Richmond Road Construction Causes Inconvenience for Residents

Gary Goldhamer, who is part of the 10 households on Richmond Road whose driveways are inaccessible due to road work, has changed a few of his daily routines.

Since he is parking at Beachwood Middle School or the library at Shaker Boulevard and Richmond Road, he said he uses a wagon to cart his groceries back to his home, and he has been taking more trips for fewer items.

Since his mailbox has been moved to the library’s driveway, he reads his daily newspaper at night, instead of the morning. “It’s hard to eat breakfast without a newspaper,” he added.

And he has been getting more help from his son, who lives with his own family next door.

“It’s tough, but I get by,” said Goldhamer. “[That parking lot] is about as far as I can make it.”

The residents on Richmond Road received a letter in the mail notifying them that their side of the street would be closed while the city replaced the pavement on its two southbound lanes between Shaker Boulevard and Richland Road, said City Engineer Tom Krezcko. The city has worked with the residents: one resident preferred to park in the high school lot and the city made arrangements.

Goldhamer’s son, Seth Goldhamer, said that he has not shopped online since their side of the street closed for pavement replacement July 13. He cannot get deliveries, he said, and it makes it more difficult to have visitors.

“You have to plan ahead before you go anywhere,” he added. “You can’t just run back into the house to get something you forgot.”

But it there is a bright side, the Goldhamers said.

The contractors performing the work widened the entrance to the two homes’ shared driveway, and Seth Goldhamer has re-tarred the driveway while the cars have been away.

Road work is expected to be complete by the end of this week, Krezcko said. The northbound lanes have already been repaved; residents there parked on side streets while work was performed.

Gary Goldhamer has lived at the home for over 30 years, and remembers when Richmond Road was expanded to four lanes from two. He and his neighbors still had access to their driveways during that expansion, he said.

Gary Goldhamer used to work in construction and marveled at the quality of the contractors he sees in front of his house every day. “I’ve never seen a job so efficient,” he said. “Really, the men who work on it work. I haven’t seen anyone goof off.”

A few doors down, Lynne Yurish, a resident for about two and half years, said that the walking is not so bad, but going south on Richmond from her home calls for a wide detour: from the middle school exit she can only go west on Shaker Boulevard.

But, “I’m glad that Beachwood is taking care of the streets,” she added. “It’s one of the reasons we wanted to live in Beachwood.”