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Unfixed bumpy road in North Columbia upsets, frustrates drivers

Drivers on North Main Street in Columbia are frustrated after a road project that began in 2017, is still not complete causing bumpy commute.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Residents who live in the North Columbia area are frustrated because of the road conditions on North Main Street where it means Monticello Road.

 It's part of a construction project that began in 2017 with Richland County, SCDOT, and the Federal Highway Administration. 

"I’m sure people who buy new cars don’t want to ride on that raggedy road. I don’t want to ride on it period," said Dwaine Frazier who lives on North Main St. 

Frazier and his son, DJ drive on the road every day. They said they have not seen any construction workers or any updates to the road project since December. 

"It’s one little section in there that’s really rough," Dwaine said. "It's not paved, it's bad for your car. If you want to drive on it, go check it out. But it's not finished and we don't see anybody working on it. And we want to find out what's causing this problem and how long it's going to continue to last. People drive on it everyday and it's putting wear and tear on your cars."

Dwaine told News 19, driving on the road is rough and hard to enjoy the other developing area with how bad the roads are. 

"It should be a thing where it should be done, or it should’ve been done a while ago," DJ said. "We pay taxes and we can't even get a small section of the road fixed that's been worked on for more than two years."

The Richland County Transportation Department manages the road, which is owned by SCDOT. A spokesperson for the department said: "The remaining section has deteriorated concrete pavement underneath the existing roadway and an existing old trolley line rail that is to be removed. The removal of and mitigation of the deteriorated concrete exceeded the original scope of work.  A revised scope of work or correction plan was developed and required approval by Richland County, SCDOT (various levels) and Federal Highway Administration(FHWA). The County has approved the revised scope of work/plan.  Currently, the revised scope of work is being approved by SCDOT. It will need approval from FHWA, once SCDOT has approved it overall."

The FWHA is providing federal funding for the project. Once the plans are approved by all organizations, the project will resume but that date has not been determined. 

The Fraziers share concerns with other residents in the area like Jarisa Bethea. 

"I’ve given several complaints," Bethea said. "I’ve called the city, SCDOT, and I have taken videos, sent pictures and to the conditions. As far as the conditions of the roads, it’s horrible."

She told News 19, her vehicle was damaged while driving on the unpaved road. 

"I’ve even ran into a pothole that was so deep, my car went in it and it put a dent in my car…it put a dent in my car, that’s how bad the roads are," Bethea said. 

The county said if anyone's vehicle is believed to be damaged from the street, you can file a claim with the Richland County Ombudsman's Office for possible reimbursement for repair costs. For information about who to call or email, CLICK HERE. 

The county hopes to have the construction complete by Summer 2022. 

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