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Commuter Dude: Metal plates missing from city tracking map

Metal plates missing from tracking map

ATLANTA – Despite the city’s newest efforts to keep track of metal plates on the streets of Atlanta, four wheel-busting plates seemed to fall off of the city’s radar.

It was Chris Robinson who found misfortune on Luckie Street.

“I figure the plates are smooth and flat, so I drove over them,” says Robinson.

Two of the plates had been on the street so long they were sliding out of place to reveal unfinished roadwork.

“My right tire goes in the middle and I hear "pop.”

Neighbors tell us the metal plates were on the street at least a month prior to Chris Robinson's misfortune.

Over the years, 11Alive has heard plenty of complaints about metal plates lingering beyond their welcome on city streets. The city of Atlanta has heard them too, and that's the reason for a relatively new tracking system that's supposed to highlight the location of metal plates.

The city’s Metal Plate View provides a map that is available to the public to see location of a plate and the date it was placed there. When a plate has been on the street 30 days, its location on the map turns red and crews get an alert telling them it's time for the plate to go.

But when 11Alive’s Commuter Dude looked on the city map, there was nothing to indicate the plates on Luckie Street were even there.

Commuter Dude contacted the city's Department of Watershed Management. Within hours, crews arrived to begin the process of repairing the road and removing the hazard.

A spokesperson for Watershed told us they've been unable to determine why the plates were not on the city's tracking map. She added crews are updating the system daily to keep up with plates.

As for Chris Robinson, his unlucky trip down Luckie Street was followed by a tow truck. The tow will cost him $50. Replacing the tire will be even more.

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