CLEVELAND — A sunken section of road, cracked concrete, and cement breaking loose is grabbing the attention of drivers in one of Cleveland’s west side neighborhoods.
On April 5, Noelle Morovich told News 5 about a piece of concrete weighing about 30 pounds hitting the undercarriage of her 2024 Toyota Corolla. She was driving home on W. 187th St. off Puritas Avenue.
Watch News 5's original report with Noelle Morovich
A camera setup inside her car caught the moment the piece of concrete struck.
She took her car to the dealership which she said revealed no problems related to the incident.
“It should have done damage but must have hit just the right spot,” Morovich said.
“You dodged the bullet,” asked News 5 Anchor Damon Maloney.
Morovich said, “I guess this time. But who’s to say I would next time or the next person that comes over this?”
On April 5 the city said in a written statement, "We are sending personnel to the area to assess what work needs to be done, which will help determine our next steps."
News 5 vowed to follow through on the story. On April 18, Morovich said she had yet to see any progress from the city in addressing the street's condition. She said it’s frustrating given that she and neighbors have been contacting the city since her incident.
“And my concern is the next time someone comes through here, there might be more damage or someone riding their bike… fly up and hit a kid and you have an injury,” Morovich said. “So we got to get this looked at and fixed. I'd like them to you know do their jackhammer, cut it out and then repour just a section. I'm not asking for the whole street… just the section."
Moe Taylor lives across the street from the problem area. He pointed to road patching up and down the block.
“It does some wear and tear on your car. It’s not great,” Taylor said. “I mean I wish they would come fix it, but honestly if you ask me there’s worse roads in Cleveland that they can take care of before they need to come down here."
News 5 reached out to the city this week for an update. April 18 in a written statement it said in part that crews went to the area of W. 187th and Puritas Ave. right away and were going back again later in the day to reassess “to determine whether new asphalt, now that the plants are open, will be a sustainable fix or if more extensive work will need to be done.”
Additionally, the city said there had been previous pothole repair work in that area.
"Our team has completed over 60 work orders for pothole and/or street repairs in the Puritas area over the last 2 years – which includes both reactive responses to requests made by residents as well as our own proactive efforts.
However, it’s important to note that during this time of year we are only able to use recycled asphalt that serves as temporary fixes and that the survivability of those is significantly affected by conditions we have no control over – i.e. the persistent rain and inclement weather we have been experiencing. Asphalt plants opened just this week, which will drastically help the durability of repairs moving forward. Depending on the weather, we expect to complete pothole repairs by the end of May, followed by general pavement repairs and resurfacing."
Morovich said street issues can’t be ignored, pointing to the sinkhole on Feb. 1 near W. 128th St. and Belden Avenue. That situation nearly swallowed a car and its driver.
Watch News 5's report showing the moment a tow truck driver removed a car from a sinkhole
Morovich said she’s spoken to people in that neighborhood.
“The road was sinking in and there was all kinds of cracking and pieces of road there. And this looks to be very, very similar,” Morovich said. “From what they said the warning signs were there. So I want it fixed before that happens."
On April 12, News 5 spoke to the City of Cleveland’s Director of Public Works who said in terms of pothole repairs the goal is to get through the entire city before the end of May. That work is weather-dependent, and general pavement repairs and resurfacing will follow.
Watch News 5's April 12 story which includes the interview with the City of Cleveland's Director of Public Works
