JACKSON COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) — A frequently traveled road in Jackson County has been closed for seven months and it has some residents concerned.

Jackson County Road 119 in Limrock crosses a bridge that has foundation issues, but weather halted construction to fix the problem.

Construction on County Road 119 started in October but ended in November due to consistent rain. However, the need to use the road has not stopped for residents.

After seven long months of taking a five-mile-long detour, people in Limrock are frustrated. They say the construction on county road 119 hasn’t had any movement since it started months ago. Now its become a major inconvenience for all who live and work in the area.

“Not only is the bridge a nuance but it’s really a big liability to us and surrounding farmers that’s having to drive large equipment through there and most of the people that drive that road on a daily basis aren’t used to that big of equipment driving around those loops and turns.” said William Stewart of Stewart Farms.

Now one former first responder says that should an emergency happen — the road closure triples the response time.

“You can get to somebody within three to five minutes of a heart attack, you got a chance of saving them. Without that, there’s not much of a chance,” said James Stewart, a retired firefighter. “With the bridge out it’s taking anywhere from ten to fifteen minutes to get to an area.”

The Public Works Department says they’ve tried to get back to fixing the roads, but inclimate weather has affected their ability to make the necessary repairs.

“This location is in a flood zone and has very little elevation change in the head of the drainage area. The continuous wet pattern has led to unmanageable water levels,” said Jonathan Campbell, County Engineer. “We intend to resume on this structure as soon as we return to a drier pattern and water levels return to a manageable level.”

It is unclear at this time when the construction will resume or how long it will take. Residents say they hope the construction will be complete by ‘harvest’ time.