Stoplight fixedon Leigh Street A11 Q:When coming across the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge on Leigh Street, you come to a stoplight. There is a green light that had right, left and straight arrows, but the straight arrow burned out. Several times I've had to sit through the light as the person in front of me is waiting for the green light, which never comes. -- Robert P.

Answer: There are burned-out lights, dim bulbs and straight arrows. The difference is that a straight arrow writes the Street Beat column, but the dim bulbs are the ones holding up traffic.

I asked the city about this. Jemila M. Woodson of the Richmond Public Works Department said that the problem was fixed and that a follow-up inspection showed that all lights are now functioning.

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Q:There is a major, tooth-jarring bump in Hanover County at the entrance to Interstate 295 southbound at U.S. 301 north, near the intersection with Parham Road. If you could report this so someone would fix it I would be very grateful. -- Nancy C.

 

Answer: I told Taya M. Jarman of the Virginia Department of Transportation.

"I guess beauty is not the only thing that's in the eye of the beholder," she said. "We had a contractor review the area and they said that it was a minor bump. Nonetheless, the bump we found was fixed. So I don't know if you want to ask the reader if the bump they were referring to was fixed or if it's still there but just hiding from us."

My feeling is that it can't be the right bump, because they never hide from me.

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Q:Sheila Lane intersects with Forest Hill Avenue near Chippenham Parkway. There was some road work done on Sheila Lane near the Lowe's store, and apparently the patch has sunk. Can the city level the patch with the road surface? -- Mark L.

 

Answer: The city's Department of Public Works repaired the area on July 10, Woodson said. "Crews were able to lay asphalt in order to level the roadway on Sheila Lane," she said.

She reminds readers that they can report problems such as this by calling the city's Customer Care Center at 311.

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Q:Who is responsible for trees and shrubbery on private property that overhang public sidewalks? In the block of Roseneath Road between Wythe Avenue and Grace Street, there is a row of shrubs that hasn't been trimmed in years and they make it difficult to walk on that side of the street. I see numerous such examples, but this is the one that most affects me. -- Steve M.

 

Answer: "Any private tree or vegetation encroaching into the public right of way is the responsibility of the property owner," Woodson said. However, "all city residents are expected to maintain shrubs and trees on their property and could be cited for code violations if vegetation poses a hazard. If the problem persists and escalates to an emergency situation, the city will investigate and trim vegetation back to the property line."