Why don't we steel away...

I know metal plates are a big annoyance in this town. I have blogged about this before. Rarely if ever are they properly installed. Sometimes they're not even anchored correctly and will shift when a vehicle drives over them. Not only is that dangerous but it makes a lovely sound all day and all night for the people living close by. At the bottom of the hill from me there are two steel plates that have been covering a utility cut for close to two weeks. Forget the fact that my street was resurfaced last summer. It seems like utility companies and even City departments can't wait to dig up a freshly paved street. In our case, I'm pretty sure it's the gas company. Yellow markings on the street usually indicate gas lines and there's plenty of yellow around these plates. What I'd like to know is what magical part or material are they waiting on that requires a two week wait? What I'd also like to know is how much longer we're going to wait for the removal of the plates? You would think it would be easy to find out about a project. Permits have to be pulled, inspections need to be made. The City has to have a record somewhere. I'm pretty good with KivaNet and I couldn't find much on this project. Here's another "no cost to you the taxpayer" proposal. First, we need to adopt a comprehensive and practical policy for utility street cuts. I'm not much for re-inventing the wheel so I'll just borrow from New York's ordinance. City regulations require all metal construction plates to be large enough to cover street cuts and to be firmly anchored, countersunk or ramped to prevent movement and rocking as well as provide a smooth transition with the street; plates must also have skid resistant equal to or greater than the adjacent road surface (DOT Highway Rules Section 2-11, e 10). In addition, contractors must stamp their name on the plates and post signs with their contact information at construction sites. During winter months, contractors must also post signs stating, "Steel Plates Ahead Raise Plow." Make sense? I'll take it a step further. Somewhere easily visible at the project site should be a permit or project number so citizens can look up what's going on. I don't care if it's spray painted on the plate, or the contractor's sign. It's a project taking place on a public street, it should be readily available public information. Next, the website to look up this information should be simple. You shouldn't have to be a computer geek like myself to find information. Readily available information will encourage contractors, utility companies, and city departments to complete their work in a safe and timely manner. Plainly marked project sites will keep everyone informed. Finally, keeping the metal plates from becoming permanent fixtures at any one site is a benefit to everyone.