Heart of the City by Steenz for April 13, 2024

I don’t know whether to be impressed or sad with the fact that high school seniors can get something done that the city couldn’t bother doing.

I’m sure the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will have absolutely no problem with high school kids using non approved materials to do road repairs.

The super asphalt heroes come out at night!!!

How are high school kids supposed to fix potholes? You need to heat asphalt. It costs money. You COULD heat it in your oven, but your parents might object. And you need to close the street while you’re doing it.

Seniors in high school getting together to fix parts of the city in the middle of the night.

WHAT?

There’s an interstate exit sign in Los Angeles which was originally conceived and implemented by a random helpful stranger. When you are driving on the 110 freeway into Los Angeles from Pasadena, the original exit for interstate 5 was always there but badly labeled.

A man who did civil engineering as a hobby got some friends together, designed a near-replica shield for the exit, put on some reflective vests and installed their handiwork in broad daylight.

Not only did CalTrans allegedly not notice for several years, but when the time came to replace the sign, they replaced it with the more helpful version instead of the original one.

So first you steal an asphalt truck. That part’s easy, since the workmen have been standing in the shade of the same tree on a perpetual break since 2017.

It’s not a good thing if this kind of work have to be done by night and in secret.