TOP PHOTO:  This section of Stinking Creek Road, its new pavement, stripes and all, is in front of the Friendly Valley Baptist Church.

STINKING CREEK, TN (WLAF) – “It’s a blessing from God,” said Roy Douglas.  The almost 84-year- old Stinking Creek Road resident has lived off and on along the once rutty road for most all of those years.

The blessing Douglas is talking about is the recently completed paving of the 17 1/2 mile stretch of road known as Stinking Creek Road.

TOP PHOTO:  Kathy Johnson (left) and Roy Douglas (right) talk about their newly paved road.  Johnson lives on the upper end of Stinking Creek Road while Douglas lives on the lower end.

Leaders, members of the Stinking Creek community and friends gathered for a ribbon cutting Monday morning at the Stanfield Church of God’s Family Life Center.  The celebration signaled the official opening of the freshly paved and striped Stinking Creek Road.

Kathy Johnson, who is pushing 40, has lived on Stinking Creek Road for that long and said, “It’s amazing to have a new road.  They’re awesome (leaders), and I appreciate them so much.  If it wasn’t for Yager (State Sen. Ken Yager), we wouldn’t have this road.”

The stories of the old road sound much the same.  “We were buying new tires and getting front end alignments, alot of those,” said Johnson.  Douglas added, “You’d have to put a set of tires on, at least, every six months if you drove over this road; especially in certain sections of it.”

Johnson said, “My dad helped build the original road here.”  Douglas noted, “They built this portion of the road in the late 1960s (closest to I-75), and the lower end was built in the early sixties (closest to Highway 25W).”

“The road superintendent (Ron Dilbeck) played a big part in this bringing in Ken Yager (senator) and our local leaders,” Douglas pointed out.

“We thank them (all our leaders) for it.  That’s why we’re having this deal today (ribbon cutting ceremony and luncheon),” said Douglas.  (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 10/08/2019-6AM)