Kensington Residents Say Missing Manhole Cover Causing Problems For Drivers, Pedestrians
By Syma Chowdhry
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Residents in Kensington are "blowing the lid off" an issue causing problems to drivers and pedestrians.
A manhole cover is missing on the northbound lane of Kensington Avenue and D Street.
Sis Kreibick said, "They are almost hitting people when they go around it."
The hole is filled with trash and a plastic barricade with its legs sticking out.
Some say it's been here -- at this busy intersection -- for at least a month.
A woman who didn't want to be identified said, "Children can fall in there and everything."
Rodney Walton added, "They need to do something before someone gets hurt."
Some say the barrier gets easily knocked down, leaving concerned residents to put it back up.
"Cars were swerving around it last minute and I had moved the barrier – this was like two months ago – and now I catch the 54 to go home and it is still like that," Sis Kreibick said. "They are almost hitting people when they go around it."
Jaysel Rivas is a manager at a nearby store and watches people trying to avoid it.
She saw a man almost fall in it as he crossed the street. "He was crossing the street and he just tripped over whatever is on there. Those things sticking up and he just tripped and fell."
Residents feel that the reason the issue hasn't been fixed is because of the neighborhood.
"The city hasn't done anything about it with it being the Kensington area," RJ Tendziegloski explained. "It just seems like they don't pay attention to it as much as other areas."
Eyewitness News contacted the city and officials say they first need to identify which department or company is responsible for the manhole cover before they can fix it.
Residents say they just want it fixed before someone gets seriously hurt.
