'We Are Not Fixed': Neighbors Frustrated As Large Sinkhole Remains In Fishtown Street
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A water main break in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood has left the street divided and residents worried about its future.
The break in early February on tiny East Hewson Street knocked out the water and flooded the basements of many of the residents. After the ordeal, the water company got things back up and running, but there was still a large sinkhole in the middle of the street.
"They said they would be back out within the next couple of days to fix it. As you still look up the street and see -- we are not fixed," said neighbor Anna Himes. "We've called the water company several times. We get told they are waiting on parts. Then we get told weather permitting they will be out to complete the job -- and we have seen nobody."
Neighborhood resident Michelle McGinty says since the break, driving all the way down the street has been impossible -- and it has made life difficult, especially for the elderly.
"It's frustrating. You can't get down the street," McGinty said. "Some of the cars, they come here, they've been parking in the middle of the street because they don't have no parking, and that's become a pain, too."
And residents say trash collection also became a problem.
"Even the trash people gave up taking our trash," Himes said. "They took our trash but [recyclable collection] never came. So we're being slighted in a couple of ways. It's like we're the block that was forgotten for a while."
Calls to the Philadelphia Streets Department were not immediately returned.