The dip in the road at 10th and Rhode Island is putting cars and their drivers in danger. The road is old and made of brick, which makes it difficult to notice the dip. Many unsuspecting drivers have bottomed out. If the vehicle is going the speed limit, the dip could not only damage the bottom of the vehicle, but could also scare the driver. A sudden shock to any driver, no matter how small, has the potential to cause a dangerous situation.
Molley Moffett, who lives on New York St., has had problems with the dip in the road. "I couldn't tell you how many times I bottomed out on the dip during the first couple of months living in the house that I have now," she said. "It really startles you the most at night when you're driving home and not really thinking about the road."
Charles Soules, the Lawrence Department of Public Works director, is in charge of the roads. Although, the roads are a pressing issue, they may not always be easy to get fixed.
"There is a procedure we must follow and brick roads are a protected historic asset to the city," he said. "We have gone through and made a rating for every street. Of course, based on the rating system, the streets that need to be worked on the most will be worked on. We will take a look at the numbers [of people who call in] and use those to figure out which streets we may need to work on first."
Although fixing the dip on 10th and Rhode Island is not currently a city priority, it could be. "It just wouldn't be wise and it wouldn't benefit the community as a whole," according to Soules. "But that is not saying that we won't take a look at the road if enough people call in and want it fixed. We will take everything into consideration but that isn't saying that it will get fixed."
The Department of Public Works does take phone calls. The main line for the Department is (785) 832-3123 but there are also numbers for specific needs located on the Public Works website at http://www.lawrencepublicworks.org/.
The construction on the dip would make for a smoother ride and be safer for vehicles and unsuspecting drivers. These are things people care about. Until then, drive cautiously on the brick roads.
Charles Soules [Public Works Director]- (785) 832-3123
http://www.lawrencepublicworks.org/
Other Source: Molly Moffett- (913) 927-3045
Comments (2)
The first time I drove through this intersection it was dark and I didn't notice the dip. Not only did I bottom out my car, I scraped up my rear bumper! There was no serious damage done, but it could be a lot worse. Now I always drive like 5 mph down Rhode Island, which probably isn't any safer. The condition those bricks are in is terrible. I can't believe the city doesn't see a problem here.
Posted by Laurel | November 26, 2007 7:56 PM
Posted on November 26, 2007 19:56
I lived near this dip last summer. I thought the city was going to fix it, but I guess they never did. I hit it a few times going the speed limit even after I knew it was there. I would hate to see what kind of damage it could do to a car that is unaware the dip even exists. A dip like this is easy to forget about, especially at night. I hope the city does something about it soon.
Posted by Tyler | November 27, 2007 2:44 AM
Posted on November 27, 2007 02:44