOT and they are pursuing it very actively,” he said.

In conjunction with the overpass, the city would like to add sidewalks to accommodate walkers and bicycle riders on Grant Line Road. Rosenbarger said making the city more walkable ties into the thoroughfare plan.

“There’s another level to make (New Albany) an attractive place to walk and we want to pursue that,” Rosenbarger said. “The affordability index of increasing gas prices are going to force some people to pursue other means (of getting around).”

Just because sidewalks will be more abundant throughout the city doesn’t mean people will choose to walk instead of ride. But Rosenbarger said sidewalks give residents options, and they also encourage a more environmentally conscious community.

Thoroughfare projects take “they typical old cow path — 17 to 20 foot wide street with dubious ditches on each side usually with no sidewalk” and make them into urban streets, Rosenbarger said.

There are examples of this work in New Albany.

Phase two of the Daisy Lane improvement project from State Street to Green Valley Road is under way with at least one more stage to follow, Rosenbarger said.

Sidewalks are being added to the street and lanes are being extended to help traffic flow smoother. There also is work being done to help drainage issues on the road.

Rosenbarger believes the entire project will be finished by next year and while drivers might experience some delays, the end result will be worth the inconvenience, he said.

Malysz said the thoroughfare plan — as with all of England’s ideas — will rely on input from the City Council.

“The thoroughfare plan is going to be a specific expose for the council,” he said.