Falling Concrete On Lower Randolph Alarms Motorists
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chunks of concrete fell onto Lower Randolph Street near Columbus Tuesday night, and CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot was on the scene when the debris fell.
With cars, driving through the debris, CBS 2 called 311, right away to notify them about what happened. Wednesday afternoon, Le Mignot showed motorists a piece, of the fallen concrete.
"I usually take that road and I always see like debris falling down like during the night, so it's crazy. It's scary too," said Araceli Bahena. "It's pretty heavy! Just imagine this, falling down, right here or your windshield, it's crazy."
Josh Feeney says he, "would not want that falling on my head and I think it's a good indication of how much urban decay our city actually has."
Dr. Gongkang Fu is a professor of civil and architectural engineering at Illinois Tech.
"Some work has to be done," Dr. Fu said. "Apparently, this is a hazard."
CBS 2 brought Fu to take a look at the spot. He pointed out numerous areas that have already been marked for repair. CDOT tells us some of the marked areas here have already been fixed and Dr. Fu says netting should be in place.
Fu says age is a factor here, along with de-icing chemicals corroding reinforcing bars that pushes the concrete away.
"I think more funding is needed in a more timely manner so that we can address those issues," Dr. Fu said. "This is really a hazard."
A CDOT spokesperson told us crews found the debris we told them about and cleaned it up today, also saying in a statement
"We will be going back out with some workers on lifts in the next few days to closely inspect the underside of Upper Randolph and scale it to make sure any loose material is removed. It is an area that we monitor, especially this time of year when we are going through the freeze-thaw cycle."
CDOT also thanked CBS 2 for bringing the situation to their attention.