After decades of promised pavement, South Carolina residents say the nearly 1-mile dirt stretch of Liberty Hill Road in Lexington County, South Carolina, is unsafe, and they are paying the cost.
Here’s what to know
Residents told WIS that Liberty Hill Road and nearby Crout Place were expected to get a new road decades ago, but both remain dirt with a “washboard-like surface” that continues to damage vehicles and raise safety concerns. Lexington County Public Works told WIS that Liberty Hill currently ranks No. 10 on the county’s priority list for paving dirt roads.
The county told WIS it updates the list about every five years using factors such as the number of homes, traffic volume, bus routes, and upkeep costs, and that current funding allows it to pave roughly three miles of dirt road each year.
After living on Liberty Hill Road for nearly 30 years, Charlene Pankow told WIS, “It has been a nightmare. I have times that I can’t even get up and down the road. I’ve had to call in to have them scrape the road just so I can get down it.” She showed repair bills, including one for $1,641…