by Mary Rupert
A temporary fix for a water main break has caused some tire problems for residents on the end of a dead-end street in Kansas City, Kan.
Tiarra Hall lives at the end of North 50th Terrace, south of Parallel Parkway. She is in one of only two houses at the end of the street that are affected by the board in the middle of the street.
“We have to ride over it every day,” Hall said. There is no other route out of her home except to drive over the board.
It caused a flat tire, which cost her $60 for a new one, she said. The neighbors also had some vehicle problems caused by the plywood board, she said.
Hall said the Board of Public Utilities installed the board some months ago to fix a water main problem.
It sits on top of the street, across the entire street, and inside of the board is a space carved out to carry a hose that carries water.
She would like it to be removed from the street, and the permanent work to be done. She contacted Wyandotte Daily because she felt she wasn’t being listened to.
David Mehlhaff, spokesman for the BPU, said her neighborhood experienced a water main break and went without water for a day. This is a temporary bridge that supplies water to the neighborhood, and without it, they wouldn’t have water.
A two-inch water main was installed above ground, he said, and it is temporary. Temporary plywood bridges are used around the city until the permanent work is done, he said.
He said it would probably be at least a minimum of another 30 days before the work will be done in that neighborhood.
He added that residents with damage can file a claim at the BPU.
The board in the street is temporary and there will be a permanent solution in the future, he said.
