Rain-damaged dirt road leaves San Benito residents trapped, missing work
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San Benito, TX (KRGV) — Cameron County Public Works blocked off part of Iowa Gardens Road near San Benito after recent rain turned the dirt road muddy and left families struggling to get to work and school.
Denise Galvan lives on Iowa Gardens Road and says the conditions make it difficult to reach her home.
“It's really frustrating. I don't feel safe. In case of an emergency and the road is destroyed, I really don't have a place to go. I'm stuck there basically,” Galvan said.
Galvan says she has missed work twice this year because her car gets stuck when the road turns muddy.
“On Monday, I wasn't able to come to work. I had to ask for help from bigger trucks, 4x4s, because I don't own a 4x4 to help me get out of my home,” Galvan said.
She says neighbors help her take her children to school. Galvan says she went to the county commissioners' Precinct 3 office earlier this week looking for answers and was told they could not help at the time because the road was destroyed.
Galvan worries about what could happen in an emergency if more rain falls.
“It's a safety issue. It's a safety matter. We are basically left there when it rains,” Galvan said.
Without a permanent solution, Galvan says she plans to stay with family during the next big rain.
“We're just going to have to be displaced. We're going to go ahead and stay with family, which is not convenient for us or our kids,” Galvan said.
Cameron County Public Works Director Carlos Sanchez says crews know about the road's condition. He says they need to wait for it to dry before they can lay down more caliche and level it.
Channel 5 News asked if there are any plans to pave the dirt section and was told there are not. Cameron County Public Works says drivers, emergency crews, and school districts need to use alternative routes to reach these homes.
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