Well, our beloved “Governor” is upset over our hillbilly stigma. Imagine that. But with our roads going straight to hell, it seems like that’s just a distraction to things that are of very real importance. He’s all about supporting the Oil and Gas Barons, the Coal Kings, and anything else that takes what we HAVE and gives it to the rich folks, while sweeping the poor folks aside just like so much mountaintop removal fill-dirt.
There has been a lot of controversy lately regarding the Dept. of Highways in WV. The guys at the top publicly saying everything is just fine and dandy, and claiming that only “extra” or “old” equipment is being sold off, but the guys at the bottom of the totem pole see it a bit differently. Anyone not familiar with life in rural WV would think that it’s all just a matter of differing opinions. But NOT SO.
Well now, here is what the actual PEOPLE who LIVE on these roads are dealing with as of February 27th, 2008.
To be fair, I will say that these pictures were taken over a week ago and the road in question is now MUCH worse, having been made worse in part by the highway department’s scattering of large crushed limestone rock here and there on top of the mud. As of today (Feb. 27) the car-eating potholes are still growing, as are the high centers. Residents are using their cars as grader blades and rollers. Notice there are no ditches. The ditches have not been cleaned out in years, and so the water just runs down the road. By the time the water makes it to the bottom of the hill, it’s running into people’s driveways and thru their yards and cutting out the shoulders of the road. Most of the culverts are doing nothing at all…
The nice man on the phone from Charleston, after agreeing the roads needed work, said they didn’t have enough equipment. “Down to one backhoe”, he said. “Then again, were having trouble getting rock. The supplier’s not keeping up.” And “They have to travel a long distance to get it here”. And of course the weather conditions are hampering them. They have to work “in between snow storms”, and “all the dirt roads in the county are in the same condition”, so “whenever they can work it into their schedule…”
Well, thank heavens. Because they don’t actually USE backhoes to clean out the ditches anyhow… Of course if you are from Up North you realize that DURING the snow storms is WHEN the road crews are usually WORKING…..
Is it possible that the maintainance of these county roads might just fall into the hands of the people who live on them? Just a thought. We can get the gravel out of the creek. Use the farm tractor to ditch and scrape. Everybody chip in. Hey, it’s something for us deformed hillbillies to do to keep us from eatin’ folks…
Calhoun Underground 