This Week's Friday Feature

Each Friday until it is repaired by DPW, HUDseen will feature pictures of the damaged pavement surrounding the very exposed storm drain on Carroll Street near State.  I first noticed the damage over a month ago while biking directly at it, then quickly avoiding it, and can only assume that the damage did not happen overnight. I'm thinking the asphalt showed signs of failure beginning years ago.  Of course, asphalt protects storm drains from being damaged by passing vehicles and runoff.  An exposed storm drain is vulnerable to damage.  Water is supposed to flow through the drain, not flow down around it along the outside edges.  Vehicles are not supposed to be hitting exposed edges of drains.  It is as if DPW would prefer that the drain on Carroll be damaged.  "Look how busy we are.  Give us more money to replace old and damaged infrastructure we can't prevent from being damaged!"

Not a priority nor, apparently, even a problem

When DPW ignores damaged infrastructure and seemingly does not bother with preventive maintenance, trouble such as the recent sinkhole at a storm drain on Warren Street should come as no surprise to anyone paying the slightest bit of attention. It's no different than ignoring the damaged roof of a house, or never changing the oil in a car's engine.  If DPW doesn't care about severely damaged asphalt surrounding a storm drain, do they care if the storm drain itself is damaged or compromised?

Early this week, it took DPW two days to repair the sinkhole (and possibly the basin of the drain) on Warren Street at City Hall Place.  They still have to repave the area.

 Priority  -- didn't see this coming!

Apply new asphalt and call it done

I suppose that one could argue that DPW is short-staffed or overwhelmed or this and that excuse, and it might all be true. But do you ever hear Robert Perry admitting as much? Of course not. His DPW reports at monthly council meetings (ON ZOOM, of course) give the impression that everything is hunky dory.  And since no council members ever ask him any worthwhile or probing questions, how would anyone know what is really going on at DPW and if Mr. Perry can handle what is being thrown his way?

If DPW can't find a few hours to replace asphalt surrounding a storm drain on a busy city street directly in the path of bicyclists, what else are they not able or willing to do that Mr. Perry keeps to himself?