NEW ORLEANS — A pothole in the Marlyville-Fontainebleau area has become notorious.
It's located at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and Norman C. Francis Parkway. The pothole spans the roadway where Norman C. Francis turns into Vendome Place.
Business Owner Gary Lamoine said it all started because of a Sewerage & Water Board issue.
“It was a broken water pipe, and it was gushing water. Somebody called it in," Lamoine said, “The Sewerage and Water Board came over to fix the problem, and they filled it in with dirt. Which is great, but the dirt settles, and now you’ve got this big giant pothole.”
Drivers do their best to avoid the pothole, but Lamoine said he can't because of where his business is located.
“It’s hard for me to get across the street and then when you cross the street, you’re taking your life in your own hands because people are dodging the pothole and you’re almost getting hit," Lamoine said.
Some drivers swerve into the other lane which can be a dangerous move because the road curves.
Other cars scrape the bottom or use the curb. There's plywood on the curb that's protecting a fire hydrant.
Lamoine said a driver hitting the hydrant is his top concern.
“I called it in. I said it was a safety issue," Lamoine said.
The road has been deteriorating for months, and residents who live near Vendome Place are fed up.
Mario Vaz lives off of Vendome Place.
“It should be repaired. I mean it’s not such a big job, but it could have disastrous consequences for cars," Vaz said.
Car parts have been torn off and left behind near the pothole.
“It’s gotten worse ever since and no one has ever come to do anything about it," Vaz said.
Eyewitness News reached out to the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans Monday to see what could be done.
SWBNO said they've begun to make paving restorations a priority by working with contractors, hiring internal crews and purchasing paving equipment.
SWBNO said as early as Tuesday, drivers can expect to see crews doing saw-cutting work and backfilling the pothole. The pavement will go down as soon as the weather permits, SWBNO said.
According to SWBNO, they began a program this month in partnership with the City of New Orleans and the Department of Public Works to fix long-standing service cuts around the city from repairs and/or new service connections.
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