Hope Mills Board to vote on bid to repair massive potholes on residential street

HOPE MILLS, N.C. (WTVD) -- Some dangerous road conditions in a Hope Mills community may be finally addressed after years of complaints from residents and business owners.

People there say the large, multiple potholes on Deaver Circle have long been a nuisance.

"Pretty much since we've lived here for 20 years. It just got worse along the way and about four years ago, it got really bad," Nancy Umstead said.

Residents said the road can be especially dangerous when it rains and floods because the water can hide the potholes, making them harder for drivers to spot.

"People are driving through that and all of a sudden you're in a hole six, eight inches deeper than the actual road level," Chuck Umstead said.

"A lot of folks were losing axles, busting up wheels..." said Hope Mills Mayor Jessie Bellflowers.

"It's not just the potholes. You worry about other cars hitting you because no one's in the lane they're supposed to be in because you're trying to avoid the holes," Nancy Umstead said.

Bellflowers said that on Monday, Hope Mills' board of commissioners will review a bid from town staff for Hope Mills to begin making repairs.

"A lot of times, projects will start, they'll take forever to finish if they ever finish at all," Bellflowers said. "This is something that we've made it a priority. We've just had to find out the exact way to do it."

The Umsteads have been asking officials to fix it since 2021, at one point talking to ABC11 Troubleshooter Diane Wilson. But the road was considered unclaimed -- meaning it wasn't owned by the town of Hope Mills, Cumberland County, or the North Carolina Department of Transportation, so no plans were put forward to fix Deaver Circle.

ALSO SEE | Report a pothole to the NCDOT here

Business owners also say they've stepped up by making temporary fixes, but it's taken a toll.

"It's money spent, money that could go to other parts of our business to continue to help grow it, we totally get that. As far as it being a burden, these guys have to go out there and work on it off a flatback roll-back truck, I mean, we're not equipped," said Forbes Hair, a property owner on Deaver Circle.

Steps for the project depend on the board's vote on Monday. The mayor said it was unclear how much the project could cost, but it's expected it will take one to two weeks for initial repairs.

ALSO SEE: | Why you should file claims for pothole damage