FYI – Illinois American Water Company is performing an emergency repair on Crescent between Main and Hamilton. The street will be closed for the remainder of the day, but should be open by tomorrow morning.

Some background: On Christmas Eve, I hit this monster pothole that caused my front driver-side tire to immediately go flat.  It was several days later that I finally managed to get it fixed. Unfortunately, the guy I had fix it didn’t do it right and the damn tire nearly fell off, but that’s another story.

The city soon came out and “fixed” the hole, but they ignored a second, possibly worse hole a few feet down the road. Luckily, I learned to not trust the condition of this street, and managed to miss the second hole for the weeks-long period it was there.

I mean, it’s not like this pothole was in front of an IMPORTANT school or anything.

Eventually, THAT hole was filled.

But guess what made a second appearance? You’re right, the ORIGINAL hole. Just as wide, just as deep. In fact, it’s probably worse now.

So it got me to wondering. Certainly, the people who fix out streets cannot POSSIBLY be that incompetent. So what’s the cause? Do they WANT people to hit potholes like this? Do they want people to have to pay money they really cannot afford to keep their cars operating for the privilege of driving to work to keep pay for the car repairs they need to have a car capable of driving to work on crappy city roads?

Forgive me for the rant. But when the city in which I live seems unable to provide essential services like street repair, I start getting cranky.

(Press release)

Due to a recent water leak at Main and University, Illinois American Water Company will need to shut down several lanes starting today, to facilitate valve repairs.

On eastbound Main Street, the left turn lane will be closed to northbound University for the next several days. Westbound Main Street will be reduced to one lane for one day with the center lane closed for equipment. The right turn lane on southbound University will remain closed.

Please avoid this intersection as long delays will occur. Surface restoration work is expected to take three days. All traffic should be open by Monday, November 24, 2008, weather permitting.

This is going to make life Hell for me, as I often have to travel past this intersection to get my parents’ house in Kingspark Estates. Now, I will have to make a big, long looping detour through West Peoria or go north to West Nebraska. I’m hoping this work doesn’t involve closing University as Columbia Terrace, If not, I’ll be able to take a shortcut through the Uplands.

And I’d like to know what it is about Illinois American that requires their friggin’ lines to break AFTER city taxpayers fix the roads. It is not possible for this people to replace or to maintenance on lines WHILE the streets are torn up, but before the new surface is in place?

And can we not send a bill to this foreign-owned, for-profit corporation for the cost of returning the street to the condition it was in before their property became all defective.