Why Governor Killed Dirt Road Bill

The Governor put the brakes on a bill that would help hundreds of families in Mobile County.

Bob Riley didn't sign the dirt road bill into law by the Midnight deadline.

The bill would have made it legal for the county to provide basic maintenance to private dirt roads.

The people in the Grand Farms subdivision of Grand Bay were riding on this bill. Their potholes are so bad that basic services and ambulances steer clear!

Jeff Emerson is Riley's spokesperson. He says the reason Governor Riley didn't sign the bill into law is simple. "We cannot use taxpayer money to maintain private property and private roads. It would be like using taxpayer money to pave someone's driveway! I can't speak to how come the bill made it all the way through the legislative process being passed by both the House and the Senate without anyone checking on that."

Representative Spencer Collier introduced the legislation and says it's constitutional as long as it serves the purpose of health and safety to the public. "I have a hard time believing in 2008, we have neighborhoods where hundreds of people live and we can't get the road in a minimum state where ambulances and school buses can come down there. I think it is a situation where average Alabamians used the process and it worked. Then, the governor killed the bill. I would be willing to bet you, if they hired a team of lobbyist this wouldn't have happened."

The people in the Grand Farms neighborhood are trying to figure out what to do next. For most, moving isn't an option.

Some believe one of the roads in the subdivision can be grandfathered in and maintained by the county.

We tried to get reaction from the county but no one would agree to go on camera.