GETTING ANSWERS: Groce Meadow Road

TAYLORS, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - When drivers brought Groce Meadow Road to our attention, it wasn’t just about the patches and potholes.

They also had concerns about the bridge and conditions during winter snows.

This road sits between Milford Church Road and Mountainview Road, in Greenville County. It runs parallel to Lake Robinson, in Taylors.

Though it only runs about 4.5 miles long, there are some patchy spots giving drivers trouble.

Kaelan Deese says you’ll feel it when you ride.

“It doesn’t matter what kind of vehicle you have—a big truck, a little car,” Deese said, “You can knock your front bumper off your car hitting some of these potholes.”

Groce Meadow Road is mostly lined with homes. And the community is sounding off about how it looks.

“I’ve got a lot of nice vehicles too—personal vehicles, hot rods, stuff like that, but I don’t drive them that much, because I’ve got to work on them all the time, when I drive, from hitting potholes,” said Deese.

The state’s Department of Transportation reports only one claim for vehicle damage last year.

Nevit Hughes says the experience is worse on a motorcycle.

“It’s bad enough you have to watch out for other drivers who are texting and distracted in other ways,” Hughes said, “And you’re also having to manage unfavorable conditions.”

Hughes drives very carefully.

“You’re looking pretty far down the road to maneuver around that,” said Hughes.

Drivers also complained about the bridge on Groce Meadow being out of commission for what felt like forever. The SCDOT says the bridge closed Aug. 12, 2022 when a routine inspection identified concerns about the structural stability of the bridge. Crews conducted a follow-up, underwater inspection in Sep. 2020. It confirmed those concerns. They determined the bridge was not repairable and had to be replaced. After finding funding, an emergency project was let to contract in early Dec. 2020. Utility relocation issues delayed staff until May 3, 2021. The bridge reopened to traffic on July 14, 2021.

Maria Hemple is worried about snow making conditions worse.

“If you came up here and looked, you would see. Some of that snow and the ice gets stuck in those potholes,” Hemple said, “And that causes some really slippery, scary, dangerous spots.”

The SCDOT says their priorities for plowing and de-icing are interstates first, then primary routes. Next, maintenance has a select list of roads for clearing routes to and from hospitals, fire stations, law enforcement agencies, and other first responder services.

Hemple says it’s also important for this road to be paved to get the kids to and from school.

“Not just making it safer for me, as a resident here, but for our children. We have a lot of buses that go up and down this route,” Hemple said.

Compared to other “Getting Answers” roads, this one doesn’t see as bad. The DOT fixed four potholes over the last year, but they have no planned work for Groce Meadow Road, at this time.

“There are definitely places that are more patchy than others, in the way of potholes,” said Hemple.

The SCDOT ranks roads based on condition and traffic. Groce Meadow sees 2,700 vehicles per day.

Deese feels the road will only grow from here. And it will need new pavement to support it.

“We’ve got a lot of people moving in around here,” Deese said, “And I think they would enjoy it too if it got paved.”

Report a road here.

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