Neighbors Demand Action After Boy, 6, Smacks Face Off Of Rebar On Street In Need Of Repaving
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A street in Brookline has potholes so deep, you can see the rebar sticking out of the concrete.
Community members say it's also dangerous. They say one little boy needed surgery after hitting a rough patch and falling off his bicycle
Beaufort Avenue and Elmbank Street are connecting roads in the city's Brookline community, but there is a startling difference in the condition of the two.
Elmbank is a mix of concrete, cold patches and broken, chipped curbs, some with rebar in plain view.
"I see everything getting fixed except for our street," said Brookline resident Ken Schmidt.
The people who live there say if the cracks in the street aren't enough, the scrapped and scratched face of the 6-year-old who got hurt while riding his bike should be.
His mother told KDKA that the boy hit some loose gravel and fell, hitting a rebar in the street.
"We pay our taxes. People who don't pay their taxes get more fixed," said Schmidt.
"This street has never been taken care of, ever. They come in and they just put in some asphalt hot patches now and again," said Brookline's Frank Large.
The city says it is well aware of the problems on Elmbank.
The 311 system has registered 24 calls about the street since January. All but two are considered "closed" because the street had been added to the paving list.
"When I called 311, the Mayor's Office, they said, 'Well, you're on there,' and I said, 'For when?' She said it went on there on the 4th. 'The fourth of what?' I asked, because we've been told May, June, July and now August," said Barbara Wroniak, another resident.
The Mayor's Office said there is an urgency to have this street resurfaced this season. The Department of Public Works is scheduled to repair some of the concrete slabs on the street before resurfacing can begin.
Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak represents the district. Her office says it was notified about the street in 2016 and work had been scheduled for May of this year.
Crews ran into a problem with a private sewer line which had to be repaired before the street could be paved. That work was completed by June 30.
In a written statement, Councilwoman Ruidak's office said:
"As with many streets in Pittsburgh, concrete streets especially, Elmbank has been in need of repair for some time. I was saddened to learn that a child was injured while waiting for the street to be repaved and I know that we are looking forward to this street being fixed ASAP."
"Some neighbors want asphalt, some want concrete. Me, I don't care, as long as it's smooth," Schmidt said.
"Lots of promises, but no action," added Large.
But they hope what happened to the 6-year-old won't happen to anyone else before the street is fixed for good.
