THE PROBLEM: George Gochez refers to the intersection of Ace and Dwight streets as “the deadly corner.” His neighbor Charles Davis calls it “the corner from hell.”
Gochez has a pile of photos and TV news videos to prove how dangerous the corner is. He also has a thick file documenting efforts to get the city of San Diego to make the corner in Oak Park safer.
The Site: Ace and Dwight streets in San Diego's Oak Park
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In July, a sport utility vehicle drove through a retaining wall and came to rest in a yard. The same thing happened in June 2006. Other cars have hit a utility pole and cars parked on the street. Many accidents are hit-and-run, Gochez said.
Cars driving west on Dwight are headed downhill when the street ends and they make a sharp left turn onto Ace. To make matters worse, two large concrete chunks around a manhole cover broke loose years ago and sometimes protrude above the street, forcing drivers to swerve to avoid hitting them.
About a year ago the city installed a stop sign at Dwight and Winlow Street just up from Ace, but Gochez said that hasn't helped. He and Davis would like Ace to be one-way uphill toward Dwight.
Calls to the Street Division about the protruding concrete chucks went nowhere, Gochez said.
STATUS: Deborah Van Wanseele, deputy director of transportation engineering operations, is looking into the history of the corner to see if safety measures should be considered.
As for the loose chunks of concrete, they were surrounding a manhole belonging to the city's Metropolitan Wastewater Department. Chris Toth, deputy director of the department's wastewater collection division, quickly dispatched a crew to fix the problem.
A temporary ring of concrete was placed around the cover. Within six months, a permanent concrete pad will be poured.
WHO'S RESPONSIBLE: Deborah Van Wanseele at (619) 533-3126 or dvanwanseele@sandiego.gov. Requests for help should go to (619) 533-3126 or sandiego.gov/engineering-cip/services/public/request.shtml.
Chris Toth, who can be reached at (858) 654-4161 or ctoth@sandiego. gov.
NEED A PROBLEM SOLVED: Is there a problem government hasn't taken care of despite your complaints? Whether it's a missing bus bench or an unkempt park anywhere in San Diego County, Just Fix It might be able to help.
Complaint forms are at justfixit.uniontrib.com, or call (800) 820-8714 to describe your problem.
