Local residents will have a chance to report all kinds of issues related to rural transportation next week including potholes, traffic congestion and more.

Representatives from the South Central Alabama Development Commission (SCADC) will be in the Troy City Council Chambers from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thursday to hear from residents about the transportation issues affecting them.

“Each year, we identify rural transportation needs and issues in the six counties in the South Central Alabama region,” said Tracy Delaney, SCADC consultant. “Over the years, we’ve collected citizen-identified needs and issues; this is an opportunity for citizens to come in and identify problems.”

The meeting is a come-and-go, Delaney said, and residents are welcome to stop by for five minutes or for the full 90 minutes.

“Evan Crews (SCADC representative) and another representative will have maps and comment forms for the public to highlight their concerns,” Delaney said. “People talk about potholes, bushes needing to be trimmed, they might bring up a specific intersection – it’s open to anything dealing with rural transportation.”

There is no funding to make any of the changes, but Delaney said the reports are given to the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) for review.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have any construction funds; we have a very small planning budget,” Delaney said. “The only thing we can do is identify the issues each year to help governments try to find a way to resolve the issues; however, when those issues are identified, that information has been used in other grant applications. So if Troy is looking to improve sidewalks or curb and gutters and those were identified, that just strengthens those grant applications.”

Citizens can mark their concerns on the road map at the meeting, fill out a comment form or do both Delaney said.