(CHICKASAW, Ala.) - Chickasaw City Leaders said a battered neighborhood road that links Alabama Village and Chickasaw will likely not be repaired or reopened.
City leaders said the stretch of Iroquois Street, riddled with potholes and patched asphalt, has been barricaded for months. They said it would be costly to repair the road, and it's money the city doesn't have.
City Councilman Adam Bourne said the road would be more of a danger to residents if it were to be reopened.
"We've noticed a significant reduction in incidents in recent months," Bourne said, "and we believe it's a result of barricading that road. So it's a secondary effect, but it's been something that's positive."
Bourne said the road is prone to drug trafficking from Alabama Village to Chickasaw, and other crimes. He said since the crime rate in the area has fallen, the city has no plans to reopen the road.
"I really could not see myself authorizing the expenditure of funds in such a way that would make my citizens less safe," Bourne said.
Alabama Village Resident Willie McConneaughey told Local 15 News he wants to see the road fixed, especially since, he said, it's the only way to get around town when it floods.
"It's really a big inconvenience on the people that live over here," McConneaughey said, "Everybody that lives in Alabama Village is not riffraff. People have some nice homes over here. The major problem is outsiders coming in."
Prichard Mayor Troy Ephriam said there have been no formal complaints from his constituents regarding the Iroquois Street road block.
