Utility poles tarnish walkability of East End light-rail line

Opportunity squandered

Matt Dietrichson, Oct 01, 12.

The new East End light-rail line, which has shown much promise in becoming a walkable urban corridor, is now blemished with horrendously placed utility poles, as shown by Swamp Lot:

Courtesy of a reader wielding a camera along Harrisburg Blvd., here’s a tour of a few standout elements you can expect to encounter in a stroll along the path of the new East End light-rail line, now that sidewalk coordination work between CenterPoint Energy, Metro, and the Greater East End Management District has been completed.

“Most of the poles,” the reader reports, “are now in the center of the sidewalk leaving 24 inches to squeeze by on either side.” Or maybe a bit more:

“The sad thing about the poles,” the tipster claims, “is that they prevent awnings and sidewalk signage on the buildings that you would typically see in walkable urban centers or transit oriented developments. I guess no one thought about that since the utility lines were already buried on Main Street before light rail was constructed.”

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