WAGONER COUNTY, Okla. — With small patchwork on a few potholes and a cone placed at a couple culverts some still consider too dangerous to drive over, residents near the community of Yonkers took to the 2 News Problem Solvers to get answers on their dilapidated county roads.
"It's terrible up here," Alexandra Nichols told 2 News.
WATCH: Rural Wagoner County residents hope for culvert, road fixes
"Here" is 350 Road wrapping around Hadley Mountain in the northeast corner of Wagoner County,
Nichols and her boyfriend Jackson Metz said they have damaged their car and truck going over sudden humps multiple times.
"I had a car before this and I replaced the whole front end because I hit the potholes," Nichols added. "And you can't see them at night."
But it's the partially collapsed tinhorn culverts at two spots that now prevent Metz from driving his truck down this road, he said.
"A diesel truck just like mine for instance – I got an 11,000-lbs. truck. If I was to drive over this, this whole road would collapse under here," Metz said. "There is obviously nothing underneath this road supporting this right now."
The couple's neighbors up the road show they aren't alone in their concerns.
"For a person to not know this road, yes. I'll repeat myself again, you will damage your car," Janelle Oetting told 2 News.
First-term county commissioner Randy Stamps said he's well aware of the issues, and is already organizing crews to fix the two tinhorn culverts on June 9.
"But I can't do anything (on 355 Road). This is the road going to (Nichols), to this area," Commissioner Stamps said.
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The commissioner said he discovered on June 3 that the portion of 355 Road is not actually in the county's inventory and therefore not in its jurisdiction to maintain. He said he's hoping to get that fixed.
"We were going back probably to the 50s or something. We may not ever know," Stamps said. " And there's a point to where, does it matter (if it hasn't been under county control)? Let's just move forward."
While the commissioner said the affordable repairs are high on the to-do list, Nichols would like action after a long wait.
"Let's actually get the community the help they need instead of just, 'Oh, well, we'll see if he'll give me a call back,'" Nichols said.
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