(WSVN) - For years, business owners have been asking the City of Opa-locka to fix their street. 7News first showed you this problem last February, but as 7’s Andrew Schienthal shows us, it’s still a “Rough Road.”
To fully understand the problem with Cairo Lane in Opa-locka, you have to drive on it.
Eighteen-wheelers, dump trucks and cars have to do a series of weaving, dodging and driving, sometimes even on the wrong side, just to get through.
The street is full of potholes and craters.
Anelis Brito, business owner: “This road has been under construction for the last five years.”
Anelis owns a junkyard at the end of Cairo Lane.
She has been complaining about the street for years.
In February of 2018, she spoke to 7News.
Anelis Brito: “Customers are complaining. They don’t want to come through, which I totally understand.”
But now, she also has safety concerns.
Late last year, there was a fire at her junkyard, and a rescue vehicle got stuck.
Anelis Brito: “They even had to call their own towing company to get it out of here.”
Another business owner said he switched from a car to a truck just to make it into work.
Rafael Quintero, business owner: “Until we moved to this location, we couldn’t believe a road in the United States would be in this bad shape. This is incredible.”
Opa-locka city leaders know the street is a mess and have been promising to fix it for years.
Matthew Pigatt, Opa-locka mayor: “Based upon the timeline, this should be fixed by the end of the year.”
That was back in 2018 when Matthew Pigatt was a City of Opa-locka commissioner.
Today, he is City of Opa-locka Mayor Pigatt and is asking for patience.
Matthew Pigatt “Last year, we had an issue with, number one, the business owners releasing the easements so that we can do the work, and we had to move the poles so that we can start to actually do the work project.”
Pigatt said the project was also delayed because the city had to wait for the money.
Matthew Pigatt: “They’re releasing the money for our State Revolving loan that’s allocated to complete the project this year.”
Mayor Pigatt said since he has been in office, seven miles of Opa-locka streets have been repaired, and he wants to add Cairo Lane to his list.
Anelis Brito: “I want this road fixed, and it’s not what I want. It’s what we deserve. We pay taxes.”
For the business owners, they are hoping this promise is finally kept.
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