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Bring Back The Street Pavers Circa 1902

August 21st, 2007 @ 12:50 am by Cliffe | Sorted Vintage Adsborder
Every day heading west down James Street just before entering the I-5 on-ramp, two or more of my tires nearly explode. This area, along with Mercer Street, has some of the most heinous pot holes I think I’ve ever seen. The chasms seem nearly bottomless, and the damage to cars… outrageous. Well if only we still had The Barber Asphalt Paving Company around laying pavement on First Hill, which by the way (at the time) was “the best paved residence district in the world.” If that’s true, and I have no reason to believe otherwise, then things have changed. For the worse! But seriously, some Seattle streets just look like war zones. So readers, which area(s) of the city have done the most damage to your car? While you’re pondering that, let’s have a closer look at this vintage ad from 1902’s Seattle Mail And Herald. Click on the image for a higher-res version.
seattle_paving_01.jpg
The Barber Asphalt Paving Co. Street paving. Reservoir Lining. The Seattle Mail And Herald, 1902.

3 Responses:

  1. Bryan wrote:

    Agree that James St. is terrible, especially the right hand west bound lane heading towards I-5 between 7th and 8th Avenues. Just submitted a “pothole” report on the city’s website: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/potholereport.htm

    I suggest other people file reports and hopefully SDOT will do something about it within the 48 hours they quote.

  2. Holly wrote:

    The right hand lane of southbound 24th Avenue E as you go up the hill (between Crescent and Aloha). I am afraid to drive that stretch in anything less than an SUV. I now turn off onto Crescent and take the back streets up the hill so as to prolong the life of my car.

  3. Cliffe wrote:

    Hmm, I’ll give this pothole reporter a try. But if it’s anything like the graffiti reporter I’ve used multiple times with little to no success, I won’t hold my breath.

    Cliffe

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