ROBERTSDALE – With hurricane season approaching, Robertsdale officials are working on an agreement to clarify which agency will be picking up debris from local highways when the next storm hits.

Mayor Charles Murphy said city and state officials are working on an agreement for the collection of debris along state highways in the city. He said that after Hurricane Sally struck the area in September 2020, Robertsdale crews began collecting storm debris along state-maintained highways in the city, including Alabama 59, Alabama 104 and U.S. 90.

He said officials with the Alabama Department of Transportation said state contractors were responsible for collections along the highways.

“What actually happened after the storm, they told us not to pick up anything on state right of ways, because they already had a contractor set up for that,” Murphy said. “We were picking it up there because they were our citizens, but we stayed off the state highway after they told us not to do that.”

Murphy said city officials wanted to confirm before the next storm which agency is responsible for cleanup after hurricanes and if Robertsdale crews can serve local residents and businesses along the state routes.

Under an agreement presented to the city council at its meeting Monday, April 18, ALDOT would allow Robertsdale crews to collect debris along the state highways.

City Engineer Greg Smith said, however, that some areas of the highway, known as connecting link roads, might not be included in the agreement.

The council voted to table a vote on the agreement until the wording could be clarified.