Re-Re-Re-... paving of Martine and South Lexington.

I think Martine and South Lexington have been repaved at least three times because of:

What caused the water main break and street collapse at Martine and South Lexington? Thursday, August 13, 2020

Why? Why continue to repave? It was being done again yesterday. Photo taken 7:34AM August 27, 2020:

What caused the water main break and street collapse at Martine and South Lexington?

Martine Avenue collapses days after repaving for ill conceived bike lane. Monday, August 10, 2020

Based on the photo below taken about 4:30 PM  Aug. 12, 2020 the hole seems to be getting filled with concrete, not dirt, which seems to appear in photos from the previous post (above).

So, there are two possibilities:

1. The water main broke, causing the street above to collapse.

2. The newly paved street collapsed causing the water main to also break.

Given the repaving of Martine Avenue just a few days before, one would probably be inclined to suspect that the repaving was not done well and that it collapsed causing the water main to break.

Does the city have a different explanation? This post was sent to:

members of the Common Council: commoncouncil@whiteplainsny.gov

Commissioner of the Department of Public Works: rhope@whiteplainsny.gov

Martine Avenue collapses days after repaving for ill conceived bike lane.

Dangerous: new bike lane past Library and Public Safety building. Thursday, August 6, 2020

Plague: bicycle riding on streets? Will the Martine Avenue bicycle lane draw riders when it finally opens? Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Ignoring the obvious since 2008: REDUCE lanes and parking. Friday, January 31, 2020

As the great Yogi (Yogi Berra) would say: it's deja vu all over again.

__________________

news12 coverage includes an interview with me.

As of 11:15 PM Aug. 10, 2020 jack hammers, etc. work into the night. A water main had been broken but repaired hours later. However, the most important thing in White Plains is to keep the traffic flowing from the houses into downtown. The objective continues to be ten minutes: house to parking space.

It looks like somebody violated the prime directive.

Aug. 11, 2020 5:15 AM

Aug. 11, 2020 6:45 AM

Aug. 11, 2020 5:30 PM.

Dangerous: new bike lane past Library and Public Safety building.

Last night the city painted new lines for turning cars and the new bike lane on Martine Avenue, the vertical street in the photo. The bike lane is to the right of the "brick" divider, which would seem to make it safe, right?

Try to follow the path from top to bottom of the photo starting at one way (What else in much of downtown White Plains?) MLK Blvd., which crosses from right to left. The two left lanes of traffic both turn left with many in the outside lane crossing diagonally through the cross walk trying to quickly get to the entry of the Galleria parking garage. Pedestrians have had to deal with this danger for years while city officials ignore messages about the danger.

Let's say the bike rider gets across that boulevard and is now at the corner of the library. Notice two sets of parking spots near the library entrance. Bike riders will be between them. Cars parked in the spaces closest to the library must cross the bike lane to both get into and out of that parking area. The entry is only a few feet from the dangerous corner.

Cars entering the underground garage between Library and Public Safety building must turn left past the cars parked in the outside area, then cross the bike lane, avoiding both riders and pedestrians coming from both directions.

Then a few feet past that is the exit from the underground garage. Those cars must avoid pedestrians and bikers and NOT turn into the bike lane by mistake but go past it and around the safety "brick" divider. If the car does not intend to turn left at the corner, it must quickly move right at least two more lanes. If the driver misses, then the car must circle the block in a manner ridiculed by Mayor Roach five years ago.

Finally, the bikers then cross four lanes of one way  "Lexington/Grove". Then what? If continuing towards the train station, nothing. The bike lane ends. If turning left, the lane continues on the right side of the street into other dangerous conditions.

What the heck were people thinking when they spent all this money, including repaving Martine Avenue for some reason, for dangerous conditions? It shows no common sense. None.

P.S. There's a similar dangerous area on the block between MLK Blvd. and Court Street, although not as bad, near the County office building. Then the dopey bike lane ends across from the smoke shop. Nice touch.

Plague: bicycle riding on streets? Will the Martine Avenue bicycle lane draw riders when it finally opens? Wednesday, May 20, 2020

What street or intersection has been improved this millenium? Wednesday, September 25, 2019