Tag: potholes

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Join in SCDOT’s Pothole Blitz

SCDOT Pothole Blitz

The South Carolina Department of Transprtation (SCCDOT) is hitting the roads with a “Pothole Blitz.” This statewide effort is an attempt to tackle the horrible pothole problems with roads in our state. The hope is this effort will make travel safer for everyone.

SCDOT has stated, “Over the next several weeks, our dedicated maintenance crews will be working extended hours. They will fill and repair potholes across the state.” And the fastest way to get potholes fixed is by reporting them. The SCDOT has established a pothole website (https://www.scdot.org/pothole.html) where anyone can send a work order to the state DOT for pothole repairs. If you see a pothole, don’t just drive over it – report it!

To test this, I reported a pothole on Sandridge Road at the Railway intersection. Crews dropped bags of patch in the hole within a couple of days. You can call the Customer Service Center at 855-GO-SCDOT (855-467-2368) toll free. Alternatively, you can call 803-737-1200 to submit a problem. You can also use the Maintenance Work Request site. I used the work request site for my test. Filling out the form was fairly straightforward. I would recommend being as specific as possible about the pothole location. With the work request site you can even upload pictures of the pothole.

I’ve added the link to the SCDOT pothole work order page to our main page. Go find some potholes and let me know how it works!

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Our Town Roads

Sand truck drivng over fresh repairs

Our roads are being destroyed by sand trucks. I recently responded to a neighbor’s complaint related to the road condition along Salem Road and took some time to drive Salem from Railway Drive to Halfway Gut Creek. I was aghast at the deterioration of the roadway in less than a year.

Salem Road
Salem Road potholes

There is now a new sand mine straddling both sides of the road just before Halfway Gut. Someone installed a steel plate in the road due to the trucks turning in and out of the mine tearing up the road. The road directly in front of the Salem United Methodist Church is largely destroyed now. There are potholes everywhere.

Road crews unsuccessfully attempted to repave the section in front of the Methodist Church, I don’t think their work lasted more than a few hours. The sand trucks were driving over the repairs before the crews were finished.

I have sent the following letter from our town association to Mrs. Harret Holman and the Dorchester County Commissioners seeking their support.

Letter to Dorchester County Commissioners
Letter to Dorchester County Commissioners

Almost every road around our Town of Dorchester now has at least one sand mine feeding these massive sand trucks onto them. Sandridge, Salem, Zion, and East Main/178 all now have heavy sand truck traffic six days a week for at least eight hours a day. I would encourage everyone concerned to contact your representative and advocate for more control over the damage to our roads from sand mines. You can call, email, or write a letter asking for their support for our committee.

Please feel free to use the following template and your own words. You can also cut and paste into an email and send it directly to the commissioners (or anyone else you think may support this issue). This link (https://www.dorchestercountysc.gov/government/county-council/council-members) gives our County Council members’ phone numbers and email addresses.

Resident-Letter-to-DorchesterCC-for-road-Maintenance.docxDownload

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