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Crews Repairing Donna Road Filled With Potholes

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UPDATE (5/10): Crews have started digging out drainage ditches before resurfacing South Val Verde Road. 

Improvements began after CHANNEL 5 NEWS reached out to the Hidalgo County Precinct 1 following complaints from residents about potholes.

"We sent out a team to go out there and assess it. And what they came back with was that there's some need," said Hidalgo County Precinct 1 Commissioner David Fuentes. "We're going to put some milling on it, which will temporarily fix the bumpiness of that road."

The temporary fix will improve about 800 linear feet of the roadway until a permanent solution can be worked into the budget.

Watch the video above for more information. 

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DONNA – Some people living in the area along a road near Donna Lake are wondering how long they’ll have to dodge large potholes littering the roadway.

“I used to have another pickup,” explained Ruben De La Garza, who lives on South Val Verde Road. “With one of the potholes, I had those lower pro tires and with those custom tires, I hit a pothole and the rim cracked and deflated the tire. It cost me money to replace it. That’s one of the times I had it pretty bad.”

Ruben De La Garza says although the damage totaled about $500, it could have been worse.

“I could have crashed and gone into someone's property,” he said.

He tells CHANNEL 5 NEWS for the last 25 years, he and his family have called Val Verde Road “home” even though they avoid driving on the street as much as possible.

“I go to the next street over, which is Waylon Street. It’s a better street but it’s a longer route to do it. But it’s worth it,” he said.

De La Garza says it’s an extra eight to 10 minutes one way. He says he leaves his house and comes back about three times a day, that’s about an extra hour spent just avoiding potholes.

People living in the area say it gets worse.

When it rains, the hot sun shines down on the road where water seeps into exposed cracks, softening the roadbed. The softer it is, the less weight it can handle – meaning more potholes can form.

De La Garza and his neighbors want to know when the county is going to do something.

CHANNEL 5 NEWS reached out to Hidalgo County Precinct 1. They tell us they are looking into this.

The office adds they have more than 100 miles of road to maintain and they need to check their work plans to see if this project has been funded or if construction has been set.

We’ll let you know when we hear back.

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