East St. Louis, Ill. (KSDK) -- Safety is being compromised on the streets of East St. Louis. Dozens of manhole covers have been snatched off roads around town.
A recent study showed more than 50 had been taken in the last two months, just on the city's south side. Now, the issue is adding to financial hardship for the city. At $450 per manhole cover, only a fraction of the missing covers will be replaced.
"The problem is once you replace them and you come back a week or two later they're gone again. So we have to come up with a way to make them more secure," said Director of Public Works, Jesse Walker.
The holes in some areas are 14 feet deep. Orange barricades are being used to cover the open space, and warn people. The barricades are also disappearing.
"Yes, that's another problem," said Walker. "You put out a barricade and you cover the hole to let people know it's a danger and you come back the next day and the barricade is missing or thrown in the hole. It's been an ongoing problem."
Walker said only about 20 covers will be replaced in the near future.
KSDK
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