Wednesday, January 26, 2011

"Pothole Purgatory" On Washington Ave. N. And Elsewhere In North Minneapolis...



Photo by Megan Goodmundson, video and blog post by John Hoff

Citizens all over NoMi are grumbling about it, but so far (to the degree I can verify) the grumbling has not reached listservs or blogs. But parts of Washington Ave. N. have more craters than bad neighborhoods on the moon. It has become necessary to slow down and make some effort to drive around or straddle the potholes, and the situation has gone from annoying to actually dangerous.

This video shot a couple days ago shows...

...how rough the ride gets along Washington Ave. N., northbound from downtown, just before West Broadway near BJ's strip club. (Doomed. And good riddance) The southbound lane is just as bad. In addition, there are other parts of North Minneapolis where the streets are getting pretty bad. Most of 26th Ave. N. is a mess, and a portion of 23rd Ave. N. just north of the Holiday gas station is arguably worse than Washington Ave. N., but it's small and doesn't see as much traffic. Part of the issue involves the fact this is a historic cobblestone street. It doesn't seem to get cleared of snow and ice in the same way, so some of the "potholes" seem to be severe ice buildup.

Obviously, the end of January is not the preferred season for filling potholes. It's understandable public officials prefer to start filling potholes when the weather turns warm in the spring. But the situation with these roads has reached a point where it's possible to break the suspension on a vehicle. Something needs to be done, and sooner rather than later.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

People can always report potholes to 311. But this time of year it is particulary difficult to fill them properly. The heated mix used to permanent fix them is not avaialable for a few more months.

Nathan Hunstad said...

I live in NE Mpls and take the Broadway exit from 94 all the time to go over the river on Broadway. That means I have to drive that stretch of Washington frequently, and the potholes on that short little stretch are the worst I've ever seen. Worse than Hennepin, worse than Broadway by 280. It's like playing a video game or doing a slalom course to avoid the potholes.

oZ said...

It isn't just North.

Anonymous said...

I drive in many parts of the Twin cities and drive almost every day. I know that of which I speak, and I can assure your readers that north bound Washington Avenue, from Plymouth to Broadway, is the worst stretch of road anywhere right now.

The potholes are so big, so deep, and so dangerous that as of this week I routinely go way out of my way to avoid those blocks.

Anonymous said...

When you chase homeowners out of the city with high taxes and unreasonable housing codes you get a lower tax base. Enjoy those potholes.