September 12, 2022
By: Dwayne Page
Recent flooding has caused road damage in several places across the county adding to the workload of the already busy DeKalb County Highway Department.
Priority has been given to these areas since the flooding.
One of the worst spots was Old Highway 53 near Alexandria where runoff water from a hillside during a heavy downpour on Saturday, September 3 caused a small section of the pavement to buckle and break up. The repair is now complete, and the road has been re-opened.
According to some, the thunderstorm produced up to seven inches of rain in a short period of time in the Liberty-Alexandria area including Old Highway 53, Upper Helton Road, Willoughby Lane, and Wilson Hollow off Alexandria to Dismal Road, which was more than the roads could handle. Later that night, another downpour caused some road damage in the southern portion of the county including areas of Seven Springs Road, Meridian Drive, and Creek Road.
Another trouble spot is on Evins Mill Road near the creek where the shoulder is narrow and badly deteriorated. Road Supervisor Danny Hale said this portion of the road is closed until that issue has been resolved.
Much of the road damage overall from the recent floods includes exposed tiles, debris which has accumulated underneath bridges and around tiles which needs to be cleaned out, and buckled pavement.
Road Supervisor Hale said it may take up to three weeks to make all the needed repairs from the flooding.