‘My God, what have they done?’: Residents frustrated about Holmestown Road repaving project

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) - The repaving project on Holmestown Road has been ongoing for weeks, but many aren’t happy with the results so far.

WMBF News reached out to the South Carolina Department of Transportation for answers after many residents expressed their concerns.

When asked why the road appears to be bumpy after the repaving process, SCDOT spokesperson Pete Poore said the following in an email:

“SCDOT’s contractor on the Holmestown Rd paving project is using an expedited process in an effort to complete the needed repairs quickly. The process has proven successful except for the outside westbound lane which resulted in an inadequate ride in that lane. The contractor will use a process called diamond grinding once paving is complete which should improve the ride of all lanes significantly. It’s a similar process to milling but produces a much finer/uniform surface that is suitable for permanent traffic. SCDOT will evaluate the project later in the week.”

Connie and Daryl Strickland are just two of the many people who expressed their concerns about the project.

Daryl said in all his life, this is unlike any newly-paved road he’s driven on before.

“It feels like a pothole but there is no pothole there,” Strickland said. “I am 70 years old, I have been on roads being paved and they are smooth as glass. But that thing we drove across, my God, what have they done? It goes bum, bum, bum, bum.”

His wife, Connie Strickland, said she thought she had flat tires when driving on Holmestown Road.

State Rep. Russell Fry took to social media to say he’d contacted SCDOT “after taking a leisurely stroll down Holmestown Road a few weeks ago and needing a chiropractic adjustment immediately afterwards.”

“SCDOT informed me today (Tuesday) that, weather permitting, the repairs should begin late next week to fix the issue,” Fry posted on his Facebook page.

The road project concerns come as President Joe Biden is expected to discuss his $2 trillion infrastructure plans on Wednesday in front of Congress.

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