Residents in Sargent fear state tax funded project to prevent flooding will cause it instead
SARGENT, Texas - The TXDOT culvert and drainage project in Sargent, a small town some 74 miles south of Houston, has been going on for months.
Residents say they've got a lot of questions, but no answers.
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"I thought it was going to be a great thing, I really did, because we need good drainage here," said Front Porch Bar owner Aleasha Wood.
But after seeing the work done by TXDOT on the project on FM 457 from Bay City to Sargent, residents want it gone.
"The whole state of Texas is paying for it, not just Sargent, but the whole state," said Sargent resident Bill Smith. "They're not getting their money's worth, because it's going to cost more money to fix it right."
"That culvert is this high and they dug down at an angle that's going to push water up," said Sargent resident Shane Daniel. "Plus, the culvert is blocked. There's no way water can drain down there."
"They're doing it spotty. They didn't start here and go to the finish line, I don't understand that," Daniel said.
"If we get any rain at all, it's going to flood me out," said Wood.
"That's where my tax dollars are going, and it's just shoddy work," said Sargent resident Shelly Sanders.
Smith says he spoke to the engineer overseeing the project.
"He said you see what it is, that's what you're going to get," said Smith. "I told him it's a waste of money if you can't do it right."
"At one point, one of the guys told me they were out of money," Wood said.
She says a TXDOT worker told her she'd have to pay to have the dirt removed that's clogging the culvert.
"I can guarantee you that's going to flood," said Sanders.
"The 14 years I've owned the bar, I've never had water inside this building," Wood said. "I don't think I'll be able to say that anymore."
We reached out to TXDOT for response. We've yet to hear back.