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Road warrior: The case of the disappearing speed bump
A hidden speed bump captured by Kari Converse.
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If you blink, you鈥檒l miss it.
That鈥檚 the problem Kari Converse is experiencing. Converse sent me two photos of what she called 鈥渟tealth鈥� speed bumps in her neighborhood. It took a good squint and a helpful red arrow to distinguish the speed bumps on southbound Monroe from the regular asphalt.
Converse said the road was repaved heading south from Highland High School last year. But the two speed bumps located between Zuni and Trumbull have remained asphalt-colored since.
鈥淚 know where they are and don鈥檛 speed down Monroe anyway, but we鈥檝e had complaints from guests who didn鈥檛 know and couldn鈥檛 see them,鈥� Converse said. 鈥淚f you take those bumps at the speed limit and don鈥檛 have a high-clearance vehicle, you could damage your car.鈥�
The Department of Municipal Development agrees that unmarked speed bumps are a problem.
鈥淪peed bumps should have markings so drivers don鈥檛 miss them,鈥� said DMD spokesperson Dan Mayfield in an email to the Journal.
Devout readers of road warrior might recall that there鈥檚 a season for striping. Cold weather doesn鈥檛 allow for the stripe, a combo reflective tape and paint, to adhere to the road properly. Now that the weather is warming up, Mayfield said, that stretch of road 鈥� and other locations around the city 鈥� are on the list for striping and should be scheduled soon.
Signs and stripes forever
Christa asks: 鈥淲hat could possibly be taking so long to do the work at the Wyoming/Menaul intersection?鈥�
Let鈥檚 rewind.
The Menaul and Wyoming construction was first announced in September 2023, with an anticipated end date of this summer.
The theme was out with the old, in with the new. Out was a decades-old wire-hanging traffic signal and stopless right-hand turns through Victor Circle (which the city said was a pedestrian hazard).
In are new fiberoptic cables, new traffic signals, new streetlights, new signs and stripes. Also part of the project was fixing Americans with Disabilities Act deficiencies and restoring the asphalt in the area.
In short, major construction.
But the end is in sight. Mayfield said the project is still on track to finish this summer 鈥� actually, next month 鈥� despite delays due to a 鈥渃ontractor error when laying down the asphalt.鈥�
