VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — A contentious dispute between the state Department of Transportation and a group of Clark County property owners is heading to court.
The state launched eminent domain proceedings last year seeking to gain access to a private road near a 7.85-acre wetland mitigation site in Ridgefield. The state purchased the land several years ago to offset wetland impacts at the nearby Ridgefield Interstate 5 interchange, as required by law.
Neighbors tell The Columbian newspaper that state officials and construction crews trespassed on their private road for three weeks in 2009. Some fear the state is attempting to buy up the neighborhood.
The state says it didn’t know the road was private until residents complained. Officials later attempted to purchase easement rights to the road but were turned down.
