West Bluff Road off Highway 87 North meanders through woods down to the Sabine River. People who live along the road love the scenery, the nature, and the fishing. They hate the road.
It’s almost as if West Bluff Road meandered into a Twilight Zone episode. And the answer is as scary. “We’re waiting on FEMA.”
Those were the words of City of Orange Public Works Director Jim Wolf. Now another question arises. What does the city have to do with a road way out in the woods?
Orange County Precinct 1 Commissioner Johnny Trahan oversees county operations in the West Bluff area, including the residents. Their homes are considered out of the city limits. Trahan, who grew up in Orange County, said he was surprised West Bluff Road was in the city.
No one can say exactly when or why the city ended up with the rural road. It’s been in the city’s care for decades.
A year and a half ago, lawyer Jimmy Burnitt, who lives along the river off the road, complained about the conditions to the Orange City Council, especially after the Sabine River Flood of 2016.
The road floods often and waters gradually wash parts away. The record-setting flood did even more damage. And the flood damage came after holes caused by an oil company hauling heavy drilling equipment.
Wolf said he had worked out an agreement for the oil company to pay the city $100,000 for the damage. The money is in the bank for that purpose.
After Burnitt went to the city council, the city talked with county officials. The agreement was made for the city to repair the 2016 flood damage covered by FEMA payments. Then the city would disannex the road and the county would then own it. The city would give the county the $100,000.
Wolf said half to three-fourths of the work approved by FEMA for the 2016 flood reimbursements had been completed by the end of last August. Then Tropical Storm Harvey hit, bringing 60 inches of rain to inundate most of the county, including West Bluff Road.
Now, the city has applied for Harvey FEMA money to fix more damage. Wolf said the agency has not approved the expenditures to this date. So West Bluff Road remains stuck in a rut. The county will not take on the road until it is fixed and meets county standards.
Commissioner Trahan said he would like for the city to get some of the upcoming FEMA Harvey mitigation money to make long-term improvements. He said the road can be raised and culverts added to drain and move water away “so even in a flood, we can get in there.”
-Margaret Toal, KOGT-
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