By Dave Hofmeister
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Several readers have written to point out the trashy appearance and unsafe conditions along the Norwood Lateral, Ohio 562.

John G. Banner, of Clifton, wrote:

On any given day, tires and other road debris are evident and remain uncollected on the emergency lanes, as well as trash on the grassy areas. It looks horrible. At night, I count over a dozen highway lights out of action, possibly creating a safety issue. Please contact the appropriate authorities to prevent this situation from getting worse than it already is.

And this, from Steve Fleischer:

Is it just me, or do our highways and streets look like trash dumps in the last few years? I notice this particularly on the Norwood Lateral, which I travel frequently.

Why cannot the tires, etc., be cleaned up on a regular basis? Is this a struggle between the city of Norwood and the state? It just hacks me off to see all this trash, and makes Cincinnati look like a dump! It did not look this way 10-20 years ago. Any answers?

Yes.

Norwood and Cincinnati share maintenance responsibilities for the highway . Norwood covers the area from Interstate 71 to just east of Reading Road; Cincinnati handles the rest.

Both Tom White, Norwood's new superintendent of public works, and Denny Meyer, superintendent of neighborhood operations for Cincinnati, acknowledged that the Lateral's appearance is awful. White called it an "eyesore and embarrassing." Both cited the cold and snowy weather for a lack of attention recently.

White said cleaning it up is a priority for the new city administration. He said crews will be out beginning Tuesday morning, and he hopes to have them out there monthly.

Meyer said he'll send someone out to take a look, and a cleanup will be scheduled in Cincinnati's area. He also said monthly cleanups are the goal.

Volunteers sometimes help with ramp cleanup, Meyer said, but work along the Lateral itself usually requires a police escort because of traffic and safety concerns.

White said he is aware of the problem with the lights, and a contractor will be checking those.

CONSTRUCTION AND POTHOLES: As warmer weather approaches, the pothole problem grows. In some places, it's aggravated by construction projects.

Rollie Leach of Mount Washington wrote about one in particular:

Last fall, there were several weeks of excavation on Erkenbrecher Avenue between Burnet and Vine. The city did their usual Band-Aid type of repair which has left the street full of pot holes and depressions.

Erkenbrecher is a prime access to Children's Hospital and our world-class zoo. Surely they won't leave this street in such a state of disrepair. In particular, the intersection of Erkenbrecher and Drury is a disgrace.

According to Donald Rosemeyer, city engineer, the Greater Cincinnati Water Works is replacing the water main on Erkenbrecher Avenue between Vine Street and Burnet Avenue. The contractor is also reconnecting the water lines serving adjacent customers to this new main. Once the water main work is completed, the Water Works contractor will restore the pavement surface. The work should be finished in April, he said.

Have a question? E-mail Dave Hofmeister at dhofmeister@enquirer.com, fax to 513-755-4150, or mail to The Cincinnati Enquirer, 7700 Service Center Drive, West Chester, 45069.