DECATUR COUNTY, GA (WTXL) — Neighbors from across Decatur County are pushing commissioners to address road conditions on several county roads, with one resident saying rain is washing parts of Hewett Bundy Road away.
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At the most recent county commission meeting, five neighbors spoke about road conditions on the roads where they live — Duke Wells Road, Jones Road, Rich Road, Bettstown Road and Hewett Bundy Road. A sixth neighbor spoke about road conditions on additional roads across the county. Rianna Perry-Mullins, whose family has owned property on Hewett Bundy Road for 40 years, was among those who spoke.
Perry-Mullins says the road has not been maintained like she believes it should be over the last several years. She says the ditches need to be cleaned out, the road needs to be properly crowned, and the right material needs to be used to help manage water and prevent more erosion.
"We had such a washout that we that when anybody would have to go up this road, they would have to go way around almost into the non-existent ditch, and then we'd have to come back around and then go around the washout," Perry-Mullins said.
She suggests a specific solution for the road surface.
"Putting a mix of sand and gravel on the road and then cover it with some crush and run which will which, when it gets wet it'll it'll help to pack down the road, solidify the road, and keep the road from washing away," Perry-Mullins said.
ABC 27's Vanessa Lawrence took those concerns to the county. County Administrator Randy Williams says public works inspected and worked on Hewett Bundy Road following the meeting.
"We scraped the road, put a little crown in there, made sure any debris was removed, there's no grass on it or anything like that……we take the road scraper, the operator, and they're pushing the dirt to the side, giving the road a very smooth finish and also putting a crown in the center of the road, that way when it rains, the water drains off the road, and it doesn't hold water," Williams said.
The county maintains 360 miles of road. Ditch work is underway across the county, with crews actively clearing and digging ditches using one machine. A second machine is expected in November to help speed up that work.
Perry-Mullins says she wants consistency from the county.
"I would like to see the county get a maintenance a good and permanent maintenance schedule in place for for the dirt roads and in the in the county," Perry-Mullins said.
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