Rough road

A vehicle kicks up dust as it makes it's way down Deer Springs Loop Wednesday. Many area residents take a chance on teh road despite it's hazardous condition. — © 2009 Gallup Independent / Cable Hoover

Copyright © 2009
Gallup Independent
By Clifton Trujillo
Independent intern

TWIN LAKES — “Safety” is one Twin Lakes resident’s biggest concern when it comes to the road that runs by her home.Lillie Begay lives off Navajo 9505, commonly referred to as Deer Springs Loop, and she fears that an accident is inevitable if the road is not fixed. The road, which she said is still riddled with nails, bolts, screws and wires ever since it was graveled last March, is a major bus route.

“What if there was a blowout with the kids on the bus?

Who’s responsible?” Begay asked.

Begay said she has already contacted the schools and told them to watch out when driving on the road.

Another concern, Begay said, was being reimbursed the cost from all the tire repairs her and fellow Twin Lakes residents have incurred since the road was graveled.

“It was just a dirt road until it was graveled, then all this started,” Begay said.

Begay said she won’t even buy new tires anymore, because it’s only a matter of time before they are ruined.

“At first I went through four new tires, then four used tires.

Now it’s a tire here, a tire there,” Begay said.

Begay said she got a flat tire June 11 from driving on the road after it had been graded by the county. It ended up, Begay said, that her back left tire had three nails in it, and her front driver-side tire had three nails.

“The guy at Big O Tire asked me, ‘Where did you go, the road to hell?’,” Begay said. Begay said almost every tire on her car has been repaired with patches.

“Each of my front tires has four patches. My back, driver-side tire has seven, which is one away from being ruined.

And I just replaced the other tire with a used one because the last one was ruined,” Begay said.

Begay and fellow residents got together at a town meeting and authored a resolution for the McKinley County Roads Department. Included in the resolution was a plea for the county to fix the road, and to determine who’s responsible for the tire damages. Also in the package were the names of residents who have received flat tires as a result of driving on the road.

“I didn’t hit all the houses in the area because I didn’t want to ruin my tires,” Begay said.

Begay said because, “the county and Gallup Sand and Gravel are just passing the ball back and forth,” she intends to suggest at the next chapter meeting that the community seek legal representation. “They’re both liable. One for giving us the lowest grade gravel for the road, and the other for not even inspecting the gravel,” Begay said.

“I called the McKinley County Roads Department last Thursday, and they said get a police report and bring it in.

Why? Everyone already knows the road is ruined,” Begay said. “I wish we could just get together and pave the road without pointing fingers,” Begay said.

Elizabeth Becenti said because of the location of her home, she has no choice but to drive on the road. “We’re probably picking up something every time we drive on it,” Becenti said. Every week, Becenti said, her family has to fix the tires on one of their three vehicles. “Every time they grade the road the metal comes up,” Becenti said.

It’s the same story for Ernie Begay, who said he’s had more than five flat tires because of the road. “We need that road to be fixed,” Begay said.

Kenneth Yazzie, who first brought up this same issue last year, said this is “nonsense.”

“I called the county and they said it’s Sand and Gravel’s fault. I called Sand and Gravel, and they said its the county’s,” Yazzie said.

Yazzie said he can’t afford new tires at the rate in which they ruin. He said so far he’s had to buy eight tires: Four new, and now four used.

“Give it about a month and then they’re ruined,” Yazzie said.

“I’m tired of getting flat tires every day. I got a flat yesterday,” Yazzie said.

Because no one would return his calls, Yazzie said, he called Sen. Tom Udall. “Apparently you have to call Washington, D.C., just to get a response,” Yazzie said.

Charles Kendall, roads supervisor for the county, said the gravel that was used to cover the road last March by Gallup Sand and Gravel somehow contained scraps of metal, nails and wires. He said the bits of metal passed through undetected despite the use of magnets in the removal process.

“I thought we had gotten it all, but I guess we must have missed some. We’re trying to pick it all up,” Kendall said.

Kendall said without funding, about the only thing the county can do is grade the road and have Gallup Sand and Gravel follow behind with the magnets. The problem with that, Kendall said, is that without water, grading the road is out of the question because the road won’t compact back and ends up washboarding. “We try to grade it after it rains,” Kendall said.

“I’m trying to appease everyone, but I don’t know if we’re doing it,” Kendall said.

Kendall said as far as he knew, the county was not responsible for the reimbursing the Twin Lakes residents.

“As far as I know, Gallup Sand and Gravel is supposed to be taking care of the tire repairs,” Kendall said.

As for regraveling the road, Kendall said it would cost about the same to pave, which is not an option without funds.

Gallup Sand and Gravel Manager Gene Bodkin refused to comment for this story.

Begay said for anyone living in the area experiencing tire problems, call the Twin Lakes Chapter House, (505)-735-2600, and leave your name and number. She also urges everyone to keep their receipts and make copies for the chapter.