CALDWELL, Texas — Construction crews are still repairing County Road 378 after a washout left dozens of residents stranded on Dec. 22.
- A dam washout caused County Road 378 in Burleson County to collapse on Dec. 22, leaving residents stranded ahead of Christmas.
- Residents Glenn and Gail Rhoades were unable to leave, but they enjoyed seeing the community help each other and the county's response time.
- There is a temporary repair, but commissioners aren't sure when a permanent fix will be completed.
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Husband and wife, Glenn and Gail Rhodes, were among the residents stranded, becoming separated after the collapse.
"It was just a wide chasm, and the water just pouring in, and big chunks of asphalt falling up and dropping off," Glenn said. "It was just bizarre."
Crews eventually cleared a path using other roads to get Glenn home the next day, but they couldn't leave.
"We were gonna have Christmas in Austin where one of my daughters lives, the other one came from Corpus, and my sister came from Denton, so we were supposed to meet in Austin," Gail said.
"The road didn't open up until Christmas night, and we weren't about to be the first person over that road repair."
Others struggled finding clean water.
"Some of our neighbors were dependent on the Milano water system. So, that line broke, so a lot of our neighbors didn't have water," Gail said.
According to Glenn, it's the second time the road washed out within 10 years.
Local construction company, NEI, temporarily fixed the road, making it functional by Christmas.
But Precinct 3 County Commissioner David Hildebrand said the county hasn't calculated the costs of the repairs yet or when the road will be completed.
"It's almost finished. People can travel it no problem. We've just got some more finishing touches to put on it," Hildebrand said.
The couple hopes another washout will never happen again, but they say they enjoyed seeing the community help each other and the county's response time.
"It was really amazing. Even though we're in the country, and neighbors are miles apart, it's as if we're next door. They'll do anything for you," Glenn said.
"A man left his car on the other side and left the keys in it for anybody to use it if they had to go to get something. To me, it's hard to believe, but that's how the neighbors are. We're lucky to live here."
