MOUNT POCONO -- Part of a sidewalk in the Poconos is getting a whole lot of attention lately. It is all because of what some call "a dangerous dip."
Residents in Mount Pocono are calling it more than just a bump in the sidewalk. They are calling it a hazard.
PennDOT is working to resolve the issue, but that could take weeks.
Vincent April from Mount Pocono tells us it's nearly impossible to walk down the sidewalk at Kinney Avenue and Route 611 in Mount Pocono.
"Oh my God! I can't imagine a wheelchair. I can't imagine anyone that has some physical disability, not at all. It's impossible, couldn't do it,” April said.
According to PennDOT, something went wrong with the design of the curb ramp. The sidewalk work was part of the reconstruction project on Route 611.
Now residents are left with dangerous dip until it can be fixed.
"They shaped it into some kind of a pyramid. Never seen anything like it in my life. You can't walk on it. Everyone has to walk down to the street and someone is going to get hit by a car or someone is going to get killed here," said William Radu of Mount Pocono.
Radu has been a contractor for 35 years. He tells us he approached construction workers to tell them the sidewalk did not seem right, but he says no one listened to him.
"There was a gentleman out here last week, says he was here to rectify the mistake. There is a mistake? A blind person can see that that is more than a mistake. That is a joke," Radu added.
There are currently construction cones, but residents tell us they aren't going to cut it, because you can't see that big hump when you're walking down the street.
Katherina Vasiliou of Mount Pocono does a lot of walking. She noticed the curb last week and couldn't believe what she saw.
"I don't know why they would continue the process of doing that, seeing the way it was turning out like it's pretty obvious. I was joking with my daughter and said, ‘Oh my God! The sidewalk looks pregnant,’" Vasiliou said.
A spokesperson for PennDOT tells us the sidewalk and ramp will be removed, redesigned, and reconstructed. That could take anywhere from four to six weeks.
There is no word on how much work will cost. PennDOT is working with the contractor and designer to see who might be to blame for the dip.
