SUFFOLK, Va. — Pughsville residents have been waiting more than two decades for sidewalks they say are desperately needed for safety in their Suffolk neighborhood.
Carolyn White has lived in Pughsville since 1954 and refuses to walk in ditches when cars speed through her neighborhood.
"Cars come by and I say I'm sorry, tell the city get us sidewalks because I'm not walking in the ditch just to please somebody that wants to fly through my neighborhood," White said.
White is an advocate for the Pughsville Civic League, and her husband Wayne White serves as president of the league on the Suffolk side.
The couple says the neighborhood has little to no sidewalks, making simple walks dangerous for residents.
"I walk in the street and they have to stop wait til the next car comes then they move over and go about their business I refuse to get on the side of the road," Carolyn White said.
One of the few areas with sidewalks exists next to Pughsville Park, but the walkways end abruptly along Townpoint Road and don't continue down the street.
Wayne White worries about children's safety when they walk to the park or navigate the neighborhood.
"The kids have to walk in the street in order to get there and plus when they come to the park they gotta walk in the street, and I pray that nobody gets hurt or gets killed," Wayne White said.
The city has allocated funding for improvements in the area. Suffolk officials said the city "has programmed one million dollars in the current capital improvement plan for sidewalks and related improvements in the Town Point Road area including in and around the Pughsville Park area."
However, civic league members say they have been waiting since 2001 for sidewalks to be installed.
Carolyn White emphasized the urgent need for safety improvements, especially for children.
"We need safety for our children before somebody gets hurt out here and at night with the lights not as bright as they should be anybody can walk the street and get hit. It just so happens we try to keep our children safe and keep them off the street once the lights go down cause we know its dangerous out here," White said.
The city says the sidewalk project is expected to go before city council soon. If approved, officials say it would improve pedestrian safety and connectivity in the Pughsville community.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
