Pawnee County Residents Frustrated With Potholes, Bumps Plaguing Rural Roads

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People in rural Pawnee County said the roads there are worse than ever.

Residents said the bumps and potholes are so bad, they’re blowing tires every week and ruining equipment they need to haul for work.

People who live around here said they simply need safer roads to get where they need to go.

“We’ve replaced six tires in the last two weeks," said Mary Peckenpaugh. “It’s almost like a pin ball game.”

The roads in the rural part of Pawnee County near the small town of Skedee are full of bumps, gaping holes, and torn up pavement.

“For the last three years, it hasn’t been touched," Mary said.

Mary has lived here for almost 30 years and said the roads have never been worse.

She said she hauls equipment for farming, and she has to go significantly under the 45 mile an hour speed limit and drive on side ditches to miss the potholes.

“When you’re pulling a trailer, it’s horrible," she said.

She said the vehicle wear and tear is one thing, but she’s even more concerned about the school buses getting through these roads. She worries about buses navigating the many ditches and bumps when school starts next week.

The county commissioner in the area said leaders have dealt with a lot of backups, like their machine breaking and weather.

He said the small crew has to handle almost 400 miles of road and they’re trying their best to get the Skedee area patched up too.

But Mary said it needs to happen sooner than later. “It’s a safety issue at this point," she said.