HOUSTON — Residents in a Montrose neighborhood are feeling a little better about the safety of trick-or-treaters.
Two weeks before Halloween, residents expressed their concerns over ongoing work by CenterPoint Energy. The work, according to CenterPoint Energy, is related to an ongoing natural gas line replacement project expected to be completed by summer 2023. Neighbors said the work resulted in "dangerous sidewalks."
Excavation holes several feet deep were a common sight in the neighborhood. Now, they are few and far between. Most of the holes have been covered by asphalt or temporary patches like metal plates. Others have more permanent fixes like freshly poured concrete.
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Residents like Kim and William Johnson were concerned for the safety of children trick-or-treating on Halloween.
"As a mom, I was concerned, like oh my goodness, what are we gonna do for Halloween," Kim Johnson said. "You know, with all of these holes in the sidewalks. That definitely poses a danger. We’re happy to see the improvements since your last story and hopefully, everyone has a safe holiday."
The Johnsons and other neighbors have taken notice of the improvements on the sidewalks.
"We really would like to see when any work is done on sidewalks and streets that it's done in a safe manner," William Johnson said.
To make things easier for families, Kim Johnson created a flyer and shared it with neighbors inviting them to set up tables in front of their homes with candy for trick-or-treaters.
“We’re really hoping to get our neighbors out and celebrate in a safe and fun way." Kim Johnson said.
Morgan Sean McCright also lives in the neighborhood. Although he doesn't have kids, he said he will be participating in the Halloween festivities by setting up a table with candy.
"We're hoping to see a good turnout. We have plenty of kids in the neighborhood so we know they are around," McCright said.
As far as the work, McCright said, "The holes weren't great."
Neighbors said they haven't heard much from CenterPoint Energy. Most of their information has come from crews who are working.
"So we never really knew what was gonna happen, which was kind of frustrating," McCright said.
While the progress in the area is a great sign for residents, they said they just want a clear signal so they can prepare for what's coming next.
"We really want to make sure that those safety improvements continue because the sidewalks are going to continue to be used even after Halloween, and we want to make sure it's safe for everybody to use," William Johnson said.
KHOU 11 News reached out to CenterPoint Energy. A spokesperson for the company sent us the following statement.:
"We are committed to the safety of our customers, and we apologize for the inconvenience the project is causing. Restoration continues to be a top priority and there have not been any new excavations within the last week. Any previous excavations from ongoing work have been covered. Any work taking place today is expected to be completed by the end of the workday, and any related excavations will be covered.
"Permanent paving repair is underway in the area. This is a large integrity improvement project, and we anticipate the entire project to be complete by mid-2023."