Dumping further troubles street already closed for repairs
BATON ROUGE - Piles of trash are accumulating along Greenwell Street under I-110 in Baton Rouge and some fed-up homeowners called 2 On Your Side.
It's an area of the city that Savannah Perry says is being taken advantage of by illegal dumpers. It could be that the people dumping are lazy or that they can't afford to do it the right way. Whatever the reason, Perry says she doesn't want it in her neighborhood.
"It's like where do we go, what do we do," Perry said.
Each time she sees a new pile of trash on her street, Perry says she reports it to the city. About two weeks ago, a pile of garbage consisting of rocks, bricks and furniture pieces was dumped in the road that buses drive down to take children to and from school. Bus drivers have to steer out of the way to pass through, Perry said
"This is our neighborhood, it shouldn't look like this," she said.
In September 2022, Greenwell Street closed near Amarillo Street. A large drainage pipe broke and caused the road to sag and cave in. Concrete barricades have been there ever since. Perry thinks that the closed street is not helping the dumping problem.
Doorbell camera footage from one neighbor's house shows a large truck driving down Greenwell Street to Amarillo Street on April 12 around midnight. A person got out of the truck and proceeded to look around the area before backing the truck into the driveway of an abandoned house. The truck stays in the area for about an hour before driving away. The next morning, large piles of tires were found behind the abandoned property.
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"I guess it's a convenience for them, but it's not a convenience for us," Perry said.
The city says the Greenwell Street repairs could go out for bid in the next month. The road is estimated to be closed through 2025.
Councilman Darryl Hurst says he encourages people to report dumping problems as soon as they see them. Hurst drove out to the Greenwell Street area Monday to take a look at the debris in the road and said someone with the city would be by to pick up the pile as soon as possible.