GETTING ANSWERS: Bonner Road

GAFFNEY, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - We are getting you answers about Bonner Road.

It is out most-requested Cherokee County Road, to date.

The roadway goes through the Cowpens and Gaffney area. You’ll find it between Highway 221 and the South Carolina/North Carolina border.

Drivers tell us the conditions are bad from Highway 11 to Highway 110.

Eric Knight manages a recycling company off the road.

“Some of the good spots on this road are bad spots, that’s the hard part about it,” Knight said.

Knight says the potholes are hard to miss.

“You do feel every pothole you hit out here,” said Knight, “There are some deep ones. There are some that are several inches deep and can rattle things.”

It’s a toss-up on what’s noisier: scrap metal or the cars driving over potholes. Tina Caggiano was one of the seven that reached out to FOX Carolina through Getting Answers.

“It’s very loud when you go over the bumps and the gravel part of it,” Caggiano said.

The state’s Department of Transportation says they’ve fixed 198 potholes in the past year.

“And I know a lot of people travel that road; especially with the interstate being like it is,” said Caggiano, “People get off and go the back roads instead.”

However, Caggiano says she avoids Bonner Road all-together.

Knight says he’s seen the road deteriorate because of how often he travels it.

“It is a rough road to drive on. Potholes have greatly increased over the recent periods of time,” said Knight.

He says resurfacing it would make things easier for work.

“We handle a lot of business here,” Knight said, “I travel it, daily. My family travels it, daily. So, it would mean a lot to me to get it paved.”

The SCDOT did some full-depth patching over a decade ago. And on Mar. 1, crews patched from Highway 11 to North Green River Road.

Caggiano says it didn’t make a difference.

“Start over from scratch. It’s a terrible road that needs major repair, not put a Band-Aid on it. It’s like a huge, open wound that just a small Band-Aid is not going to fix,” Caggiano said.

The DOT says there are not resurfacing projects for Bonner Road, at the moment. They’ve dealt with three claims due to vehicle damage on Bonner Road.

“I’m curious as to why. If I could say one thing, it’s it really needs it,” said Caggiano.

They say there are worse roads they have to address first—such as Overbrook Drive, Love Springs Road, Cowpens Pacolet Road, Beaver Dam Road, and Burnt Gin Road—all of which we’ve covered through Getting Answers previously. Bonner Road will have to wait.

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