BROWNSVILLE – A Brownsville man says the overgrown grass and trees near his home need some work. He says it is unsightly and possibly dangerous. 

Eduardo Nieto lives a couple of blocks from the expressway in Brownsville. He says he views the road as part of his neighborhood. Nieto walks from his home to his church every day. He says he has to walk daily for a reason.

"I had them operated on my back and I need to walk," says Nieto. 

He says when he walks in the area around the expressway's intersection with 12th Street he gets upset with how it is being maintained. 

"It looks to me like we're in a third-world country like nobody cares about the Valley," he notes.

Nieto says it is hard for him to see all the unmowed grass, litter and unkept palm trees with fallen palms lying on the ground. He says the high grass is also dangerous because it's become home to animals that could spread disease. 

"You could see like flies, mosquitoes, maybe rats, maybe possums, and maybe raccoons," he adds.

In recent months, he has worked to find out who is responsible for the trees and grass.

"I tried to call the city, the state and the county. So I don't know when they're going to do this," explains Nieto.

Nieto just wants someone to mow the grass, trim the trees and clean up some of the litter. 

CHANNEL 5 NEWS did some digging and found out the Texas Department of Transportation is responsible for mowing this area and keeping it clean.

We reached out to TxDOT. A spokesperson for the agency, Octavio Saenz, spoke with us off-camera. He says TxDOT crews mow in the state's right of way near highways three to four times a year, sometimes, even more, depending on the rain.

He says TxDOT does spot mowing on any issue that compromises safety.

Saenz says he forwarded Nieto's complaint to the maintenance supervisor in the area and adds, "it will be addressed."

Nieto says he is happy TxDOT is taking responsibility for this area. Count on us to follow up on this story to see what work is done in the coming days.

TxDOT asks that you give them a call if you see an overgrown area around a highway that needs attention. Its Pharr office number is (956) 702-6100. The office covers all four valley counties.

TxDOT staffers can also let you know if the road is maintained by the state, county or city.