Massive pothole covers private road near Kerr Ave. businesses

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A massive pothole growing near some businesses on Kerr avenue is almost as wide as the road.

Some businesses on that road near the intersection of Fountain Drive and Kerr Avenue said it has been growing for the past ten years.

“It started out smaller, but it’s gotten bigger over time,” Kitchen and Lighting Designs Operations Manager Robert Choate said.

Choate said some drivers go around it, but some do not.

“Occasionally, you’ll see someone fly threw there,” Choate said.

He said that usually does not end well.

“You’ll hear them bottom out,” Choate said.

Last week, he said a tractor trailer got stuck in it.

“He had to call a tow truck to be towed out and this was a big semi,” Choate said.

There is a long list of issues for drivers.

“When it rains and it fills full of water, you don’t realize how deep it is,” Choate said. “I’ve seen cars try to pass through it and several of them stall and then there are also damaged vehicles.”

A spokesman with the City of Wilmington said it is a private road, but Choate and the other businesses we talked to on the road say they do not know who owns it.

“Our property line ends between us and the service road,” Choate said.

A spokesman for Goodwill said they have been trying to figure out who is responsible for it for years, because they want to see it fixed. We did some digging and found land records.

The records show Spring Harbor LLC owns the property for The Saint James Village building and the private road. When we reached out to the owner Jim Rolquin, he said it is a driveway easement that is not for his property. He said the road is not his responsibility.

“No one has ever taken any responsibility for it,” Choate said.

For now, the businesses say the once small hole just keeps getting bigger.

Rolquin said if all of the businesses on the road took ownership of it, he would participate, but that has not happened.