The in basket: Beth Hill says there are at least two recessed drains on westbound Ridgetop Boulevard near its intersection with Silverdale Way that appear to have dropped down, three inches deep, she guesses.
“I drove over one and my car (a Suburban) hit it so hard it shut the engine off,” she said. “It was really a jolt.” Her car suffered no damage and restarted easily, she said, adding “The drains are near the shoulder but in the driving lane.”
The out basket: The county doesn’t see a problem. Dave Marquis, its utilities maintenance supervisor, said he drove Ridgetop Boulevard both east and westbound. “Most basins are at an ideal elevation,” he said. “There are a couple that may be close to 2 inches below the travel way, but they have a taper into the grate and are on the steeper portion of Ridgetop, which is needed in order to capture the water.
“It seems you would have to go out of your way and drive right next to the curb in order to hit any of them,” he said. “I see no problem with any of the basins in this area.”
I drove it after Beth called and I think I know which two drains she means. They are on a flat stretch of Ridgetop and could be leveler, but I have to agreed with Dave that a person would have to be driving unusually fast unusually close to the curb to get jolted very hard even at those two.
