It's Been a While, But... South Shore Drive Saga is not Over

Greetings All,

It's been a while but, here is the deal. Back in June of 2011 I requested that my the B-Box, (water shut-off mechanism) in front of my home be located.

Long story short, it took over a month, the DWM dug up the parkway in front of my home over 12 feet down multiple times, cut down my mature tree, dug up my driveway, and dug up half of my neighbors driveway before they found my B-Box located underneath the concrete in my neighbors driveway.

Then the problems really began. During one of the multiple excavations an abandoned stub of gas line was struck and covered over resulting in gas emissions for more than 2 weeks, increased street vibrations repeated excavation and repair by the Peoples Gas.

The DWM has repeatedly denied having lined the sewer in front of my home and failing to reconnect my home to the sewer resulting in water back up settling beneath my home causing soil erosion and saturation of my structural piers and other home stabilizing issues.

I have had meetings with DWM and the Aldermanic office regarding the sub standard parkway restoration causing more soil erosion and street vibrations. Some homes on South Shore Drive have sloped front yards and parkways. It is crucial to have a tree in the parkway to abate soil erosion. But I would imagine you first have to have dirt in your parkway to plant a tree. All of the sand and dirt in front of my home was removed and replace with gravel mix and covered over with a thin layer of dirt. My tree was violently ripped out by slamming the ground with a back hoe to dislodge the trunk and yanking it out by the roots with the same back hoe. No tree has not been replanted.

I am starting to feel like my house is under attack. The repair of the driveway has resulted in a driveway installation significantly lower than the pavement in the roadway and a gully between the two which collects water. Wonder if the soil erosion has anything to do with the lower installation. The ground is sinking in front of my home. The sewer in front of my home is also sinking because there is little or no grout between the bricks in the sewer and the sewer run off from a huge condominium is bypassing two other sewers and being dumped in the broken sewer directly in front of my home. There is a constant flow of water flowing into and leaching out into the ground under the roadway on South Shore Drive. There is no wonder that there are potholes cave ins and street vibrations.

In a city that claims to have no money:

Where do we find money to repeatedly re-repair sub standard work which must be done to preserve our neighborhoods?

Why most the residents project manage their own work to ensure follow through and adequate completion?

Why don't city departments talk to each other to get a good outcome for the residents of Chicago? Don't we pay them enough to expect excellent, complete work?

I am literally getting a pain in my neck. I will have to tell you more later.

Mayor Emmanuel stay on the case.  If the suburbs were paying there fair share all along our infrastructure might not be in this condition.

Still Frustrated,

Sharon

The South Shore Drive Saga Continues... 311 your block....

Hi All,

I am sorry to say the saga continues and the clock is ticking.

I recently visited the USX site. The preparation for the Dave Matthews Concert is well underway. July 8th through the 11th we will be inundated with concert goers. 74,000 tickets per day have already been sold. It is going to be something the South Side has never seen. Three concert stages, mini Taste of Chicago and other attractions.

South Shore Drive remains in extremely dangerous condition and the home owners continue to be at risk.

No one knows what happened several years ago when the 73rd Street block was dug up and water began breaching homes. The new saga is that they,DWM, cannot, cannot find my water supply to turn off the water for work to be conducted at my home. A day of digging and destabilizing the tree in front of my house leads city workers to believe that the pipe is under the tree. Now, the tree must come down. What a shame. Now I am waiting on the Forestry Department.

The digging has escalated the street vibrations, the earth has been disturbed and not properly compacted, the water that can not be shut off, saturating the soil in the back of my house and my bricks are sucking up water. I have a dehumidifier running 24/7 which has to be emptied several times a day. The destruction to 118 year old bricks is devastating.

I am at my wits end with this. I am vigilant however. I spoke with CDOT to determine why nothing has been done about the street vibrations. Why has no one come to cover the compromised area with a metal plate until adequate repairs can be done. It is my understanding that street vibration issues are to be resolved within 30 days. I reported this in November or early December. Why do I have to provide a chronology for CDOT to do the repairs. I am at a lost. While two departments are having a standoff, the damage to my home escalates. Does it matter who is at vault? Fix the problem and place blame later.

The ginormous pot holes in front of 7337 S.  SSD make bad matters worse. It appears that the advance crew was exploring and has left a very dangerous situation for motorist.

The side walk continues to sink. the street vibrations have escalated and the Dave Matthews traffic is coming. South Shore Drive deserved the same degree of preparation that 83rd Street received.

Who is responsible for this???? How can work be done on a major thoroughfare and no one be aware. Who is pulling the strings and why?

Always question when work is being done in front of your home or block. Get names departments and work order numbers. These are your tax dollars at work. They should be working for us not against us. FOIA, Freedom of Information ACT, if you must. You have a right to the information.

All city departments need to cooperate to provide service. DWM, Forestry and CDOT please work together to resolve these issues. My home is in jepoardy.

HELP!!!!! We cannot survive without service. Save our homes.

South Shore Connected..... Disconnected