Years of city negligence along Huntington Avenue

"I don't have an answer to that."

-- DPW official on how metal ridge of NStar vault could go unrepaired for years

Posted by John B. Kelly

Eileen Brewster lives on Ruggles Street, and since the bricks were laid on Huntington in 2003-2004, hasn't been able to use the sidewalk, either going in the street with a friend or going by a longer route.

But it was this raised metal ridge, part of what is called an "NStar vault," that shredded her front wheelchair tire and landed her on the sidewalk about five years ago -- before the bricks were even laid.

Eileen Brewster demonstrates where her wheelchair tires were destroyed on Huntington Avenue. Photo: Jacqueline O'Sullivan

And here is a close-up of the raised metal:

Sharp metal ridge on Huntington Ave. is 1 inch high. Photo: Jacqueline O'Sullivan

That means that construction supervisors and laborers back in 2003-2004 did not bother to ask NStar to lower the vault, so that it would be more even with the surrounding sidewalk. And as you can see, people have no choice but to traverse it.

It also means that as city officials looked over the sidewalk in 2005, no one thought to call up NStar either. After all, it wasn't cited in the original NAG-BCIL complaint.

Huntington Avenue near Pizzeria Uno. Photo: Jacqueline O'Sullivan

Eileen said taking action to have the vault lowered (it might involve a telephone call!) "would make too much sense. Someone would have to do some thinking."

As the DPW official said, "I don't have an answer to that."