Local departments work to repair potholes, road damage

HARDEMAN COUNTY, Tenn. — “We’ve had a lot of rain in the years past, but it seems like we’ve had nothing but rain for the past month, so we’re just having to deal with all that,” said Casey Swift, assistant highway superintendent of Hardeman County.

State and local officials say they have been working around the clock trying to fill potholes and repair road damage.

“We’ve had a lot more hours, having to stay out longer hours at night,” Swift said. “So it takes time, but we’ll eventually get it.”

A few weeks ago, a portion of Piney Grove Road in Hardeman County collapsed and washed downstream.

“We’ve put in several pipes over the years, and they keep blowing out,” Swift said. “So instead of worry with the pipe, we’re going to go ahead and replace it with a one-span bridge.”

Swift says this isn’t the only roadway affected in the county.

“We still have a few roads that are down to one lane traffic that we’re just waiting for some of the stuff to dry up, and the material, to give us a good day to actually fix it,” Swift said.

TDOT representatives say if you’ve noticed more potholes continuing to pop up, this is why.

“Right now what we’re filling them with is a cold mix,” TDOT spokesperson Nichole Lawrence said. “It is absolutely a temporary fix until our asphalt plants that will be turning on in the next probably month or so, so we can get some hot mix and do a more permanent fix.”

Crews are also working to repair Huggins Bottom Road in McNairy County to open it back up as soon as possible.