It was good to see a crew of the Travers Co. of New Castle working Friday to repair the section of Main Street that had to be torn up due to a break in a six-inch-diameter fire service line Sept. 19 in front of the HollyPointe Building. After the break occurred, the Pennsylvania American Water Co. replaced 20 feet of the line.

But a legitimate concern for city residents and motorists is why final repairs stemming from utility problems typically take so long to be finalized. Even Friday's work did not complete the work stemming from the Sept. 19 incident. Final resurfacing will not take place until the coming week, according to a Travers employee.

Any criticism warranted in regard to the needed street, curb and sidewalk repair should not be directed at Travers, but instead at the water company, which should have been more on top of what temporary repairs were done and which should have ensured that the needed restoration — temporary and otherwise — was carried out more expeditiously and correctly.

According to John Evans, city zoning and code management officer, the city received two complaints over the past two weeks about the condition of the curb and sidewalk since the break was fixed. One of the complaints centered on the difficulties handicapped people faced in regard to the bituminous curb that had been installed. The other dealt with the sidewalk.

Evans said, because Main Street is a state highway, the city couldn't apply pressure on Pennsylvania American for quicker repairs. That means that the state Department of Transportation should have done that and not allowed the temporary condition to exist for six weeks.

But the city an be faulted for not continuing to remind PennDOT about the unfinished work.

Additionally, the city can be faulted for not enforcing the ordinance that requires repairs to be completed on curbs and sidewalks within 30 days.

Many of the city's nagging problems over the years have stemmed from the lack of quick remedial action and officials' inability to pay attention to details surrounding ordinances and needed corrective measures. The Main Street waterline break in question is but another example of that longstanding fault.

Friday's repair work deserves a cheer, just because it is another step toward getting the job completed. But there is an ample window for again questioning how things are done in this city.