HUSTONVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — For 36 years, Ricky and Fay Griffin have called the same house and holler “home.”
“It’s just so peaceful, so quiet,” said Ricky. “You’ve got neighbors, but they're not right up against you.”
After all these years, the Griffins now feel they may be too far off the beaten path.
The bridge that once connected their property to the main road doesn’t exist anymore, forcing the Griffins to drive through their neighbor’s yard to come and go.
“I thank him every time I see him. He keeps saying, ‘No you don't have to thank me,’ but I feel bad for doing this, making a road right through his field,” said Ricky.
The Griffins haven’t always had to drive through the neighbor’s property to access the road. In 2002, Lincoln County built them a bridge, according to Ricky. The bridge washed out in 2016, but the county didn’t replace it.
At that point, neighbors rallied together and built a makeshift bridge for the Griffins, but that collapsed last spring.
According to Lincoln County judge executive Woods Adams, the road isn’t currently county property, and he’s unclear why the county built the original bridge in the first place. Adams told LEX 18 that the situation is a tough one, and due to the cost of constructing a new bridge, it’s unlikely that Lincoln County would even have the funds to rebuild one if they were obligated to do so.
With no solution in sight, the Griffins fear the worst. Struggling with health problems, Ricky and Fay doubt emergency services could reach them in a timely manner if needed.
“It’s very discouraging,” said Ricky. “It’s like we’re nobody. We’re just forgotten.”
What’s more, the Griffins, who own one car, are currently raising their four granddaughters. After snow or heavy rain, the creek is impassable by foot and their vehicle isn’t guaranteed to make it across the neighbor’s property. At times, the girls are unable to get to school.
“If it starts raining, you worry, ‘Well, can I get them out?’ And most of the time you can’t,” said Fay.
Unsure who to turn to, the Griffins feel they’ve been left high and dry.
“Please just give us a bridge that we can depend on to get in and out,” said Ricky.
