   |
 |
Big Spring Works to Repair Holes
Big Spring Works to Repair Holes 2/19/13
Matt Rist
mrist@cbs7.com
CBS 7 News Reporter
February 19, 2013
BIG SPRING-We told you yesterday about a big problem facing drivers in Big Spring.
The City of Big Spring says it is working hard to fix the open holes across the city.
Since yesterday, city officials say they have covered 7 more holes, including the hole a driver accidentally drove his car into yesterday.
“We’re working hard to get the problem under control,” said Johnny Womack, Environmental Services Assistant Director of Big Spring.
That puts the total number of holes down under 20 in the streets of Big Spring.
--
Car Drives Into Hole in Big Spring, Sign of Growing Problem 2/18/13
The city digs them. Now people are asking how much longer these holes will dot the streets of Big Spring.
It’s a sight no one expected to see, a car stuck deep inside a hole on a residential street.
Neighbors say it's been there for months, and it could happen again.
"He felt like it was his fault, but the sun was in his eyes, it was bound to happen,” said Franklin Street resident Kami Bennett. “It could happen to anyone."
It’s not the only one. The city says there are about 58 unfilled holes, 20-25 of those in streets. When water lines leak, the city says they have to dig up the pipes to fix them.
So why hasn't the city cleaned up the mess?
"Like everyone else we are short-handed,” said Environmental Services Assistant Director of Big Spring Johnny Womack. “It's not an excuse it's just a way of life. We don't have enough staff. We had 22 water leaks in 7 days."
The city says it warns drivers with barricades and cones, but it's difficult to keep them up. Residents say there were no barricades to warn the driver from Sunday’s accident.
"Even if the barricades up, that's not enough notice even if you're going the speed limit before you get to a hole of that size," Bennett said.
The city is working to fix the root of the problem by repairing the city's water infrastructure, but is there a way to make sure there won't be a backlog in the meantime?
"No, we will just cross our fingers and hope there are no major water line breaks,” said Womack. “So we can get caught back up."
Womack said the city is working to address the problem proactively by repairing the aging water infrastructure.
Since we reported on this story, that hole on Franklin Street was filled by the City of Big Spring.