GETTING ANSWERS: North Fish Trap Road

EASLEY, SC (FOX Carolina) - This week, our viewer submissions brought us to get answers about road conditions on North Fish Trap Road, in Pickens County.

The potholes, dips, and patches start from Highway 123 until the road intersects with Saluda Dam Road.

Residents, like Debby Crocker, says your car can take a hit while driving. She says she’s lived on the road for over 40 years.

“It feels like it’s going to tear up the whole bottom of your car,” Crocker said.

Crocker says due to her nerve damage, she can’t stand driving on Fish Trap Road.

“From one end to the other needs to be replaced,” said Crocker.

David Ward says he worries his truck will eventually be damaged. He’s only lived on the road for a year.

“It’s rough on vehicles. I drive a vehicle with low-profile tires. I have to creep down the road and dodge everything. It’s a nightmare sometimes,” said Ward.

Ward says several of his mailboxes were ruined.

“I think I went through, maybe, seven mailboxes in three weeks,” Ward said.

Crocker says she’s lost her share of mailboxes too.

“We’ve seen one accident after another. We’ve lost multiple mailboxes—too many to count,” Crocker said.

Coupled with speeding on the road, the potholes have been a recipe for disaster for Ward.

“I’ve seen a couple of them lose control,” Ward said, “They’ll be flying, speeding. And I saw a Tahoe go down there. And he lost it, took out a couple of mailboxes down there.”

The South Carolina Department of Transportation, or SCDOT, says a committee that has been around for at least 25 years is already on the job. They’re called the Pickens County Transportation Committee. Their chair, Duane Greene, even calls Fish Trap Road one of the worst roads.

“It’s just very dangerous. They just need to do something. And they need to do it soon,” said Crocker.

Greene says the goal is to complete the work by the end of 2021.

Crocker says the patch jobs that have already been done don’t last.

“They patch it. The patches last, maybe, 24 to 36 hours. And you’re right back where you started,” Crocker said.

Greene says crews are going to patch and repave the road this time. He says they work with the SCDOT and the Pickens County Roads and Bridges Department to select roads that need work. He says every fiscal year, they are given a budget from the state that is funded by the gas tax. He says a certain portion of those funds are specifically designated for fixing roads. And the committee is going to do work on North and South Fish Trap Roads.

Crocker plans to hold them to it.

“Make sure that the highway department does it right this time. Don’t just come out and spray something on top of it or fill a pothole. And it’s going to be right back because they didn’t get to the route of it,” Crocker said.”

“I’d love to see it paved,” Ward said.

As far as slowing down drivers on Fish Trap Road, Pete Poore with SCDOT says residents can contact them to have a traffic study done on the road. He says, in the past, they’ve gotten approval to add four-way stops to help reduce speed, for example.

Submit a road to “Getting Answers” here.

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