Eyes on the Street: Crew Out in the Cold Fixing Bike Lane Cave-In

Water main is being fixed
Crews are fixing the broken water pipe that led to a pavement cave-in at 7300 S South Shore Drive. Mike, a crew member, is pointing to a wooden plank where the pipe was broken.

Nine days ago Streetsblog forwarded South Shore resident Deborah Harrington’s photo of a pavement cave-in in the bike lane at 7300 S South Shore Drive to the Department of Transportation. Today Deborah excitedly emailed me some photos she took of the site, where Department of Water Management crews are now diligently working in 10°F weather to repair it properly. She writes:

I profusely thanked Mike who said that in spite of the cold weather, this is their busiest time of the year. This corner will now be much safer for pedestrians, motorist and cyclists.  No doubt you can sense my enthusiasm and gratitude!

The crew member, Mike, said the job should be finished today. The repaired street will greatly improve the safety compared to the mess that had been here before:

Gaping hole in South Shore Drive bike lane
The cave-in where a metal plate had been pushed back by drivers, covering exposing a deep gouge in the pavement. Two cyclists were injured here in 2012.
Department of Water Management crews fixing a pavement cave-in
A worker repairs a water main break that led to a pavement cave-in.

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