TOMBALL, Texas – Sebrina Kilgore knows the sound that Houston drivers dread all too well, “Ping, ping, ping, ping, ping,” it’s the sound of rocks hitting your vehicle.
Only on Tuesday morning along the northbound lanes of 249 near the Grand Parkway, Kilgore says the experience of having her vehicle hit was much different.
“It was like driving through a meteor shower of rocks,” said Kilgore.
Her family’s new SUV was struck on the hood multiple times with her windshield suffering a lengthy crack. The cost to replace according to her dealer, nearly $2,000. Kilgore says the rocks did not spill from the bed of a truck but rather it came up from the road.
“It seems like it transitions from concrete to asphalt and asphalt is broken up. It looks like it’s deteriorating,” said Kilgore.
KPRC 2 Investigates drove the same stretch of 249 on Friday for a firsthand look and we came up on lengthy patches where portions of the asphalt were gone with remnants of what was once there nearby.
Sabrina’s situation comes ten days after Click2Houston published a story as to what other drivers were experiencing in terms of damage. In that story, the Harris County Toll Road Authority admitted they have a problem.
On Friday, they said repairs are planned for this weekend to address the problem. Kilgore says she is submitting a claim with HCTRA via a link she found on Click2Houston to have them pay for a new windshield for their recently purchased SUV.
Attorney Clark Martin made it clear to us that drivers should never wait in filing a claim due to deadlines.
“In most instances it’s between four to six months and you’ll want to check with that governmental entity because it changes,” said Martin.
HCTRA will be closing the northbound lanes of 249 near the Grand Parkway beginning at 9 P.M. Friday until 5 A.M. Monday.
The suggestion for this story initially was submitted as a tip through the Click2Houston help desk.
