Man says heavy equipment damaged street, wants it fixed
BATON ROUGE - A man says a construction crew tore up his street and he wants it fixed.
The project along Marilyn Drive off Florida Blvd. is part of the Baton Rouge SSO Program and recently wrapped up.
Glen Blankenship lives along Marilyn Drive and watched the project from start to finish. He says after months of work, heavy duty trucks damaged the street leaving potholes, busted asphalt and cracks in the road. Blankenship tells 2 On Your Side the crew should have left the road the way they found it.
"It just had too much weight on this side of the road," he said. "I'd say this road isn't rated for tractor trailers and concrete trucks."
Blankenship says the project involved piping replacement along the west side of the street. The west half of the road was repaved and the east side of the road was left as is, used as a path for heavy equipment and trucks.
"All that weight broke up our road," he said. "I've asked if they're going to fix up this side, I was told they're not in the road-fixing business."
While Marilyn Drive wasn't in pristine shape prior to construction, Blankenship says it was in much better shape than it is now. He fears with a little wear and tear from street traffic and weather the road will only get worse.
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"I just need it to be put back the way it was," he said.
The City-Parish says the contractor is required to take photos of the project area prior to the start of the work. Those photos are reviewed by city inspectors who will determine if the damage along Marilyn Drive is a result of the contractor's work. If it is, the contractor will be required to make repairs, which in this case includes repaving the other side of the street.
The City-Parish says it's looking into this case and WBRZ will update this story.