Bumping Along Main Street
By: Andy Schroeder
Updated: May 2, 2007
The condo building boom along Evansvilles Main Street has bolstered traffic downtown, but its also taking its toll on the street itself.
The ornate brick pavers were made for foot traffic.
Now, an increase in cars and construction vehicles is causing the bricks to crack, wobble and sink.
City officials say the dips arent enough to damage cars.
In fact, they say the pavers have held up quite well, and the damage is actually caused by what lies beneath them.
An asphalt road surface serves as the base for the bricks, and over the years, it has been cut and patched during utility work.
Those patches have started to sink, resulting in the dips and cracks.
The sinking and damaged pavers will be replaced as part of a larger rehab effort expected to be finished in 2008.
That work will include changing the direction of traffic on main street, adding new ornamental stop lights, and opening up the road to left hand turns from riverside drive.
