Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Lake View Ave: Street Needs Urgent Repairs **UPDATED

Photos: Diane Edwardson, November 29, 2011.  While walking this morning, I got a call from a Lake View Ave community leader, asking me to help get the street repaired in front of 2456 Lake View Ave.   (Click on photos to enlarge.)  
A portion of the concrete street was cut out and replaced with the original chunk of concrete.  It shifted and keeps getting worse, despite periodic repairs.  It's an abrupt  3 1/2" deep drop in the concrete, several feet wide.  For quite some time, neighbors have been emailing and calling CD13's Silver Lake deputy Ryan Carpio about the hazard, but he's failed to respond. 
On the upside, it should slow traffic.  This is a dangerous traffic hazard.  People drive way too fast over this steep, blind and curvy hill on Lake View Ave (with inadequate sidewalks).  I dodged speeding cars while shooting photos.

*Years ago, Two other neighbors confirmed, that in August 2009, Carpio inspected the street with Lake View residents and told them the street would be repaved. A portion was repaved in 2010, but the City stopped at the storm drain inlet, several houses south of this location. In the 25 years I've been in the neighborhood, all of Lake View Ave, but particularly this segment, has needed repaving. It was last paved in 1926. 
If nothing else, my size 10 boots say this is a trip & fall lawsuit against the City waiting to happen.  At least the City should put up some safety cones with flashing lights at night. 

Tomorrow: we'll look at an adjacent part of Lake View Ave in dire need of repair.

Lake View Ave historical photo links:

**UPDATE 4:10 PM: I received email from CD13's Ryan Carpio:

I know this street and this has been submitted for resurfacing a long time ago. As you know it takes a while to get this done. ... I re-requested these areas 2x this year, once in April and once again in June, and have been keeping an eye out because someone calls me about it regularly as well.

I mentioned multiple times to neighbors (especially with concrete streets), that these take longer than usual because they're concrete. I've even gone through lengths of mentioning that in some cases, neighbors have stopped resurfacing because they don't want the concrete to go away. I understand the frustration and I'm equally frustrated.

I feel that, although we treat cases with utmost urgency as much as possible, you as well as I understand the length of time it takes for a lot of the projects in the city.

Also,

FYI: A geotechnical evaluation is being made (because it's a hillside street), and that process takes a while before resurfacing can be done.

Also, this has been submitted for emergency repair with street services. They've responded back that they will be looking at this soon.