‘Accidental Paving’ Leads To Maintenance Debate
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Some Las Cruces residents said the city accidentally paved a private road leading into their neighborhood years ago.
Now, Shannon Street off of Dunn Street is worn down andresidents say the city wants them to deal with dangerous conditions. Residents say for years they’ve tried to get answers as to why the road hasn’t been maintained. The city says it doesn’t own the road, even though city workers paved it.
So now, the question is, who’s responsible for Shannon Road? The road now has large divots on both sides that are about two feet deep. The black surface is slowly chipping away. There are several potholes throughout the street. When cars pass through, they do so cautiously.
Residents say they’re used to the conditions but say it is still hazardous to both them and their cars. City officials say about six or seven years ago, city workers paved that part of Shannon Road thinking it belonged to the city. But now that they know it’s a private street, they say they cannot touch it. Residents tell us there’s no way they can maintain the road.
“When it rains, this whole thing is level with water. People cannot see that trench. When two cars come down at the same time, somebody’s going to fall into an 18 inch trench and hurt themselves,” said Ellie Choate, a resident of Shannon Road.
“It’s my understanding, that several years ago we did place some asphalt on that road. Inadvertently not knowing that it was actually not under the city’s maintenance responsibility,” said the Las Cruces Director of Public Works, Mike Johnson.
Walking throughthe deterioration on Shannon,pedestrians cansee trenches about a foot-and-a-half deep on both sides. The pavement’s surface is slowly chipping away, and there are potholes everywhere. The city insists itcannot legally maintain it.
“Just because we were able to do it at one time, doesn’t mean we have any obligation to do that on an ongoing basis,” added Johnson.
“The city paved it. It’s their job to maintain it as far as I’m concerned, and any of the residents are concerned,” said Choate.
— Written for broadcast by Doug Wernet
— Formatted for the web by Miguel Martinez
