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City Takes Days To Respond To Concerns Over Enormous Ashland Avenue Pothole

CHICAGO (CBS) – One of the busiest roads in Chicago has sparked safety concerns due to a huge hole posing danger for drivers.

You can't miss the enormous hole in the northbound lanes of Ashland Avenue near the Eisenhower Expressway, which serves Rush University Medical Center and is the main route to the United Center.

A viewer reached out to CBS 2 worried someone would get hurt.

Ashland Pothole
A Chicago doctor reached out to CBS 2 after getting no response to a request to repair this hole on Ashland Avenue.

One driver passing by said the hole "looks like a rim bender."

But when Dr. Kim Tee saw students walking to nearby Whitney Young High School, he feared it could be worse.

"What happens if a big vehicle crossing a big hole and causing a punctured tire and with a flying object? It could be a lethal weapon for the school children," he said.

When CBS 2 checked to see how deep the hole goes, a tree branch would not reach the bottom.

Dr. Tee says an acquaintance called the city three days ago, and he posted an alert on the city's website, but there was no immediate response.

CBS 2 called the city transportation department Thursday morning, and one hour after our crews arrived on scene, a city work crew showed up and put temporary metal plates over the dangerous hole.

Dr. Tee says he's happy with the progress. But he says he's not so happy because the work wasn't done the right way.

"They should take action within a reasonable time," he said. "But not three, four, five days for a big, big public concern for this safety issue."

CBS 2 is still waiting for an answer from the city as to why it took so long to fix the hole.

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