By: Sean Clasby
Ask any Quinnipiac student about the pot holes on New Road, and you’ll probably get a soft chuckle followed by a long eye roll.
“There’re pretty terrible,” said senior Richard Jones. “There was one a couple weeks ago where I hit it and I could of swore I broke my axel.”
New Road is commonly known for its deep and widespread pot holes. Sophomore Brain O’Donnell says he has been warned to avoid driving on the notoriously bumpy street.
“Usually when there’s a road with a lot of pot holes in it you can find a way through the road to navigate so you don’t have to go directly over them” O’Donnell added. ‘But New Road, all over the road. No way to avoid it (them).”
Students say it is not uncommon for drivers to swerve all over in an attempt to dodge the pot holes.
“Because you (the driver) want to avoid the pot hole(s) you end up swerving,” said senior Bryana Davenport. “That could be dangerous because a car could be coming towards you.”
Craig Cesare, Hamden’s Public Works Director, says the department understands this problem. They know about the pot holes on New Road.
“We out of the Public Works here make a recommendation for what roads are to be paved,” said Cesare. “(But) at the end of the day, it’s the Mayor’s Office that determines what exact roads are going to be paved.”
In the fall, Hamden spent more than one million dollars to fix parts of 40 roads in town. New Road was not on the list. According to Cesare, that’s because there are more than 400 roads in town that are in worse shape.
“The road (New Road) will get paved. It’s not a question of that,” Cesare says. “It’s not a question if, it’s just when.”
He makes it clear. New Road not being paved yet has nothing to do with Hamden and Quinnipiac’s rocky relationship. But if you have a further complaint about New Road or any other street in town, you are encouraged to contact the DPW or the Mayor’s Office directly.
