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Residents say crumbling road could prevent carrier from delivering mail

Posted at 6:30 PM, Apr 17, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-17 18:30:43-04

MIDDLESEX COUNTY, Va. -- Russell Keller cringes daily when he drives down Syringa Road (Route 624) to get home in Middlesex County.

“The great big trucks to the small vehicles, everybody travels down this road,” said Keller.

Keller said the problem is the crumbling road, which can make driving very dangerous.

“The roads are too skinny and there are big drop offs on the side,” said Keller. “When cars are coming, you end up getting over a little bit and you hit one of the crumbling edges and you swerve into the ditch.”

Keller and other neighbors say crumbling edges on the road have left noticeable gaps between the road and their mailboxes.

It’s a safety issue he says he’s tried many times to get VDOT to repave the road.

Keller said nothing has happened since the last time he reported the issue six months ago.

“They gave me a confirmation number… Never heard from them since,” he said.

He said now the bumpy crumbling road is also bringing problems with the U.S. Postal Service.

“First of all, the mail lady… She’s leaving letters in boxes saying if we don’t get it fixed, then we won’t get mail in our boxes anymore.”

CBS 6 Problem Solvers were at Keller’s home when the mail carrier pulled up. She told us about the road concerns firsthand.

“Yeah, this is the most dangerous road I go down,” she said. “The curving and you ain’t got a shoulder.”

“The safety thing, the problems with everybody’s vehicles... Something needs to be done. It needs to be done now,” said Keller. “As we’re talking the road is eroding away.”

CBS 6 Problem Solver Shelby Brown contacted VDOT about Syringa Road.

A spokesperson said they were on his road as recently as last week repairing potholes along the shoulder. The agency also said they have plans to restore the edge line during spring time maintenance.

But neighbors said they won’t be satisfied until a complete repaving is done.

A VDOT spokesperson said in 2015 they did repave Syringa Road (Route 624) using asphalt and compressed stone. They said that was to repair the cracks in the road as well as to make for a smooth travel surface.

CBS 6 News is working for you. Click here to email a tip to the CBS 6 Problem Solvers. Be sure to leave us your name, phone number and detailed description of the problem. You can also leave a message by calling 804-254-3672.

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