More Sligo ROW issues

Last week we got a notice from WSSC that they would be doing water main work on Sligo Avenue over the next two months. This wasn't a surprise, as they have been doing work on other streets nearby, and the ROW was painted to indicate buried utilities the week before.

I also noticed that the fire hydrants that lay in the middle of the sidewalks in a few places were painted. Yesterday I took this photo on my way to Downtown Silver Spring.


Here are a couple of examples. There are as many as six of them.

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Last year KB from DOT told us that moving these hydrants was cost-prohibitive. What about now? How can DOT be so unaware of what is going-on? Is it my responsibility to do this for them?

I sent an email to my Councilmember's office to ask about this. I tried to find information about this project online, and found a number to call. I thought I'd wait and see whet I heard from the Councilmember's office first. While on the website I looked for information about WSSC's ADA efforts, and didn't find anything. Do they have a program?

I expect that this work will last another twenty+ years, which means that if the corrections are left undone, the problems will exist fro another twenty+ years. This is the kind of situation that sparked the legislation in the first place. A classic example of why ADA is important, and why public utilities need to have ADA plans and procedures. ADA is meaningless without compliance.

AND -- WHERE IS THE DEPARTMENT OF PERMITTING SERVICES??? WSSC probably has a blank permit to do this stuff (or NOT do this stuff). DOT tells me that they are no longer responsible for utilities in ROW, that it is the responsibility of DPS. Talk about passing the buck...

This is another episode in ROW mismanagement and government neglect of what is supposed to be an important issue. County DOT told us last year that moving the hydrants would be cost=prohibitive. No one is looking at ADA issues when major utilities are improved.

I realize that I am making some assumptions here. I won't mind being proved wrong.


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