MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas — For months now, dozens of drivers along U.S. Highway 84 between McGregor and Oglesby say loose rocks have caused damage to their vehicles. As of this week, crews from TxDOT have been seen working in this area of concern.
6 News reached out to TxDOT - Waco District to find out what's going on. A spokesperson confirmed it's their crew that has been seen along the stretch of roadway and that they're addressing "rocky" conditions on the road.
"TxDOT crews were conducting a fog seal application on US 84 and will continue application through next week as the weather allows," Jake Smith, a spokesperson for TxDOT-Waco District said in an email to 6 News. "A fog seal application mitigates rock loss which has been an issue on this roadway."
This comes three weeks after 6 News ran a story sharing some frustration from drivers about their vehicles being damaged by rocks and other road materials flying up while driving on the stretch of road. Dozens of people reported cracks, chips and dents. Some Central Texas residents said it's happened in multiple vehicles they own, too.
Debbie Vanous is one of the many people dealing with the issue. She told 6 News she is happy to see TxDOT has taken notice of the problem and is providing some sort of possible solution.
"It tells me that they do kind of care maybe for the citizens and the taxes that we paid to travel those roads," Vanous said. "There's a lot of us, it's not just a few, there's a lot of us affected. Hopefully, this will fix it for a while until they can fix it permanently."
Vanous is still wanting and hoping to hear from the contractor that did the work, Cox Paving of Texas, Inc. She said it's been around two weeks. She was told by others dealing with this issue that TxDOT couldn't address their claims of damage to vehicles and that reaching out to the contractor was the way to go.
"Minimum that they pay for my deductible on my insurance," Vanous said. "That's what we have insurance for. Under the circumstances, there was no fault on our behalf. A lot of people are impacted and you can tell that there was something wrong with that road that caused it to fail and which has caused all these claims that are probably being made right now."
6 News asked TxDOT what advice they would give to those who have experienced damage from this portion of the roadway. Smith said motorists can head to TxDOT’s pavement condition claim resolution process webpage for further information.
Vanous has a crack in one vehicle that travels across the entire windshield. She reached out to her insurance and they told her because of the rocky situation on US 84 and the number of people that have been impacted, it could play a role in her filings.
"[They] explained that under normal circumstances that they allow up to three times a year for windshield replacement, but because of this situation, they're aware of it," Vanous explained. "They know a lot of people are impacted by it, and that it could be a case-by-case thing."
6 News has reached out to Cox Paving of Texas, Inc. multiple times to learn more about their damage policy and what they are liable for. Our request for comment and information hasn't been fulfilled as of Feb. 29.
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