ACTION 13: Incorrect city notice causes frustration for East End residents blocked from their driveways

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Some people living in Houston’s East End are having to park a block away from home because of construction work that they said the city never told them about. Frustrated and confused neighbors called Action 13 for answers.

The hole in front of Ryan Salinas’ driveway nearly caught him and his housemates by surprise Tuesday evening. They had received a notice on their front door from the city saying access would not be affected, but they came home to find a different story.

“We almost ended up driving into the ditch because there were no cones out here (Tuesday). So, it could’ve been really dangerous. It could’ve been bad,” Salinas said.

For two days now, he and his neighbors have had to park their cars a block away and then walk home along a busy street that’s become a construction site.

A site supervisor who declined to speak on camera said they mistakenly sent the wrong notices. The road rehabilitation project along Polk requires them to fix the drainage system running between the street and driveways. It’s work that Salinas said he appreciates, just as long as it comes with clear communication from the city.

“I love that we’re working on projects to improve the area we live in. That’s amazing, but to not be notified, to be inconvenienced, just isn’t right,” Salinas said.

Following our inquiries with the city of Houston, the site supervisor apologized to people impacted by the work and said a construction crew would be out on Thursday morning to reconnect their driveways to the street.

“That’s very fast to have this all fixed. That’s fantastic,” Salinas said.

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