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Travel Concerns on a Bay County Road
Some residents fear the thought of having to travel a Bay County road.
They say the road contains hazards that can bring your vehicle to a stop in no time at all. One resident brought his concerns to News 13 for us to check out. Here is what we learned...in this week’s Problem Solver report.
It is not the only unpaved road in Bay County but this one is different. Ellis Mott says, “it is just a constant battle and we absolutely didn’t have any problem until the new privately- owned landfill was installed here on Steelfield Road.”
The area Mott is talking about is Steelfield Road at the turnoff to the Bay County landfill. It is here that Steelfield changes to an unpaved surface extending west about 7 miles to the Walton County line...and beyond to where Mott and other residents live. The real problem area is about a half mile from the Steelfield Landfill turnoff to the entrance of a new privately owned landfill on Sunbelt Drive.
The constant daily travel by trucks hauling debris to the Sunbelt Drive site is taking its toll on the dirt road...stirring up thick dust and producing holes...that’s tough on vehicles. As big dump trucks hit this rough, unpaved section of road, they lose part of their load, nails, and other debris. People who travel the section daily say this is the real problem. Mott says, “I have had about 12 flats, blowouts in the last month...one guy he has had 28 blowouts…because of the nails and debris. Tires are not cheap. I can replace tires, but cannot replace potential loss of life when a blowout happens in the middle of nowhere. My kids come in and out and I am scared to death they will have a blowout.”
Bay County is responsible for maintaining the road. Mott says he and other residents who drive through here have voiced their concerns many times to the county road department. The residents who travel this road do have valid complaints. The question is...how and when will this problem be resolved?
I put that question to Ken Schnell, Bay County’s Public Works Director. He says the county grades the dirt road each week. Schnell also says there is a solution on the way. Two companies with development plans on Sunbelt Drive, Gulf Asphalt GAC and C-W Roberts, will pave that half mile of Steelfield since truck traffic will increase. Schnell says the county plans to begin preparing the road for that new pavement...in the next few weeks and it is hoped the project will be completed in the next 90 days.
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