About a forty-foot section of road next to Selma Fire Station No. 2 now sits blocked by two large road blocks bearing the inscription &uot;Dead End.&uot; According to Selma Mayor James Perkins Jr., the road may never be open again.

The intersection in question is Vine Street and Jeff Davis Avenue. Perkins said a fatal car accident occurred at the site about two years ago. However, the closing of the entire street was physically completed July 9 by Selma’s public works department.

A resolution by the Selma City Council closed Vine Street. Perkins said he expected the public works department to finish installing the road blocks this week and was pleasantly surprised that it was completed last week.

Perkins added that if a long delay had occurred in the road blocks’ installation another accident could have occurred which would have created an entirely new set of problems.

Standing at the corner of Vine Street and Jeff Davis Avenue, Perkins demonstrated the dangerous nature of the intersection. Moving backwards to align himself with the stop sign, Perkins pointed to the fire station blocking sight of west-bound traffic.

Selma Police Department Chief Robert Green, Selma Fire Department Chief Henry Allen and Public Works Director Tommy Smith all played a role in the street’s closing, Perkins said.

Smith’s office had concerns with street right-of-ways, but Smith said Vine Street’s closing shouldn’t affect them. &uot;I had a lot of citizens say it should be closed,&uot; Smith said.

Green, whose office is concerned, among other things, with managing traffic, said he didn’t think the street was well traveled and that traffic wouldn’t be impacted by the closing. &uot;It’s a dangerous zone because of the risk involved,&uot; Green said. &uot;I don’t even like to cross this intersection.&uot;

Allen’s office was involved in the Vine Street closing because of Fire Station No. 2 which sits nearby. Allen said the closing will actually make travel in the area safer.