(haipo) Following repeated inquiries from residents on Ovadia Street in Haifa, municipal inspectors arrived at the construction site at 37 A Ovadia Street in the Ramat Hashbi neighborhood to investigate claims of damage to sidewalks caused during construction work. According to the municipality, during the inspection it became clear that a bulldozer driver had indeed caused significant damage to the sidewalks, and as a result a report was filed with him and the contractor was given clear instructions to repair the defects. The municipality emphasizes that they will continue to monitor the issue and that full repair of the damage will be a condition for receiving work completion permits. The residents, on the other hand, claim that this is a broader phenomenon of negligent conduct on the part of developers and contractors, and that they are forced to deal with ongoing damage to their quality of life.
Following a request from the Haifa system, enforcement was carried out and the contractor repaired the damage:
We at the Haifa system contacted the municipality. Following the request, the municipality sent inspectors, issued a hefty fine to the contractor, and the contractor repaired the damage. We thank everyone for their cooperation – the municipality, the residents, and the contractor.
Residents are told that we are always available for you on these types of issues.
The sequence of events that led to the correction
Work has already been stopped on this site before.
It should be noted that about three months ago, work at the construction site was stopped by the municipality after serious defects were discovered indicating damage to the nearby wadi and a violation of the boundaries of the approved plot. After the necessary repairs were made, work resumed.
Bagger damage and initial enforcement
Following complaints from residents, municipal inspectors arrived at the construction site at 37 Ovadia Street. The inspection found that a bulldozer driver had driven his heavy vehicle onto the sidewalk, causing cracks, subsidence, and damage to the pavement. The municipality said that a report was filed with the driver and that the contractor received an official demand to repair the damage. In addition, instructions were given for maintaining working hours and proper conduct on the site.
The municipality emphasizes that they will continue to monitor the work and that final approvals will not be issued until all damage is fully repaired. “The goal is to restore the situation to normal and ensure that residents do not bear the costs or damage caused.”
Residents: “This is not a malfunction – this is a policy of disdain”
Residents on the street claim that the current case is not an exception, but part of a broader phenomenon. “We have lived on Ovadia Street for many years and really love the neighborhood,” they said. “But at this construction site, excavators are regularly driven on the road. These are large, heavy vehicles that hit the sidewalks and destroy them.”
They said they approached workers on the ground and explained the damage, but were met with indifference. “The workers told us: ‘Go to the municipality and complain.’ That doesn’t make sense. Why do we have to chase the municipality to repair damage caused by the contractor?”
“The damage remains – and we are left to deal with it”
Residents say that in many cases, after a contractor causes damage, the sidewalks remain broken for months or even years. “Many times the contractor does the damage and then disappears,” they said. “The residents are left with a broken, dangerous, inaccessible sidewalk. In this case, the municipality said it would not issue permits until the damage is repaired, which is encouraging. But why did it have to come to this point?”
According to them, a proper sidewalk is a basic need, especially for vulnerable populations. “Adults, parents with strollers, children, cyclists, everyone needs a safe sidewalk. It’s very easy to break it with a heavy tool, but to fix it? That’s much more complicated.”
“We live on a construction site – dust, noise and heavy tools”
Residents of Ovadia Street describe a difficult period of intensive construction work. “When they build next to their homes, the quality of life drops dramatically,” they said. “There’s dust, noise, trucks coming in and out, heavy equipment blocking the street. Now even the sidewalks are being destroyed.”
They say that even after the building is completed, traffic congestion and parking problems are expected. “Construction doesn’t end when the skeleton is finished. Then the new tenants arrive, more cars arrive, more congestion. We’re already seeing what’s happening in other neighborhoods in the city.”
Testimony of a resident of the street: “The worker told my husband – contact the municipality”
A resident of the street said that the sidewalk was repeatedly destroyed during the work. “They are building now at 37 Ovadia,” she said. “Every now and then they save on a truck and let the large vehicle hit the sidewalk. The sidewalk is really destroyed, and someone could fall at night.”
According to her, her husband approached one of the workers and explained that it was forbidden to go on the sidewalk with the tool. “The worker told him: ‘Go to the municipality.’ This is unacceptable. We called 106, we received a complaint number, and the police also arrived at the scene.”
Residents describe the heavy vehicles moving on the street as threatening. “The excavator that drives here looks like a tank,” said one of them. “It’s a heavy, wide vehicle that shouldn’t go up on the sidewalk. Every time it goes up it breaks the pavement.” They say they’re afraid someone will get hurt. “It’s a matter of time before someone falls or gets hurt. We’re not willing to take that risk.”
Municipal inspection policy: between regulations and reality on the ground
Residents point out that the problem is not just the specific contractor, but a municipal inspection system that does not provide a real-time response. According to them, while the municipality has clear regulations regarding conduct at construction sites, actual enforcement is lacking. “There are procedures, there are laws, but there is not enough supervision,” said one resident. “Inspectors only come after complaints, not proactively. By the time they arrive, the damage has already been done.”
They argue that the municipality should implement a tighter oversight mechanism, especially in residential neighborhoods where construction work directly affects the lives of residents. “We are not supposed to be the police of the street,” they said. “The municipality should be there before the damage happens, not after.”
Demand for tighter supervision: “You can't trust the contractor”
Residents are calling on the municipality to increase supervision of construction sites in residential neighborhoods. “You can’t trust the contractor to do the right thing,” they said. “We need daily supervision, not just after complaints.”
They add that they expect the municipality to protect them. “We pay high property taxes. We deserve for the municipality to make sure our street is safe.”
The municipality's response
The municipality reported that municipal inspectors arrived at the scene, and during the inspection, the excavator driver who caused the damage was given a report and instructions for maintaining working hours. The contractor was also given a notice of demand to repair the defects caused to the sidewalk. The municipality will continue to monitor the issue to ensure that all damage is fully repaired and that the situation returns to normal, as a condition for granting permits for the completion of the work.
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Only the municipality's power is involved, so why do we pay property taxes? Why is there a public inquiry center? Haifa Municipality mafia criminals, one by one, including Mayor Yona Yahav, the corrupt old man Yona, this is the last time you are mayor of Haifa.
According to the photos, it's a job for the eyes.
The repair, as seen in the photos, is not a repair.
A broken stone is only repaired by replacing it with another stone of the same type.
And when I filmed how the huge excavator that worked for the martyrs went against the direction of traffic and without police guidance and supervision from the Yarkon 25 road through Ma'abarot Lemuria and cut up the entire road…nothing happened either!!!! And..by the way…what do you mean the defects were fixed by its employees???? On the boulder slide in Wadi, it is still waiting to be cleared with a winch. The work needs to be stopped until all the damage is repaired!!!
From Yaffe Nof Street 26 to Yaffe Nof Street 36, on both sides, the sidewalks have been broken for 4 years, and on Ha-Horsha Street 1-4, the municipality has not repaired it for over 4 years, even though I contacted them.