MASONTOWN — Burke Road in Masontown was one of the roads recently reclaimed by the West Virginia Division of Highways. The road can be reached from W.Va. 7.
James Daft, who lives on the road, said it used to be paved but is now mainly dirt. He said when it rains, it raises the water level of Deckers Creek, which washes across the road, adding more potholes and ruts.
Daft said the Department of Natural Resources told him the culverts aren’t large enough to handle the overflow of water from the creek.
He said a representative from the DNR told him it would take either larger culverts or a bridge to handle water flow to keep his yard from flooding and water from crossing road.
“After a heavy rain, my yard looks like a pool,” he said. “My one building is being held together by straps. There are times I can’t mow for weeks because the grass is too wet. When I can mow, I have to use a brush hog.”
Daft is not the only one who has a complaint about the road. Country Doctors Family Medicine is next door to Daft.
“The road is prohibitive,” Dr. Vicky Mayes said. “We’ve had to cancel appointments because our patients can’t get to the clinic. If the water is covering the road, they can’t safely cross it because of the deep ruts.”
Mayes said she believes part of the problem is water drainage from two reservoirs. She said the drainage causes flooding before it gets to the culverts. The culverts can’t handle the water, and this leads to flooding.
“The road used to be tar-and-chip. The last time anything was done to it was in 1989, when Arch Moore was governor,” Mays said. “I remember it because my son was born that year.”
She said prior to that it was a dirt road kept up by a coal company. The coal company had a cleaning plant near the road.
“They (coal company) kept the road up better than the Department of Highways does,” Mays said. “I’ve sent in complaints about the road, and I get a little note back but nothing is done.”
The Dominion Post reached out for comment from the DOH, but they did not respond in time for this report.
Preston County Commissioner Samantha Stone said she is familiar with the road and also travels it.
She said the complaints are legitimate.
“The road has been in shambles for years,” Stone said. “The state (Division of Highways) reclaimed it last year, but that was short-lived. When we get heavy rains — especially on the section of the road where he (Daft) lives, the road goes under water.”
Daft said after the recent hard rain, a sinkhole appeared at the end of his driveway. He said a DOH crew came out and patched the sinkhole but has done nothing about the water problem.
“If the water problem was fixed that would fix the road,” Daft said. “The two culvert pipes are too small to handle the water going through it. They need to be larger.”
Stone said she doesn’t believe the road is a priority road listed to be repaired.
“I was shocked when they reclaimed it,” she said.
Stone said water runoff is not the only problem that plagues the road. She said there are very few houses and businesses along the road.
“People drop their garbage off along the road,” she said. “The road is mainly used as a crossover to Route 7.”
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