Sunday, December 28, 2008

Windsor Sinkholes Need Attention ASAP

Hi UU,
I thought you might find a use on your site for these photos (attached) of the 800 block of W. Windsor. I took them today. The city said they were going to replace the sewer on our street beginning in June. In reality, they started around the beginning of November. (Seems unwise, but who am I to say?)
Since the start of work, the street has been a wreck. The workers have piled various supplies (see "stuff piled on sidewalk" photo) wood and big gravel piles on the sidewalks at both ends of the street, making them unusable in certain areas. During work hours, pedestrians use this narrow street at their own risk. Depending on where the workers have the big equipment, one might find themselves within a couple of feet of earthmovers that are in use. The workers don't seem concerned, but I have been wondering how safe/legal it is that I have to walk out my door and into a working construction site (without a hard hat) everyday just to get to the bus stop. Now, (yesterday) with all of the melting snow and ice, the street has developed sizable sink-holes...in a lot of places. These are dangerous for cars and pedestrians...and if it snows, it will be even worse. The street has been unpaved since the start of work. It is surfaced in mud, finely crushed gravel, and sand. On a wet day it is messy. With ice, it is even more treacherous than regular pavement. I'm going to contact the Alderman tomorrow. In the meantime, I've seen some good sink-hole photos on your site...I hope you like these! Thanks for your work on UU. It makes our neighborhood better.

Windsor Resident

4 comments:

  1. It's great that you shared this info but to be really effective, start placing some calls to 311 about this and encourage your neighbors to do the same.
    Record the tracking number so that you have a record of your complaint.

    It looks to me that there are several safety issues that need to be addressed.

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  2. I live on the corner of Windsor and Clarendon. I have to pull out into this mess of a street every day. It's the project that never ends and on a good day you might be able to get your car down Windsor without hitting anything. Most of us continue to pull in off of Clarendon and go the wrong way down this one way street just to avoid the extra risk of car damage and extended travel down this very ugly street. I have already reported these guys once. I fail to see what good it does. Guess I will just sue the city for my front end damage.

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  3. I have called 311 on various occasions (including about the early 7 AM start time for work on this "sewer project") and was not at all satisfied with the response. I was told, "they probably have a permit". Also, when asking for a case number, I was told they don't give case numbers. Gee, City of Chicago, thanks for the help!

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  4. NSS..
    I called emailed Helen back in November about the early start time. They contacted the contractor who claimed they were just 'setting up' before the 8:00 start time. You and I know better. It's a public works project so they can start whenever they want. They can also take a few days off, come back and get all the cars towed at 7:00 am. If didn't know better, after watching this project for 2 months, I would say 'Blago' sent his brother in-law and a bunch of friends over to do this job.

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