We usually tackle problems in the order we get them. Everybody goes to the bottom of the list and climbs the ladder. But we make exceptions for emergencies, and we think this one qualifies.
Pat Carpenter of St. Petersburg was parked recently on First Avenue N between Second and Third streets. When she backed up to pull out of her space, she said her right rear tire was punctured by a sharp piece of metal protruding from a storm drain.
We trudged up there to take a look and found the drain on the north side of the block (which figures, since it was a right tire that was damaged) almost dead center. There is a long, flat metal bar that runs the length of the storm drain opening, and one end of it hooks out and protrudes slightly from the curb.
We could easily see how someone parked close to the curb could scrape a tire on the hook end. Pat reports that hers has a 1-inch tear in the sidewall.
We reported the problem to the city traffic guru, Mike Connors, who reported that by the time you read this, the city will have cut that protruding metal flush with the curb, so no one else is victimized by it. And the city will pay for Pat's tire.
Quick work, we think.
You might have seen the signs that are popping up along the interstates in the region and on roads approaching the interstates for "MyTBI.com." If you haven't logged on there, you should. The full URL is: www.tbinterstates.com/content/
It is an information page for all the interstates in the region and has up-to-the-minute information on construction, lane reconfigurations, closures, accidents and detours. Down at the bottom of the page, you can record your e-mail address, and you will begin to get almost daily reports automatically.
If you travel the interstates at all, this information can be invaluable in planning for delays before you get stuck in the middle of one.
Jessie and I have been signed up for several years and recommend it, although we're getting sick of saying nice things about the state roadies.
As long as we're doing interstate news, here's some good stuff.
There will be no lane closures connected to the region's two major interstate projects over the long Memorial Day weekend. Construction along I-275 at Roosevelt Boulevard and Fourth Street N has gone into a five-day hiatus, as has construction at I-275 and I-4 in Tampa, the mess everyone loves to call Malfunction Junction.
The work stoppage started Friday morning and will last through the early evening of Tuesday. Lane closures are expected to resume after 9 p.m. Tuesday.
The state roadies expect heavy holiday traffic and ask motorists to use caution in the construction areas, even though there will be no one working.
Those of you who live in Pinellas Park and Largo, or pass through on U.S. 19, have reason to rejoice. The long-awaited repaving of the worst road surface we've encountered in this area has begun.
The resurfacing will stretch from Gandy Boulevard/Park Boulevard to Cove Cay, north of Roosevelt Boulevard/East Bay Drive.
(Reading the sentence above, we are once again overwhelmed with wonderment at this county's inability to settle on one name per road. It is being dealt with along 102nd Avenue/118th Avenue/Bryan Dairy Road, where the entire stretch will become Bryan Dairy Road. Why can't this most sane notion take hold along other streets?)
Along with new asphalt along U.S. 19, watch out for some median adjustments, as well. The one we know of for certain is opposite Gateway Centre.
This $10.8-million project will be finished late this year. Another Eyeball Jiggler of the Week bites the dust.
As surely as one EJW bites the dust, another rises from the ashes. Our new example is on 66th Street N, where so many other EJWs have developed over the years. It is a dizzying dip in the road in the southbound lanes just north of Pasadena Avenue.
This one nearly woke Jessie from her nap.
And just because we like you, we have a bonus EJW in the same area.
The intersection of First Avenue S and 49th Street has some serious asphalt deficiencies. We're talking sizable holes where the pavement has just upped and walked away.
As we've mentioned before, this is often caused by heavy rains. Water seeps between the top and lower levels of the asphalt, making a water-and-asphalt sandwich. Then when cars run over the spot, the top layer of asphalt is pounded into pebbles, which wash away.
It's a constant battle to keep these areas patched, and with the summer rainy season approaching, we're going to see more of them.
Carol Watkins of Seminole asked us a question several weeks ago that has required some digging (no pun intended).
The county utilities folks started a project some months ago to put a reclaimed water line down Hamlin Boulevard. This is a good thing. And when the work was done, much of Hamlin was resurfaced.
But between 102nd and 95th avenues, Hamlin is divided by an island. The utilities work was on the southbound, or west side of the street. That was the side of the street that was repaved because that's what the contract called for.
Left like an orphaned child was the northbound, or east side. It is a pothole birthing ground that is getting no attention.
The county utilities folks tell us that they know how badly that side of the street needs a resurfacing, but they can't figure out who's going to do it. The public works folks asked the utilities department to do it, and utilities said, sure.
But the contractor said that wasn't what he bargained for, and refused. Now utilities is trying to figure out whether to bounce it back to public works or find another solution.
The only good thing about the situation is that everyone is aware that the east side of Hamlin desperately needs help. A solution can't be far off.
We'll keep you posted.
- Dr. Delay can be reached by e-mail at docdelay@sptimes.com by fax at (727) 893-8675 or by snail mail at 490 First Ave. S, St. Petersburg 33701.
