ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A 92-year-old St. Louis County woman feared being trapped in her home after her sidewalk was torn out for construction. She contacted FOX 2, which brought her problem to the attention of county leaders.

Mary Rodgers spent several hours trapped in her Ripa Avenue home and worried she’d be stuck there longer after construction workers removed the sidewalk up and down the street.

“I don’t know how they expect us old people to get out,” she said. “I had a doctor’s appointment for Wednesday. I thought somebody in Clayton would take care of it. They referred me back to the supervisor that’s over the job, so he told me they would put a plank down for me to get across.”

Crewmen on the project put a sheet of wood to act as a ramp in front of her home. But it led her down a hill and not her driveway, leaving Rodgers stranded.

“I’m 92 and I’m on a walker. You saw the difficulty that you had,” Rodgers said. “So, I don’t know how they expect me to get across that plank to get to the street to get to the car to go to the doctor.”

In a statement, the St. Louis County Departments of Transportation and Public Works said they have communicated directly with residents and St. Louis County DOT personnel have communicated directly and regularly with neighborhood residents during the life of this project.

“Any resident who desired a temporary ramp across a section of excavated sidewalk received one,” said David Wrone, a spokesperson for the Transportation and Public Works departments. “DOT personnel have provided assistance to any resident who requested help crossing a ramp.”

Wrone said the ramp in front of Rodgers’ home was not secured with nails to provide stability. He added that the ramp would be placed in front of her driveway, and that its current location is temporary. 

After FOX 2 notified St. Louis County DOT of Rodgers’ request, a new, much longer ramp was installed in front of her driveway, to her satisfaction.