NEW ORLEANS —
Neighbors in Huntlee Village near Algiers are breathing a sigh of relief after a huge ditch across the Huntlee Drive dug by Sewerage and Water Board crews in December finally got filled.
“This hole is deep, this is ridiculous,” said neighbor Roger Gibson. “This shouldn’t be like this.”
“Don’t drive down Huntlee because you are going to tear your car up,” said another neighbor, Danna Connerly.
Before it got filled Wednesday afternoon our camera caught drivers barreling right through the ditch. Others just turn around.
“I see a lot of people, they will get right here and back up,” Gibson said.
Some drivers avoid the street altogether. Where do they go? Through neighbor Maria Villagrand’s yard, she said.
“That’s why my husband put these here,” said Villagrand as she pointed to steel poles sticking up from the grass in her yard. “Because they were trying to get this way you know. I get pissed."
The ditch quite literally keeps Gibson up at night.
“Two, three o’clock in the morning ba-boom!” said Gibson. "(I know when) someone is crossing over this.”
According to neighbors, a Sewerage and Water Board crew dug up the street to fix a leak in December. Apparently, they didn’t come back.
“These people pay taxes. There are houses over here,” Gibson said. “A lot of older people, too. No one wants to go through this.”
We called up the Sewerage and Water Board Wednesday afternoon and waited. A couple hours later… one truck… then two… and more and more.
“This is nice man. These were fast results,” said Gibson. “We thank you for this, bro.”
It’s only a temporary fix for now but crews said they be back to pave over it. As for the reason for the delay, S&WB responds to at least 500 orders a week. For these neighbors, they’re just glad it was finally their turn.
“I am so happy. It was about time. Thank you so much,” Villagrand said.