GETTING ANSWERS: Brushy Creek Road

EASLEY, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - We are getting to the bottom of pothole problems on Brushy Creek Road.

The road runs through both Anderson and Pickens Counties between Highway 123 and Old Mill Road.

Drivers say the Anderson County side needs the most attention.

Leia Kanaan had just driven on the road when we talked to her.

“The road is in desperate need of repaving,” Kanaan said, “And I’m surprised that they haven’t repaved it yet.”

Kanaan was dropping off someone at Let’s Talk Hair, a salon off Brushy Creek Road. Janet Reid at the salon says they have to drive on this road everyday to get to work.

“Definitely, you notice. It’s like turbulence in an airplane, honestly. It’s pretty bad,” Reid said.

Reid says she fears her car could face damage.

“You’re constantly dodging the holes,” Reid said, “Just last night leaving, it was dark. And I hit one—literally thought my tire had been popped.”

Kannan says her experience is a bumpy one.

“You don’t want that when you’re driving in your car,” said Kannan, “You don’t really want that—the bumpiness the whole time that you’re driving.”

The stand-out areas are at the intersection of Old Pendleton Road and in front of St. Paul United Methodist Church.

“Even though there are not potholes everywhere, it’s still the whole road. It’s just very bumpy. And none of it’s really smooth,” Kanaan said.

Ried says the patches don’t hold.

“Patches that we’re dealing with, these potholes—they’re not holding,” said Reid, “It’s a Band-Aid on a shark bite, really. It won’t hold long.”

The state’s Department of Transportation says the Pickens County side was a part of the 2019 Preservation Program. It was full-depth patched and crack-sealed. The Anderson County side was not. And despite the fact that this road sees anywhere from 750 to 11,000 vehicles every day, they’ve only had to address one pothole over the past year.

“Even if they didn’t want to repave everything, just repaving some of the potholes would make a huge difference” Kanaan said, “And hopefully, eventually, they’ll repave the whole thing. That’s really what it needs.”

And that’s what drivers say they want. The SCDOT says that isn’t happening yet, but they’ll continue to evaluate the road.

“I think actions speak louder than words,” said Reid, “I think the whole state has an issue, but this road, in particular. It’s because I travel it quite often. It’s just...it needs some attention.”

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