What’s taking so long to fix a dangerous situation? For well over two months a dangerous hole has existed underneath the sidewalk along the west side of Blue Ridge Drive in McCaysville. The hole is at the corner of the William T. “Boss” Mull Memorial Bridge.
The hole appeared sometime after Halloween and was a topic of conversation at the McCaysville City Council’s November meeting. Then, Police Chief Mike Earley said he was waiting to hear from the Georgia Department of Transportation on whether or not fixing the problem would be the responsibility of the city or the state.
Since then, Earley says the GDOT said the hole was caused by the collapse of one of their culverts. But nothing has been done to fix the problem.
Part of the sidewalk has crumbled and pedestrians are warned of the area by some orange cones and yellow tape. The city has done its part. GDOT has failed.
Such a danger should have been fixed within days. The idea it remained over the extremely busy holiday season without a serious accident is nothing short of a miracle. Hundreds, if not thousands of people, walked within inches of the collapse.
GDOT should quit dragging its feet. This is a safety issue, and a serious one, that should be fixed immediately. The safety of McCaysville citizens and visitors alike is being ignored.