Bridgeport residents want drainage issues resolved

BRIDGEPORT, AL (WAFF) - Some residents along one Bridgeport city street want to see some flooding relief. They say when it rains hard it floods, leaving them concerned about their property.

Help is on the way but city officials say it may not be a cure-all.

The streets of Bridgeport were basically dry Friday, but a good downpour like the one last week will turn Broadway Avenue into a large drainage ditch. That can be concerning for some residents.

"Several thousand dollars worth of furniture stored in my garage back there and it got within three feet of coming in my garage," said resident Terry Tanner.

The drainage problem has lasted for years. Five years ago it was so bad that storage sheds that lined the road were washed into the road.

One resident said the problem has only gotten worse over the years.

"Blocking the ditches and making driveways where there used to be ditches and there's just nowhere for the water to go," said Tanner.

The city has received a $346,000 gr ant to make drainage improvements, but Mayor Bubba Hughes warns it will help but probably won't cure the problem. Hughes said large amounts of rain to the low lying area is always a problem.

But for residents like Tanner, anything will help.

"I'd just like to have them take the gr ant money and fix it right and get some engineering in here, some proper engineering, to do whatever it takes to carry the amount of water that comes down through here," said Tanner.

Hughes anticipates work on the drainage situation could begin in late fall.

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