Residents request help with roadway in Moreno Valley damaged by recent storms
The dirt road has been washed out, halting essential services to residents.
MORENO VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) -- Deep ruts run the length of Walther Road in Moreno Valley due to the recent downpours, making driving around difficult.
"Pulled my hair out trying to find a solution, and there is nothing to find, and you know, being a retired firefighter, I want to help people," said Jim Gorsline, who lives just off Walther Road.
For more than two decades, he has helped his neighbors maintain the roadway, but after tearing his meniscus, the 67-year-old decided it was time to stop. He and his neighbors agree the roadway has become a problem for residents and anyone who needs access it.
"It is a hazard. It's dangerous. Emergency vehicles can't get up here," said neighbor Jack Smith.
That includes waste trucks, which have stopped service to the 18 residents along the roadway.
"If there is no improvement by our regular trash day, they will not be back out," said Gorsline.
Residents say they can no longer maintain the road. They reached out to the city of Moreno Valley and Riverside County supervisors for help.
But who is responsible for the road? Residents believe both are.
"Half of the road is in the city of Moreno Valley and half is in the county," said Gorsline.
The city of Moreno Valley says while a portion of the road is within the city limit, it does not have the "rights to maintain" it that belongs to the Riverside County.
In response to Eyewitness News, Riverside County said:
"The County was contacted by residents regarding Walther Road. The road is a privately maintained road, which means it is not maintained by the County. However, because they are County residents, Supervisor Gutierrez is willing to have our Transportation Department do a one-time grading of the portion of the road that is in the county to help maintain it. The grading could be completed within the next two weeks. We are aware the remainder of the road is in the city of Moreno Valley and have been communicating with the city about options for our residents and the portion that is in city limits."
"It just seems to me that the two sides aren't coming together, and we are suffering," said Gorsline.
Residents also say they want a permanent solution not a temporary fix.
"We all pay our taxes out here. We pay for everything everybody else pays for in town but we don't get a break on our taxes so it's clearly not fair and not safe," said Smith.
