Dump of a road should be shut down by county
There are plenty of places to dump garbage in this county. Along the side of old Highway 8 isn’t one of those places, but you sure couldn’t tell by driving that road.
Simply put, old Highway 8 is a garbage dump of a road. There’s more trash scattered around that area than in most of the county’s convenience centers.
Looking for an old refrigerator? You won’t have any trouble finding one alongside old Highway 8. How about some tires? Again, old Highway 8 is the place to go. Or how about bags of regular household trash? Old Highway 8 attracts that sort of garbage the way potato salad draws flies at a picnic.
Old Highway 8 epitomizes everything associated with the word eyesore. For years it has been a place for people to dump their trash and there’s no indication that trend is ever going to change.
“It’s disgusting,” said County Executive Kenneth Rogers, describing the roadside as concisely as possible.
That’s why an idea recently presented by Tennessee Highway Patrol Sgt. Jimmy Jones makes perfect sense. He wants to shut down old Highway 8.
This assessment comes as part of Jones’ duties with the highway patrol. He is responsible for litter control over a 16-county area. He’s also a concerned Warren County resident.
The idea would not be to eliminate access to the road completely, but rather eliminate access by anyone who is not a landowner in the immediate vicinity. These appear to be about the only people who are not using the side of old Highway 8 as a giant trash can.
Concrete barriers could be put in place and a locked gate would allow only authorized people to gain access. Any property owner would be issued a key.
The idea is one in which the Warren County Commission should give serious consideration. There are operational convenience centers situated around the county where local residents can toss their garbage. It would be nice to think people would care enough about their community to use one of these facilities, but we know that’s not the case. Some people just don’t care about the condition of the place they call home.
In addition to looking awful, throwing garbage on the roadside in such volumes creates environmental issues. The trash attracts large rodents and insects, which can be instrumental in the spread of disease. It’s also a problem to have rainwater running through the garbage and seeping into the water supply further down in the valley.
With the exception of the people who drive old Highway 8 to dump their garbage, the section of road has become largely unused. Since that’s the case, we have to wonder why the county is willing to waste time keeping the road open. It would be in the best interest of the community to close this dumping ground.