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The city is throwing in the towel on Easton Drive, announcing Monday that it has given up trying to fix the brick roadway between Fairmount and Cambridge avenues after heavy storms or hurricanes wash out the roadway, and will instead pave it.
About five years ago, the city pulled up the asphalt on Easton Drive and restored the original brick roadway underneath, Lakeland Director of Communications Kevin Cook wrote in a press release.
“Despite the city’s efforts to maintain the brick street, severe rain events have repeatedly caused significant deterioration beneath the bricks, making it impractical to retain the current surface,” Cook explained.
Neighbor Kathryn Adeney said the trouble began about a year and a half ago.
“My husband, the very first time it happened … he was driving home in a heavy rain. So, you know, you can’t really see and he was the very first one who bottomed out in the pothole,” Adeney said. “After that, we would pull our trash cans out and block off the road.”
Following Hurricane Milton, Adeney and her family again blocked off part of the washed-out roadway so drivers wouldn’t slam into the pothole. A temporary measure was put in place to fill the washed out areas.
Cook said city crews will begin Feb. 24 installing concrete ribbon tie-ins at the east and west ends of the block. The tie-ins will provide a smooth transition between the remaining brick and the new asphalt surface. The concrete work is expected to take five business days to complete. Once the concrete has properly cured, the asphalt paving will start March 10 and should only take a day to finish.
Additionally, a new speed hump will be installed in the weeks following the paving to address concerns about speeding in the neighborhood. Traffic control devices will be in place throughout the process to ensure motorists’ safety and to guide them through the work zone. If needed, detours will be implemented.
“We’re very sad to lose the brick,” said Adeney, who has lived in the home since 2016. “It’s beautiful. But I know it’s a very expensive problem for the city to keep on fixing and so we understand.”
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