The city of Rincon is taking steps to add an emergency exit to the Picket Fences subdivision, a neighborhood that currently has just one in and one way out.
Rincon City Manager Jonathan Lynn said they are in the process of working towards an access road. According to Lynn, the project will cost roughly $1 million. Only law enforcement and public safety agencies will have access to the gated road which will serve as an emergency exit and not an alternative route for traffic congestion.
The Rincon Fire Department will host a meeting at 9 a.m. Feb. 3 at Pierpoint and Sterling Drive to discuss in further detail. The proposed path will be announced at a later date.
“I don’t care what we have to do, we will get you out of that neighborhood,” said Lynn.
Multiple train delays have been a growing concern for residents living in the subdivision on 15th Street off Highway 21 near city hall. Residents worry that the trains will prevent first responders from being able to reach someone suffering a medical emergency or a house fire, or that an oil spill from a train derailment could leave them stuck inside the neighborhood.