TAMPA, Fla. — People in one south Tampa neighborhood are worried repairs to a brick road won't hold.
They reached out to 10 Tampa Bay with their concerns. The city wants to keep the brick despite the expense.
Paul Murphy goes to work before dawn as a swim coach. Over the last six weeks, West Prescott Street's brick road has been washed out and repaired — twice.
“I leave early in the morning,” he says. “I have to do a double and triple take on if the road is even okay.”
The city held a news conference announcing the first set of repairs after Hurricane Debby came through.
“This is a historic brick street, so it will be replaced as such,” Vik Bhide, Tampa’s Mobility Department director, said.
Those who've lived here a long time say the street flooding wasn't an issue until a few years ago when The Pointe on Westshore apartment complex went up.
“Development has an impact on, you know, an area and its stormwater in general,” Bhide said. “Which is why, by code, we require that every development mitigate on-site where it makes sense.”
Neighbors claim water flows off that property and onto the road. The city has long valued brick roads in historic areas and said today brick usually lasts longer than asphalt and helps stormwater runoff.
“I think that it's a good thing to keep the brick because we want to retain our historic values,” says Stephanie Poynor, who lives nearby. “A more permeable surface would be great but if there's not any place for the water to go, then there's a problem.”
A contractor received nearly $200,000 for the repairs. The city says more intense storms are to blame, not nearby development. For Coach Murphy, he just wants to drive on his street and not worry about his car.
“You're looking at your suspension, tires, and scratches, and everything under your car,” he says. “That's a problem because no one's going to fix it but you.”
The city says re-laying brick is more expensive than asphalt paving. There are more than 41 miles of brick streets in Tampa and it says bricks are extremely durable and can last up to 80 years.