Locals frustrated with road closure over canal headgates
With reconstruction of the Great Feeder Canal headgates completed this past winter, locals living near the gates were hoping to be able to drive across them on a new road. That still hasn’t happened as the county is waiting on signed legal documents from the canal company’s board of directors.
“It’s been so long. We just don’t understand why it’s taken them so long to get it open,” said Tom Hogan who lives near the gates.
Hogan says they see a lot of people drive down the road to cross the canal, and turn around frustrated when they see the locked gates. “By the time they get back here, they’re so frustrated they’re driving like 50, 60 mph,” said Hogan.
Jefferson County said everything’s been in place for several weeks now for the road to open, they just need the canal company’s signature. “We did the survey work. We got the legal description, all the easement information. We’re just waiting for them to sign it, take their gates down, and we’ll go ahead and use the new bridge,” said Jefferson County Commissioner Brian Farnsworth.
Farnsworth said the agreement between the canal company and the county is a lease agreement that will allow the county to maintain the road on top of the headgates for the next 50 years. It cost the county an estimated $162,000 in upfront costs as well as several thousands more in equipment and materials costs.
“I’d like to have seen this thing open a long time ago, but you gotta get everything in place,” said Farnsworth. “We’re working on it.”
Farnsworth says the county has not received any information as to when the Great Feeder Canal board will sign the lease agreement.
KIFI/KIDK reached out to one of the Great Feeder Canal board members and asked when they plan to sign the agreement and open the gates. In a quick phone call, one of the board members said he does expect the board to meet soon to discuss the lease agreement. He then said they are taking their time with the canal headgate as they want to make sure everything is done right and that the structure will last for another 100 years.
