Of all the constituent calls that I receive, road maintenance issues are the number one complaint. This week was no exception. Below are several random observations about what I saw. Please note that I am not complaining about the calls. I am here to listen to and assist the people in Blue Ridge and Greer.
I spent part of the day this week meeting with a homeowner whose back yard has eroded due to the water runoff from North Main Street in Greer. It is a state road and the water runs down a ditch beside the Harley Bonds Center. He called me after a drowned rat (from the ditch) floated up to his property line. I’m trying to determine if the ditch (and the rat) belongs to the state or the school district.
I visited with a homeowner on Goodjoin Road in Blue Ridge about the line-of-sight dangers that exist because of brush that had grown up in the road curves near his driveway. As I was leaving his house, I about got hit myself. The DOT has promised to resolve the issue within 30 days.
As I was travelling to a meeting in Asheville up North Hwy 25, I noticed a long stretch where weeds are growing up through the asphalt cracks that run up to the concrete barrier in the median. The weeds had actually grown higher than the concrete barrier. This provided me with a telling comparison as I crossed into North Carolina where the weeds were replaced with flower beds. Now, I don’t think we need to spend tax money on flower beds, but I do think weeds need to be mowed in a timely manner.
I had a similar experience as I was driving to Seneca on Hwy 123. The weeds were so tall that I could barely see the cars in the opposing lanes. I’m sure these will be mowed before Clemson football starts.