At Albany’s Talking Water Gardens the other day, I noticed something new: Three spiffy bike racks near the entrance. Is that supposed to be a hint to bike riders to leave their wheels behind and proceed on foot?
What’s going on in this west Albany alley is an emergency repair job. A friend who lives behind that fence on the right told me about it, and I checked it out because it’s an example of a helpful but largely unheralded program the city of Albany runs.
You will be relieved to hear that this is likely to be the last report on the great Southwest Broadway Street flood of 2016. Why? Because once Albany officials became aware of the problem, the city jumped into action, spent some days pumping away the ponding runoff, and on Thursday was finishing work on a permanent fix.
Albany has jumped into action to deal with a big puddle of runoff that started overflowing a part of Broadway Street S.W. this fall.
Surrounded by chain link fencing topped by barbed wire, this bunker-like pile exudes a degree of mystery. What goes on behind the weathered concrete? Who climbs those stairs, and why? The answer, sadly prosaic, is that nothing has gone on there for decades, and probably nothing ever will.
This was Monday afternoon and it could have been bad. Flaggers were regulating traffic on North Albany road, and the line of stopped northbound vehicles stretched back across the railroad tracks when the crossing lights started flashing and, moments later, the gates came down.
Dark corner: City working to get it lit
A question about a poorly lighted South Albany intersection, potentially dangerous to pedestrians using the crosswalk these dark winter nights, has not fallen on deaf ears at City Hall. Instead, Albany Public Works is working on a fix.
Tags: Albany Public Works, Albany streets, Geary Street, Grand Prairie Road