Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: Residents Upset By Plan To Pave Over Iconic Street
Follow KDKA-TV: Facebook | Twitter
EAST WASHINGTON (KDKA) -- There is the street in the Borough of East Washington that is all brick. In fact, the bricks are yellow, and according to some who live there, the street is more than 100-years-old.
But things could change, and the people who live there are not ready to say goodbye to their very own yellow brick road.
Pennsylvania American Water is set to replace a water line on Lemoyne Avenue, and when that happens, borough council members want them to pave over the bricks.
That plan, however, is not going over well with some of the residents.
"We were told it was too expensive for the water company to replace the bricks," said resident Kim Pacilla.
She has lived on the street for more than 20 years.
"In this neighborhood, most people will purchase their home on the street because of the iconic look on the road. It's part of the neighborhood," she says.
Another neighbor, Scott Horne, feels the same way.
"It's an attractive street and it saves the borough thousands of dollars. I think paving the street over is very foolish for them to consider," said Horne.
Residents say they don't have a problem with repairs and updates.
"We are onboard with the updating of the infrastructure, which is part of what needs to be done; however, not at the cost of the road being paved over. We wanted other options," Pacilla said.
They say those updates could be finished as early as next week and the pave over could begin.
"We have not lost the battle, we are still alive. We just got word that we are going to put together a petition. They want the nine houses here to sign off that we are in favor of maintaining the brick road," said Pacilla.
